I was 12 when I started. I was living with my Dad but I was such a curious child and took up the responsibility of finding out about puberty by myself and knew what was going to happen to me since I was around 8. I used what was given to us by our health teacher, and then resorted to toilet paper for a couple months cause I was too embarrassed to tell my Dad what I needed (he knew I had gotten my period cause I told him but it just didn't "click" at the time that it meant there was a new item to add to the shopping list). Then he finally realized why toilet paper was disappearing so quickly every month and started buying pads for me. He still does when I'm too sick to go out.

I think I'm quite lucky to have a father who doesn't complain and isn't too embarrassed to go to that section of the store by himself.