My Daughter Got Her Period at Age 10

I'm so glad I talked to Sadie about her period at such a young age, because one morning a few months after her 10th birthday, she called me from the bathroom to show me her undies. There was a dark red spot, and we just looked at each other and I said, "Do you know what this means? You got your first period!!" I just hugged her and she was beaming with excitement! It was such a special moment that I'll never forget.

Then my eight-year-old son, who happened to be brushing his teeth in the bathroom, yelled to my husband, "Sadie got her period!" I walked out of the bathroom, and my husband just looked shocked and we both teared up. We instantly had a flashback to when she was sick in the hospital. Back then we didn't even know if she'd be able to talk or walk, and here she was, totally healthy, getting her period, and growing up perfectly. It was an emotional moment.

I was in shock, too, because honestly, I wasn't expecting this until she was at least 12 (I was 13 when I got my first period). But I knew from talking to fellow moms that many kids get their periods early, and acting happy and excited was key to making her first period a positive experience.

I was so glad it happened right before leaving for school so she wasn't alone — if it had happened just an hour later when she was at school, without any pads or clean undies, and no one to talk to, it probably would have been scary instead of exciting. I gave her the choice to stay home, but she was so jazzed up and feeling proud, she wanted to go to school. I showed her how to put on a pad, packed a few pads in her backpack, and she was off.