Being a girl is hard.
No matter how much we refuse to subscribe to, acknowledge or admit it, we are born in a world where girls are told, from the word go, that there are certain standards they need to meet.
We need to be good and kind, we are told, as soon as we can walk and talk; this is, at the end of the day, the ultimate description of what a girl should be .
We need to do well in school.
We need to help our siblings and share our parents with them without any resentment or hard feelings.
We need to be well-mannered but also street-wise.
We need to learn how to cook and run a household.
We need to aim to get a good job and bring at least the same amount of money in the house, as our other half does.
We need to be able to bear children, look immaculate, never complain, stay slim, keep a job, all at the same time.
These messages bombard us from everywhere, media and peers and family. From a very early age until the day we die.
But what if we were to reverse this well established wordily order and actually find joy in being girls?
Coming of age for a girl can be a very traumatic experience if unassisted by the kind and supportive presence of a mother, friend or female relative. There are no rites of passage when it comes to menstruation, in every culture and society it has come to be considered a thing to be ashamed of or at least, be discreet about.
Although it is a physiological and reoccurring event that happens to each and every female of child-bearing age, even now, in our modern society, it is something we brush under the carpet and speak about in shushed tones.
To whose detriment do we keep silent?
To our daughters’, most certainly.
Last summer, at BritMums, I learned about this amazing product, called DiaryDoll. It is the sort of product I only dreamt of as a teenager when ridden with terrible menstrual pain and even worse, very heavy flow, I would have been terrified to leave the house for days on end, for fear of staining my clothes.
If you think that that was the last time I dreamt of a product which could offer me reliable protection during menstruation, you are wrong.
When I lost Georgie, my body went into total shock and for months, my periods were at their heaviest. I remember clearly dropping Emma off for school and then having to go into Tesco and buying new jeans, as the pair I was wearing got totally soaked on the school run. Terrifying!
But now, I have one less worry, with my wonder pants, as I call them. Their discreet waterproof panel, running both front and back, all the way up to the waist, ensure that even on terribly stressful months, there will be no running into Tesco for new jeans!
Am I crazy writing about this now, during the festive season, when everybody is putting up lovely and benign Christmas gift posts?
I think not.
If you have a teenage in your family and wonder what would make a perfect stocking filler for her, here is your answer. Trust me, a pair of Diary Dolls will be much more appreciated than chocolates (or maybe in equal measure, so do add some of those in there as well :-0) and will make a lasting and more importantly, confidence enhancing present!
If you, like me, want to support your girl through the very difficult transition towards womanhood and make it as smooth as it possibly can, then do take into consideration not only preparing her with the right talk, but also with the right gear.
It is recommended that the Diary Doll products are worn with your normal sanitary protection, for optimal results. They retail on the website at £14.95 and come in four different colours, pink, black, blue and grey.
Disclaimer: we were sent a Diary Doll pair for the purpose of this review.All opinions expressed are true and entirely my own.
Mama's Haven 