Menstrual horrors?

[ChristineM]

No, but to all that a first menstruation signifies, womanhood. You're opposition of moral seems to be to some kind of religious term. It simply means 'good', making wise decisions as to her sexual awakening.

My name objection is to the church sticking its second hand morality on menstruation.

If a church can give sound advice without forcing religious dogma into it then fine.

Menstruation is not a moral question

 

[pearl]

I had religiously imposed limitations on how I could deal with it which I followed at the time, and I regret that now. If I could do it over again, once I had the children I wanted to have, I would’ve had an elective hysterectomy.

For a woman to make 'good' choices has nothing to do with religion. All I have referred to is the necessity for making healthy decisions,
both bodily and emotionally. And it requires some kind of guidance, no matter if one is religious or an atheist. What kind of mother would not
protect her daughter against the misuse or exploitation of her sexuality by others?

 

[JustGeorge]

For a woman to make 'good' choices has nothing to do with religion. All I have referred to is the necessity for making healthy decisions,
both bodily and emotionally. And it requires some kind of guidance, no matter if one is religious or an atheist. What kind of mother would not
protect her daughter against the misuse or exploitation of her sexuality by others?

I'm really confused.

I can see what you're referencing with the moral aspect, and how to be responsible with one's sexuality, and leaving that up to parents. Okay. But do you feel explaining the biological function of menstruation, without any guidelines as to how to function as a woman, goes too far?

In 5th grade, all this was explained to us; how our bodies worked. What changes to expect. Any coaching on what to do with our growing bodies was left out, other than stuff like put on your deodorant, and to familiarize girls with hygiene products(and to let them know they can always ask the nurse for help).

 

[Subduction Zone]

Okay I’m a little apprehensive about this. But I think it’s important to discuss and normalise such topics. Among everyone!

Now I’ve been reading some very concerning stories online from folks (in this instance from the States) concerning not only their education with regards to menstrual cycles but their negative experiences in school. Being told off, being shamed, bullied etc. Or indeed horrible advice from
I’m curious if you’ve ever experienced such things?
Horror stories? Awful advice? Experimentation that actually worked?

This thread was inspired by this legislation being proposed in Florida

Florida considers ban on discussion of menstruation before sixth grade | Florida | The Guardian

Planned Parenthood advocates say the ‘absurd’ draft legislation regarding periods would present a ‘reductive and binary view of sex’

amp.theguardian.com

Now, sixth grade in the US around 11-12. Is that correct? Seems a bit late if you ask me.
What concerns me more is, according to this article it would ban even questions before that age? Which seems a recipe for absolute disaster if you ask me. Just my opinion.
But I could be getting the short end of the stick here
So I want an American perspective. Help me out here guys.
Thoughts? Complaints? Criticism?

To answer why they made this law I must put on my "Running for Republican member of the state house in Florida hat".


Aaaah! Much better. Now where were we? Why ban teaching about menstruation before the 6th grade? The answer is rather obvious. That makes it much easier to make it illegal to menstruate before the 5th grade. Just like you cannot drive before you take driver's ed, we hope to make it illegal to menstruate before properly taught about it in a class.

Now that raises a whole new question. Why do you want to make early menstruation illegal. Well it all comes down to biology. We have a long term goal to eliminate all teen pregnancies. If a women, or girl in this case, cannot menstruate she cannot get pregnant. So increasing the age of menstruation will limit those pesky babies that arise when our pedophile members get a bit careless. I mean it stops very young girls from getting pregnant. Whew!!

Once we get that first law passed every few years we will raise the age of menstruation until it is out of the teen years altogether. Our ultimate goal? Women won't have the right to menstruate until they are married in a straight marriage. Preferably a Christian one.

Get off get off get off!!! Whew! I hate that hat. Well what did I say?

 

[pearl]

In 5th grade, all this was explained to us; how our bodies worked. What changes to expect. Any coaching on what to do with our growing bodies was left out, other than stuff like put on your deodorant, and to familiarize girls with hygiene products(and to let them know they can always ask the nurse for help).

