Tween Turning Point: Smells Like Tween Spirit!

We’re continuing our popular series - Tween Turning Point - by Stephanie Elliot

It’s spring and it’s usually around this time of year when schools hold their Birds and the Bees talk, usually around fifth or sixth grade. I remember when I was in fifth grade our school gave “The Talk.” They separated the boys from the girls and we got to see the movie with the naked cartoon characters and the smiley face sperm and ear-to-ear grinning egg. What was that egg SO happy about?

We learned about periods and babies being inside of mommies and they kind of explained about how the babies got there, sort of, but not really. And they talked about body hair and hygiene, and how everyone will get boobs someday even though no one had them yet. All of that good stuff that comes along with puberty, that made no sense at all to a fifth grade girl.

Out of all of that information, the one and only thing I took away from that day… the most horrifying detail that was ingrained into my mind was this:

I was going to have to start showering daily.

I couldn’t believe it.

Apparently, I hated showers.

I think most tweens do. But the cosmetics industry has come a long way since I was in fifth grade because they now make products for tweens a lot more cutesy and fun for girls. Had I had the products that my daughter has, I would have taken more showers back then, that’s for sure!

If you want to entice your daughter to spend more time on her hygiene and make a date out of it, take her shopping for those not-usually-fun-but-necessary items. Deodorant, facial scrub, shower gels, shaving creams, shampoos - all of these products smell so good and are so yummy! Back when I was a tween… well, first of all, the word “tween” didn’t even exist, but second of all, they didn’t even make girl deodorant or girl shaving cream!

I would have loved to have gone on a cosmetics shopping spree with my mom after having the Birds and the Bees talk! While you’re shopping the aisles for special products for your daughter, you can ask her what she learned during “The Talk” and if she’s got any other questions for you! It’s a great way to continue the conversation about a topic that you should have hopefully already been discussing long before the school introduced it.

Discussing puberty and human sexuality with your children should be something that happens naturally from the day they start asking questions and you should never shy away from their questions. When they ask, answer as simply and honestly as you can. Keep talking, and they’ll keep asking.

About the Author:

Stephanie Elliot, in no particular order, is a wife, writer, blogger, book reviewer, editor and mother to three kids, two who have already been tweens, and one who is right smack in the middle of his tween-ness. Her oldest son is almost driving and her daughter survived her tween years so Stephanie must be doing something right. Find out more at stephanieelliot.com.