Blood.
It freaks my Girl out.
Yesterday she had a nosebleed in public and was scared, and also a bit mortified.
We sat on a patio chair at a shop while I consoled her.
Then I asked her what would happen when her first sacred blood begins to flow?
She said she'd probably scream, and probably cry. Blood scares her. We shared some potential situations, and made them humorous, she giggled. I told her stories about my first flow, and how I had convinced myself that it would never happen to me, because I was a tomboy. It still came. No stopping that when you are a lady. It will happen. She laughed. We enjoyed the balmy evening as we ambled home.
At four in the morning, my Girl woke up. Nosebleed. She almost cried. I consoled her, got her some tissue. She apologized for waking me. No need to apologize, I reassured her. Nosebleed stopped. Back to sleep.
8:30 a.m. My Girl woke up. We chatted about our respective sleeps, and adventures in dreamtime. Told her I almost peed in bed because I dreamed I had to go really bad, and in my dream I just made it to the bathroom, and I woke up just in time to run to the bathroom. She giggled and giggled. I said, maybe I should have just peed, like the time you peed on my back when you were two years old and your legs were draped over my side. She giggled.
I reminded her of her nosebleed. Explained that nosebleeds are quite common in childhood, that the tissue in her nose is delicate and prone to breakage at her age due to different factors - dry heat, dried boogers, anxiety, rubbing the nose while sleeping. I shared with her that her older half siblings had regular nosebleeds when they were her age. Told her we'd keep tissue by my bed from now on.
Then I spoke about her first womanly cycle that could happen this year, or in her tenth year, most likely in her eleventh or twelfth year. I suggested she be prepared to wake up one morning to find her underwear soaked with her first flow, or that it might happen at school, or while she's with her dad. She laughed and said we should get mattress protectors for our beds, and I said I will just start buying her big kid diapers again for bedtime. She laughed, and made jokes about wearing big kid diapers to school too, just in case. I said I would explain to her how to use the products in the bottom drawer in our bathroom, and that I would get her a special little bag to keep a few in her school bag, just so she's always prepared.
I spoke about how special that day will be, because it will mean she is a little woman, a little lady, and that it will be a day that we celebrate. I said if it happened during the week, that I'd take her out for a special dinner that night, and that the weekend would be all about celebrating her entrance into womanhood. I'll treat her to a pedi & mani, we'll shop for a special new outfit for her, and I'd prepare her favourite meals.
Now, the idea of her first sacred flow of feminine blood is something she is not afraid of. She knows it is a special time that we, Mother and Daughter will celebrate together.
It is my job to ensure my Girl feels comfortable and confident in her womanhood, that she feels comfortable having conversations with me about her cycle, and her sexuality. It is my job to ensure her mental wellness, her physical health, and that spiritually and emotionally she feels balanced, and to recognize the importance of sharing with me, and anyone she trusts when she is not feeling in balance.
I would not trade my role in my Girl's life for all the wealth in the world. I am blessed to be her Mother.