Miku K • Illinois • 35
I remember this day vividly because it was just about the most mortifying thing that happened to me, being a 5th grader and all. I was what you call an early bloomer. I had already been teased by my classmates for wearing a bra. They can see the outline through my shirt and this was enough to be called out by the boys and gossiped about by the girls. Getting my period on top of that was the icing on the cake.
I remember it was during recess when I got these weird kind of stomach aches. I thought I just had to go to the bathroom, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. I felt a little awkward down there though and bee-lined to the bathroom as soon as recess was over.
When I saw the blood on my underwear, I panicked. I racked my brain going through the day to figure out how the heck I could have possibly injured my crotch. Nothing hurt though except for the cramps I was having. Unsure of what to do, I bundled up a wad of toilet paper and shoved it right in my underwear. I got permission to go home from "not feeling well" and my mom picked me up, worried.
When I explained to her that I had injured my crotch somehow, she was surprisingly calm and gave me a knowing smile. She took me to the bathroom, retrieved a maxi pad out of the bathroom drawer, and told me this was all completely normal and everything was going to be ok. This is when I learned that I had gotten my first period!
