Puberty talk with 12yr. old daughter- - HELP!!!!! - Down Syndrome Message Board

ABC Mom · 03-07-2001, 01:56 PM

My 12yr. old daughter who has Down Syndrome is nearing puberty and I am very nervous and scared about approaching the topic with her. Does anyone know of any books written in easy to understand terms? Any advice from anyone who has been through this would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. I'm not sure she would fully grasp the concept, but I'm afraid she'll start in school and freak out or something. Thanks

PNW Mom · 03-18-2001, 04:12 AM

There was a whole shelf of books for children on that topic at Barnes & Noble when I was there last. Some are very simple and clear with good illustrations. There are also books I heard about on the down-syn newsgroup and at the National ARC WWW site that are helpful in teaching kids the difference between family, friends, neighbors, strangers, etc and what behavior is ok for each circle of people (and what behavior is *not* ok). The Down Syndrome WWW page has a doctor's article on the topic, too, I think it's at [url="http://www.nas.com/downsyn/donations.html"]http://www.nas.com/downsyn/donations.html[/url]

It's usually best to be matter of fact about it, and also to throw in some "Welcome to Womanhood" discussion so your daughter can have an extra chance to say "oh, motherrr!"

Wishing you all the best!

lilly5 · 12-06-2003, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PNW Mom

There was a whole shelf of books for children on that topic at Barnes & Noble when I was there last. Some are very simple and clear with good illustrations. There are also books I heard about on the down-syn newsgroup and at the National ARC WWW site that are helpful in teaching kids the difference between family, friends, neighbors, strangers, etc and what behavior is ok for each circle of people (and what behavior is *not* ok). The Down Syndrome WWW page has a doctor's article on the topic, too, I think it's at [url="http://www.nas.com/downsyn/donations.html"]http://www.nas.com/downsyn/donations.html[/url]

It's usually best to be matter of fact about it, and also to throw in some "Welcome to Womanhood" discussion so your daughter can have an extra chance to say "oh, motherrr!"

Wishing you all the best!

[FONT=Arial]

lilly5 · 12-06-2003, 06:38 PM

Hi,

I have a 13 year old girl. She started showing signs of puberty early, underarm hair and pubic hair at 11. She started her period two months after turning 12. She does really well with it. I kept her home from school the first day of her first two periods. After that she takes her purse with her to school and she does fine. I always send in an extra pair of panties in her purse, in case the pad moves around. She really hates it if there is blood on her panties. But she does great. She knows how to roll up her used pad in toilet paper and always throw it in the trash, not to flush it. She always washes her hands afterwards. The only problem we have is that we never know when its coming. Sometimes its 20 days apart and sometimes is 50 days and anywhere in between.

Anyway, my best advice to you is to take her in the bathroom with you when you have your period and explain what you are doing. As often as possible, as we all know that our children learn by repetition. If you want to talk some more, feel free to e-mail me at [removed]. Good luck