Uh-Oh
Sometimes girls aren't prepared for their periods. (Don't feel bad if this is you
because it happens to grown women, too!) So what do you do? You're at school and there
it is. Your period has arrived and you don't have your stuff. If it's your first
period, you may be really excited and also a little worried. If it's not your
first period, you might just be worried. What are you supposed to do?
Ask to visit the nurse. If your school doesn't have a nurse, ask to see the school
counselor. Or maybe you have a teacher you really like who you can ask for help. You'll
need some supplies. The school nurse or counselor should be able to help. You might
feel a little shy about asking, but just say, "I started my period today and I don't
have my supplies." If you don't want to talk to a male teacher or counselor, you can
just say, "It's a girl thing." He'll get the message and find you a woman who can
help.
Even if you get the help you need from school staff, you also might call one of
your parents. If it's your first period, you probably will want to tell your mom or
dad what happened and how you're feeling.
One girl emailed us because she didn't want other girls to worry about getting
their periods at school. When this happened to her, she went to her school's medical
office, told them she needed a change of clothes, and they called her mother. Simple
as that.
"It really isn't that bad or scary," she said.
What if Your Clothes Are Stained?
It's unlikely that your first period will be very heavy, so you'll probably figure
out that it's happened before your clothes are stained. But if your clothes do get
stained on your first period, or a later one, you'll definitely want to visit the
nurse or counselor.
You don't want to be worried all day long that someone will see the stain, so you
need some fresh clothes. Maybe you have sweatpants in your locker for gym class.
If you don't have any spare clothes, you'll need to see someone on the school staff
so you can call a parent, who can bring you some clothes or pick you up and take you
home. What if you return to class with different pants on and someone asks about it?
You don't have to say what really happened. That would be embarrassing. Instead, you
can just say something like, "I spilled something on my pants so I changed."
Do you feel less worried now about getting your period at school? We hope so!
Although it's not very convenient to get your period at school, remember that there
are people you can turn to for help. You'll get in the habit of being prepared. And
before you know it, getting your period — wherever you are — will be no
big deal./p>