By Nancy Brown, Ph.D.

When my eldest daughter was 10, our Girl Scout Troop was completing a badge about puberty and developmental changes, which led us all to realize that several of the girls would be starting their periods soon.

To be prepared for their first period, they made themselves each a New Moon Period Pack, which they all carry with them, to this day.

The New Moon Period Packs included the following things:

• Lifesavers (3) -- to remind them that starting their period is not a terrible thing, or to substitute for a parent's hug
  
• Kotex Ultra Thin Pads (2)
  
• Ziploc Bag (to keep a clean pair of underwear in, and to bring home any soiled ones)
  
• In addition, we suggest you put in Boiron Magnesia Phosphorica (homeopathy for cramps). You can buy this at any natural food store and it is OK with most schools, which usually do not allow things like Midol.

We put these items into a little silk purse with a zipper, and as an addition, we printed the following sentences on cardstock and put it in too!

The transition from girlhood to womanhood
is a celebration, not an emergency.

Be prepared!

Soon the girls were giving period packs to their friends for birthdays and moms were asking where to buy them.

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