((((Mulan))))

That's a tough story to tell. My heart wept a little.

Before I had my period, even a couple years prior, which this is my anniversary week of my very first at 12, I was asking many questions. I needed a training bra, at 8, for example. The women in my family were rather endowed. My parents divorced and it was decided I'd live with my father due to work schedules and in the home that I came home to as a newborn.
I had all sorts of questions. My dad wasn't as liberated to the idea of my blurting questions. He sent away for books such as Ann Landry aka Dear Abby and similar. That's where I learned how to monthly track. I would ask about body hair. Started shaving my legs at 11. By that point he had already rushed me off to the therapist, after all I wasn't normal, must be traumatized and slowly displaying anger towards him. Hmm?

My mom and her mom were great with my questions. They used their own experiences to give rough timelines, which were rather close.

I thought not much of early starts nor late bloomers of the girls around me, after all dear Abby normalized all of that. I became the go to for acceptable knowledge. Meaning, yes you can get pregnant in the ocean or standing up, etc. [emoji57]

It would make me tired. Sometimes I would double over in pain. Mine would last about 10 days at a time. Kind of the opposite of sporadic cycles, mine were heavy and lasted too long. My gyn was surprised to hear me say, when after being on the pill it was 5-7 days. Now that I'm older, it's that 2-3 light on the pill. And I've been rather fortunate on fibroids. My mom and her mom both had those. By this age, too.

It's ok to tuck those purchases under groceries if uncomfortable. After 3 kids, I stopped being self conscious.