And we all know of the difficulties faced with those girls who have not yet developed a sense of self esteem. Entering sexual maturity without
a good sense of the self-worth with respect for their bodies may, and often does, leads to poor, unwise decisions. We all know by the many pitfalls
that await young girls in social media.
Sexualization is everywhere: in children’s TV shows, in movies, in ads, in video games, in retail, in marketing campaigns, in social media posts, in pornography, and more. Girls are often pressured by society to be more sexually attractive to members of the opposite sex and to wear tighter clothing, post sexier images, act more feminine, and engage in inappropriate behaviors like watching porn or sexting.

How Sexualizing Young Girls May Lead to Mental Health Problems

Sexualization of young girls can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health problems. Learn more about the risks of this societal problem.

www.verywellmind.com

Maybe in the good ole days, hygiene products may have been enough, certainly not for today's young and vulnerable girls.

 

[JustGeorge]

And we all know of the difficulties faced with those girls who have not yet developed a sense of self esteem. Entering sexual maturity without
a good sense of the self-worth with respect for their bodies may, and often does, leads to poor, unwise decisions. We all know by the many pitfalls
that await young girls in social media.
Sexualization is everywhere: in children’s TV shows, in movies, in ads, in video games, in retail, in marketing campaigns, in social media posts, in pornography, and more. Girls are often pressured by society to be more sexually attractive to members of the opposite sex and to wear tighter clothing, post sexier images, act more feminine, and engage in inappropriate behaviors like watching porn or sexting.

How Sexualizing Young Girls May Lead to Mental Health Problems

Sexualization of young girls can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and other mental health problems. Learn more about the risks of this societal problem.

www.verywellmind.com

Maybe in the good ole days, hygiene products may have been enough, certainly not for today's young and vulnerable girls.

How do you propose menstruation education be handled?

 

[Subduction Zone]

How do you propose menstruation education be handled?

I know you did not ask me, but after my bit of fun here is a serious answer. Some education should start far earlier. The time to educate girls, and perhaps boys too, about menstruation is before it naturally happens. We have this hang up about sex here. Teaching children about the natural differences between boys and girls and what the human body does should not be viewed as "sexualization". There is nothing sexy about a sexual education class unless you are watching Pornhub.

 

[JustGeorge]

I know you did not ask me, but after my bit of fun here is a serious answer. Some education should start far earlier. The time to educate girls, and perhaps boys too, about menstruation is before it naturally happens. We have this hang up about sex here. Teaching children about the natural differences between boys and girls and what the human body does should not be viewed as "sexualization". There is nothing sexy about a sexual education class unless you are watching Pornhub.

I struggle to call this a sex hang up even, because there is really nothing sexy about a period. And just because a girl gets one doesn't mean her brain mindset changes immediately.

I got my first period at a restaurant. Luckily, it was very light, but I was infinitely stressed about the idea of telling my mom(no fault of hers, I was just a private person), and the idea that I might bleed through my clothes when I should have been enjoying my mac & cheese.

The idea of carting pads to school seemed humiliating, and I was sure I'd get teased. Where would I put them? I didn't want to carry a purse like some of my friends! Would I get cramps and nausea like some of the others around me?

Absolutely zero ideas of sex, boys, romance went through my head. Absolutely zero thoughts of the philosophical ideas around being a woman. Just a "this sucks!" mentality from me.

 

[ChristineM]

I know you did not ask me, but after my bit of fun here is a serious answer. Some education should start far earlier. The time to educate girls, and perhaps boys too, about menstruation is before it naturally happens. We have this hang up about sex here. Teaching children about the natural differences between boys and girls and what the human body does should not be viewed as "sexualization". There is nothing sexy about a sexual education class unless you are watching Pornhub.

WINNER

 

[anna.]

To answer why they made this law I must put on my "Running for Republican member of the state house in Florida hat".


