An Aussie mum’s simple photo of a basket full of toiletries has gained some pretty ~robust discussion~ on social media after it was posted this week.
“Any mums done a puberty/period pack for their daughters?” she captioned the picture (below) in a mum’s Facebook group.
Mums Who Organise
In just 24 hours, the post attracted more than 1,200 comments, which varied wildly.
Many were delighted with the idea:
- ‘What a beautiful idea’
- ‘…honestly I would of loved to have this all to make sure I had everything I needed.’
- ‘I wish my mum had done something like this for me. She threw a packet of overnight pads at me and told me to use them.’
- ‘I absolutely LOVE the way Mums are supporting the daughters during this time.’
While others were not delighted at all:
- ‘OK are these a new thing people are doing? I’m sorry but I find it weird. Why do you need to do all this. Its like an announcement. I just bought my girls pads and put them in drawer. What are we having period parties next?’
- ‘I’ve been straight up honest with both my daughters 16 & 18. I just showed these baskets to both of them. Their reaction is, ‘thank god you didn’t do that mum’. Everyone is different.’
- ‘So glad this wasn’t a thing when I was a teenager.’
FYI, the above question was actually answered: ‘This is an initiation into womanhood and should be treated as such. Period parties are 100% a thing.’
Then these, which understood the sentiment, but acknowledged it was, well, a lot.
- ‘I didn’t think of this when my daughter got hers but I got most of this stuff anyway just didn’t make a hamper out of it.’
- ‘I find it a bit strange. Why do they need femfresh and a million other things? And we are super open about periods so it isn’t about embarrassment.’
- ‘No need for a big basket with chocolate, femfresh, razors? Just buy them.’
- ‘It’s one thing to normalise it but the to give a gift basket looking thing like it’s a baby shower really IS weird.’
- ‘Sorry but if I was given that as a teenager I would have died in fear of what you were preparing me for! That’s a lot. It’s a complicated enough process without overwhelming the poor kid.’
- ‘I would have been traumatised if I got handed this thing lol’
And it wouldn’t be a truly contentious social media post without some good ol’ whataboutism:
- ‘What about boys? Are there wet dream parties? Where they get new sheets, mattress protector, and a crash course in doing the washing?’
Comments on the post have since been turned off.
