Really?! You had to whisper that!
Last night I had dinner with a friend and her 12 year old daughter at a local, noisy restaurant. The conversation turned to her daughter recently getting her period and having questions about tampons. Pleased that she felt comfortable enough to talk to both of us, I asked:
What questions do you have about using
(my eyes darted left and right... my voice dropped in volume)
tampons?
Really?! I thought to myself. I had to whisper that!
Me? The girl who grew up seeing the first ever Ms magazine. The girl who daily watched the progress of the Equal Rights Amendment. The woman who still has a sore spot for those 24 words not being passed.
Me?! I was so ashamed of myself!
I couldn't discuss in public a normal part of being a woman!
I looked across the table at the young girl in front of me. She held no shame about the subject. She was looking for answers to questions from women she trusted. I quickly got a grip on myself. Changed my attitude to one of confidence. Looked her right in the eye and answered her questions in a normal conversational voice.
I was so proud of her that she asked us these questions out in the open rather than getting whispered answers from her friends who had no more knowledge than she did on the subject. I hope that she did not recognize my momentary lapse. Too often we look at normal parts of being a woman as embarrassing without stopping to think of what we are projecting to others.
If it is acceptable for Viagra commercial to be all over the radio and TV, why do we still feel the need to be embarrassed when talking about women's issues?
It took a 12 year old girl to remind me to be the woman I am and want to be.
My thanks go out to her for the reminder.
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