Aaaah! Much better. Now where were we? Why ban teaching about menstruation before the 6th grade? The answer is rather obvious. That makes it much easier to make it illegal to menstruate before the 5th grade. Just like you cannot drive before you take driver's ed, we hope to make it illegal to menstruate before properly taught about it in a class.

Now that raises a whole new question. Why do you want to make early menstruation illegal. Well it all comes down to biology. We have a long term goal to eliminate all teen pregnancies. If a women, or girl in this case, cannot menstruate she cannot get pregnant. So increasing the age of menstruation will limit those pesky babies that arise when our pedophile members get a bit careless. I mean it stops very young girls from getting pregnant. Whew!!

Once we get that first law passed every few years we will raise the age of menstruation until it is out of the teen years altogether. Our ultimate goal? Women won't have the right to menstruate until they are married in a straight marriage. Preferably a Christian one.

Get off get off get off!!! Whew! I hate that hat. Well what did I say?

While I understand your point, I don't (sincerely don't) know if you know there's a subset of conservatives who are quite all right with teen marriage. Anyone remember Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his "you got to get them when they're 15,16?" There are those who'd rather marry their daughters off as teens than run the risk of them experimenting with sex. So while they don't want any sex education in the schools on the one hand, on the other, they don't mind if their 15,16 year old daughter is married off before she has a chance to embarrass the family, so to speak. I've seen these arguments firsthand. And invariably some evangelical will say, "well Mary was probably only 12 years old..."

 

[Subduction Zone]

While I understand your point, I don't (sincerely don't) know if you know there's a subset of conservatives who are quite all right with teen marriage. Anyone remember Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his "you got to get them when they're 15,16?" There are those who'd rather marry their daughters off as teens than run the risk of them experimenting with sex. So while they don't want any sex education in the schools on the one hand, on the other, they don't mind if their 15,16 year old daughter is married off before she has a chance to embarrass the family, so to speak. I've seen these arguments firsthand. And invariably some evangelical will say, "well Mary was probably only 12 years old..."

I am not putting that hat on again for quite some time.

 

[SomeRandom]

While I understand your point, I don't (sincerely don't) know if you know there's a subset of conservatives who are quite all right with teen marriage. Anyone remember Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his "you got to get them when they're 15,16?" There are those who'd rather marry their daughters off as teens than run the risk of them experimenting with sex. So while they don't want any sex education in the schools on the one hand, on the other, they don't mind if their 15,16 year old daughter is married off before she has a chance to embarrass the family, so to speak. I've seen these arguments firsthand. And invariably some evangelical will say, "well Mary was probably only 12 years old..."

Apparently that Matt Walsh fellow has said that “at 16 females are the most fertile” and “the problem with teen pregnancy is that there’s too many unwed mothers.”

Granted I don’t watch him so I dunno. I’ve only seen people react to those clips
But if that’s true, well, he’d certainly be on the police watch list in my country.
Ironically our legal age of consent is 16 (though the other party cannot be more than I think 5 years older than the other.)

 

[anna.]

Apparently that Matt Walsh fellow

Ugh.

has said that “at 16 females are the most fertile” and “the problem with teen pregnancy is that there’s too many unwed mothers.”

This article is five years old but it's still relevant, unfortunately:

Banning child marriage in America: An uphill fight against evangelical pressure

Kentucky's bill had to change to accommodate religious concerns. A similar bill is dying in Tennessee. Here's why

www.salon.com

Granted I don’t watch him so I dunno. I’ve only seen people react to those clips
But if that’s true, well, he’d certainly be on the police watch list in my country.
Ironically our legal age of consent is 16 (though the other party cannot be more than I think 5 years older than the other.)

Age of consent is different from age of consent to marry, it's what keeps high school sweethearts from going to jail, so long as both are minors. Consent (both) varies here from state to state, but as the article I linked to above says, "in 25 states, there is no minimum age to marry if the conditions for an exception [consent of parents and/or judge] are met."

 

[Callisto]

Okay I’m a little apprehensive about this. But I think it’s important to discuss and normalise such topics. Among everyone!

