Sarah B. • Minnesota • 24
I promise this story is real. I was 12 when I got my first period. I was on a family vacation with my whole extended family at the Wisconsin Dells water park. I was wearing my favorite new bikini -white with Japanese cherry blossoms on it, yes, wearing a white bikini was an unfortunate and unforeseeable mistake. I had been feeling a bit odd during the morning, but often had stomach problems as a kid, so I didn't think too much of it. My twin brother and I were teasing each other, trying to see who dared to go down the really tall waterslide. I finally mustered up the courage, climbed up the stairs, and boldly splashed down the long plastic tube, only to reach the bottom, realizing that I had a nice trail of red water following me.
Naturally, 12 year-old me was horrified and ran to my mom, who sent my dad to go find pads for me somewhere in the hotel. In hindsight, he probably wasn't the best person to send on this mission, and I ended up having to spend the first few hours of my first period with a wad of toilet paper in my now not-so-white swim suit. Now I love my period, I love my story, and I wouldn't change a thing.
