What is our cultural custom, if any, of a woman’s first period and the discussion that goes on around that?
I’m watching the Cosby show, because apparently, I have that much time on my hands, and there is this episode where Rudy gets her period and the mom and her sisters are getting ready to talk to her.
I remember when I got my first period…
First off, I thought I was dying. I was visiting Pakistan, and I thought I got some disease. I got sick with every trip, and this time I was like Shizz, I’m exsanguinating.
I bled for THREE DAYS. I hid all the evidence.
(Never occurred to my mom that I was hiding something. Ridiculous. The stuff, looking back now, I could have gotten away with. )
Then I finally told her, and got ready for the yelling that usually came with me getting sick - the usual lectures of you don’t eat properly and drink enough water, and then you get sick and we have to pay doc fees which we cannot afford.
Jesus Christ.
Her reaction: Hai ma, periods aa gayaein.
I had learned about menstruation like 3 months prior in sex ed, and I was like…
Oh…yeah…so, I’m not bleeding to death. Cool.
She told EVERYONE in my frikkin family, cuz every time I would start reading namaaz, every aunty in the house would hush me away from the janaamaaz. OMG, I LOVED HAVING MY PERIOD. The only time in that house where they INSISTED I do not pray. ![]()
But anyhoo. Are pakistani parents open enough about this topic? kinda get annoyed that topics like this are so taboo, and I have to learn about them from school. In Pakistan, they don’t even have sex ed, so they get all their info about their v-j-j’s from off the street. Why are parents in Pakistan so frikkin lax??