I’ve written about this before and so will keep it short here. Give a listen to this great Fresh Air program. It’s an interview with the women who wrote a book called “The New Puberty” about why girls are starting puberty considerably earlier than ever. You can get the book here.
They say it’s most likely environmentally influenced – food, plastics, weight, etc. A while back, I had a conversation with a researcher who studies rats and BPA (plastic additive) and she told me the female rats who are exposed to BPA have earlier puberty. You can read about it here.
You can listen and/or read the transcript of the Fresh Air interview here.
And the rant part of this? I am DONE with parents neglecting to tell their daughters – by age 8 – about their periods. DONE. I cannot understand why you would not want your girl prepared to be spontaneously bleeding from her hoo-ha on a regular basis.
Put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel if you suddenly started bleeding from your privates for no apparent reason? If you were 9 you might think you were dying because what other explanation would there be?
I don’t give an early-puberty-rat’s-rumpus if you are uncomfortable. Get over yourself and do the right thing.
