Dear little me,
Some random day, before leaving for your tuition your body will change in a way no one really warned you about. You might find it dramatic. A spot of blood, a surge of confusion, and a feeling that something irreversible has happened. You’ll think you’ve done something wrong.
You haven’t.
You’ll feel the weight of carrying a dirty little secret. You’ll wrap your pad in newspaper like it’s something shameful, you’ll avoid the boys in class, sit a little more carefully, and walk a little slower, you’ll go to the washroom five times to check for leaks.
If only someone had told you, periods are normal, you are just the same.
Just in a rushed conversation about “growing up” and a textbook diagram or a biology teacher hurrying through Chapter 5, doesn’t suffice.
What no one explained, little one, is that this isn't the beginning of shame. It’s the beginning of strength. That first drop of blood is not a stain, it’s a sign. A sign that your body, in all its rhythms and waves, is alive. You are becoming something the world often fears: a girl who knows what her body is capable of. But what you won’t expect is that your period won’t come regularly. Or sometimes, not at all. You’ll think something is wrong again!
A few years later, you’ll be diagnosed with PCOD- Polycystic Ovarian Disease. And suddenly, your cycle becomes even more confusing. Sometimes it’s late, sometimes it’s painfully early. The mood swings get sharper. The bloating becomes constant, and your weight keeps fluctuating. And still, no one talks about what it’s like to live inside a body you’re trying to understand while it changes the rules every month.
Normal looks different for everyone. And your version deserves care, dignity, and attention too.
There’s a lot that you should know, not just about bleeding, but about managing it in a world that rarely prepares you for the details. You’ll hear a lot about what to do and what not to do, about what’s ‘right’ and what’s ‘wrong’ during your early teens. But trust me, it’s not as complicated as it’s made to sound. All you really need is to stay clean, stay kind to your body, and cut yourself some slack when you need to.
You’ll grow up to speak for the girls who still miss school during their periods. For those who are told they’re “Unclean,” and for those who, like you, quietly manage hormonal disorders that no one prepares them for.
You’ll stand on a stage one day perhaps still in your period- talking about strength, resilience, and leadership. And while the world claps for your voice, you’ll know your journey began with a confusing moment in the bathroom mirror, learning not to flinch at your own reflection.
Menstrual Hygiene Day isn’t just a date. It’s a reminder that periods are not a problem, silence is, that dignity in menstruation must be a right, not a privilege, that talking about conditions like PCOD is part of menstrual education, too.
So, I’m writing to tell you what no one did, you are not weaker because you bleed. You are not behind because you take breaks. You are not shameful because you carry a pad.
You are a girl, just a girl and that’s it, that’s okay.
Love, the woman you grew into.