Now I’ve been reading some very concerning stories online from folks (in this instance from the States) concerning not only their education with regards to menstrual cycles but their negative experiences in school. Being told off, being shamed, bullied etc. Or indeed horrible advice from
I’m curious if you’ve ever experienced such things?
Horror stories? Awful advice? Experimentation that actually worked?

This thread was inspired by this legislation being proposed in Florida

Florida considers ban on discussion of menstruation before sixth grade | Florida | The Guardian

Planned Parenthood advocates say the ‘absurd’ draft legislation regarding periods would present a ‘reductive and binary view of sex’

amp.theguardian.com

Now, sixth grade in the US around 11-12. Is that correct? Seems a bit late if you ask me.
What concerns me more is, according to this article it would ban even questions before that age? Which seems a recipe for absolute disaster if you ask me. Just my opinion.
But I could be getting the short end of the stick here
So I want an American perspective. Help me out here guys.
Thoughts? Complaints? Criticism?

In today's climate, it seems there are Christians who have become mind-numbingly backward. I'm a grown woman and it's been several decades since I was a girl. I attended private Catholic schools including an all-girls high school. We were provided sex education. Each student was sent home with a letter and permission slip explaining the importance of the class and each parent was to fill out the permission slip and confirm in writing whether they wanted their child to take the class. As I recall, nearly all the parents agreed, there was less than a handful of students whose parents declined and they were kept occupied elsewhere during those sessions. Two of the lay teachers taught the course and the only "problem" I recall was one of the last sessions when we watched a film showing an actual birth, one girl became light-headed and was taken to the nurse's office.

 

[JustGeorge]

In today's climate, it seems there are Christians who have become mind-numbingly backward. I'm a grown woman and it's been several decades since I was a girl. I attended private Catholic schools including an all-girls high school. We were provided sex education. Each student was sent home with a letter and permission slip explaining the importance of the class and each parent was to fill out the permission slip and confirm in writing whether they wanted their child to take the class. As I recall, nearly all the parents agreed, there was less than a handful of students whose parents declined and they were kept occupied elsewhere during those sessions. Two of the lay teachers taught the course and the only "problem" I recall was one of the last sessions when we watched a film showing an actual birth, one girl became light-headed and was taken to the nurse's office.

We had to watch a birth, too, but were told if we were bothered, we were free to put our heads down or read quietly(I put my head down, I'm squeamish).

 

[Callisto]

We had to watch a birth, too, but were told if we were bothered, we were free to put our heads down or read quietly(I put my head down, I'm squeamish).

Unfortunately, she was in a swoon and falling out of her seat.

I remember that and the collective "ewwww!!" of the class and the look on the filmed mother's face when the doctor presented her with the afterbirth placenta. LOL

 

[JustGeorge]

Unfortunately, she was in a swoon and falling out of her seat.

I remember that and the collective "ewwww!!" of the class and the look on the filmed mother's face when the doctor presented her with the afterbirth placenta. LOL

None of my midwives presented me with any placenta. All that was promptly cleaned without me having to view anything yucky.

 

[Callisto]

None of my midwives presented me with any placenta. All that was promptly cleaned without me having to view anything yucky.

I just remember it was a Swedish film, but don't know if that was something commonly done back then or was done because it was an instructional film. The look on the mom's face was like "I didn't need to see that."

 

[Subduction Zone]

None of my midwives presented me with any placenta. All that was promptly cleaned without me having to view anything yucky.

I just remember it was a Swedish film, but don't know if that was something commonly done back then or was done because it was an instructional film. The look on the mom's face was like "I didn't need to see that."

Really? You are missing out on a treat:

Unfortunately that was never aired.

 

[Callisto]

Really? You are missing out on a treat:

[image]

Unfortunately that was never aired.

Al Franken and Tom Davis... that makes sense, back in that era adding placenta ("nutrient dense!") to things like hair care products had become a thing so no doubt that gave them the idea.