Mary Pat M. • Illinois • 28
My first period took me totally by surprise. I'm sure my mom had explained to me what would happen at some point, but when I woke in the middle of the night at my grandma's house to blood in my lime green underwear I panicked, thinking I was injured or sick.
My mom wasn't there and I was too embarrassed to wake my dad or grandma up, so I rummaged through her bathroom looking for something to contain the bleeding. She was past the point of needing to worry about periods (lucky her) and didn't have the necessary supplies.... So of course, I shoved a bunch of toilet paper in my pants until we went home the next day.
When we got home, I told my mom and she made me watch a VHS tape about periods made by a tampon company!
