@knowledgeableindividual My nearly 10 yo asked me last week if I knew about touching yourself "there" and it felt good. She said her and her best friend were talking and both shared that they had each experienced this, just in different ways. My daughter asked if I had ever done it as well. So we had a very age appropriate, and body-positive conversation about it.
It was awkward for me. But I was so proud of how I got past that.
Growing up, my mom never talked about this stuff with me. The closest I got was my mom screaming at me when I was 14 and asked about tampons, demanding to know if I was having sex, because tampons were only for girls who had sex. It was scary, and I NEVER went to my mom about anything having to do with my reproductive health ever again. Thank God that never truly backfired on me.
I know this makes my mom sound like a monster. But I know this came from how she was raised. And her mom really was in an abusive monster. She tried so hard to do better as a mom, but there were certain areas she failed. Like this.
Despite my own trauma with my mom, I resolved to do better my daughter. Inside, these conversations can feel incredibly triggering. But I work so hard to project a calm, kind, honest and factual demeanor with my daughter. That conversation we had earlier this week gives me hope that I'm doing alright with it.
Right after I answered her questions, she shared that her friend talked to her mom about it too, and her mom said the same things I did. I see her mom as a role model for creating that honest, open, trusting space for conversation with her daughter, so this was really affirming.
And honestly, if I can do that, given how I was raised, I think just about anyone could.