Fifth Grade Adult

Alex G.  •   BC, Canada  •  28

I had just turned 10 years old and luckily, it happened right after the girls had the period talk in Grade 5, so I knew what was happening. I went to the bathroom during class and looked down at my underwear and saw red.

At first, I was shocked. Then I realized what was happening and I was like "fuck, this is my life now." The school nurse was kind and gave me a pad, but then everyone found out and teased me about it at recess.

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I remember getting home and telling my mom. She was absolutely shocked that I got it so early and felt so bad for me.

It breaks my heart that a little 10-year-old Alex went through puberty so young, especially when I teach that age now and see how difficult it can be. It seems like such an adult thing to deal with when you’re still a child and playing hopscotch during recess.

Alone & Ashamed

Kendall M.  •   Idaho  •  12

I was homeschooled in Idaho by very conservative parents. I didn’t know shit about my period. I got it in my friends house while I was alone there waiting for a ride home. I remember the blue tile, the blue sink of the unrenovated 1960s bathroom.

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I thought I was dying. I was ashamed. It was horrible, painful, scary. Later it was a joke, but I felt ashamed about it for a long time.

My Big Debut

Aratrika R.  •   West Bengal, India  •  18

I was 11 and on a stage when I first got my period. I went to another school for an interschool education competition. While I was waiting for my turn backstage, I felt a little weird. I went to the washroom to check. Only to discover, I was menstruating.

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I came back, went on stage and performed my best (I was not even wearing a pad, beacause I did not have one). I finished performing, asked for some help, and managed to get a sanitary napkin from a nurse in the school infirmary. You could say, my period debuted on stage.