Sunday 5 February 2017

The things I find . . .

     

 I was going through some of my old folders yesterday and look what I found!  I must have gotten this when I was ten years old, along with "the talk" and another pamplet . . .





 or two or three . . .


 No actual details though, other than I was a young woman now and what would be happening to my body and what to wear and how to put it on.



 I'm quite sure they were invented by a man, because anyone who had to sit on a knot all day would never have invented something like this . . . comfort schmomfort.


Oh yes, the fun was just beginning.  I was actually 10 years old when I got my menses for the first time. (55 when I finished. That makes 45 whole years of pleasure, and I didn't even get a gold watch.)  I was sure I was dying when it showed up.  Although my mother had all the booklets, etc. ready in preparation for "The Talk," she hadn't actually gotten around to giving me "The Talk", which when I did get it consisted of basically,  you are a young woman now and this will happen every month, this is what you wear, this is how you put it on and here's a book.  With Pictures.


The book made the process kinda look like fun in a way  . . . the pictures in it reminded me of the Saturday dance show I liked to watch on the television called "Bob and the Hits," and then there was "Its Happening" another dance show I liked with Robbie Lane and the Disciples.  (You would have to be a Canadian to know this.)



 The girl in the book reminded me of all those young girls I would see getting off the  highschool bus with their twin sets, bouffant hairstyles and swinging style.  The ones getting all the attention from those handsome boys with their slick combed back hair and cool penny loafers.  They all looked so sophisticated to me.

So this was the door to sophistication I assumed. 


  This girl looked so happy about it all, how could I not be a little bit excited!!  In truth the other photo/illustration kind of grossed me out a lot.  And there was no mention of "S-E-X" at all, not from the book and not from my mother.   And to be honest I would have been totally grossed out by that as well . . .  I was 10 and I liked looking at boys and dreamt of maybe one day holding hands with a boy, or even . . . dream of all dreams, shiver up my spine, huge sigh  . . .  being kissed by a boy . . . but I had no idea of what sex was, what kissing could lead to or how babies were made.

I was still playing with my Barbies and would be
for a couple more years.  Tis true, although 
I did comandeer my Brother's GI-Joe as
her boyfriend, along with his jeep.
It was time Barbie had a
boy friend and my budget
did not run to a "Ken"
as well as Barbie.



Of course sometimes you might get down in the dumps and the booklet is not lacking when it comes to helpful hints of getting rids of those red-letter day blues.


-Perk yourself up when a period is on its way! 
-Dress just a little more prettily than usual. 
-Walk as though you loved life. 
 -Hum a little tune to yourself, 
-Smile a little wider than usual. 
-Go out of your way to be pleasant to others. 

Before you know if you’ll have yourself convinced that you really do feel glad to be alive, and YOU!

How bad could it really be? 
After all, menstruation was a gift,
something to cherish, 
a miracle to behold.

 


I did have many of those "why me" moments over the coming next few years.  It was sometimes embarassing, very uncomfortable, oftimes painful and agonizing.   The cramps, the pimples, the fear of leakage . . . gym, when you were on your period was NOT fun.  The need to shave under your arms . . . the fear of smelling bad.  None of it was fun when you think about it that way. 

Actually though  . . .  becoming a woman was a part of one of the most exciting, demanding and fulfilling roles I have had in my life.  Being a mother and a wife, raising a family.  I have to say in all honesty that having the blessing of being a mom has been one of my greatest joys.  I love all of my children and grandchildren so very much and that just wouldn't have ever been possible without my having become a woman in the first place.



On an interesting side note, there was a book I used to sign out of the school library frequently entitled Susan, Be Smooth.

Susan, Be Smooth by Nell Giles (1940) is a primer on how to be a Smooth Operator and has nothing to do with bathing tips for wome– oh. Correction. It is a “hand-book of Good Grooming for Girls, especially girls under twenty, who want to be seen and heard.” In it, Giles teaches important skills including “the art of pursuit in reverse,” and shares kernels of wisdom like “Girls who aren’t very smart and aren’t very pretty can get anything they want just by being smooth.” 

How on earth I thought a book written in 1940 would help a girl in the late 1960's to be a smooth operator I will never understand, but I devoured this book almost with a religious ferocity.  Along with a book I bought entitled "How to Get a Teenage Boy and What to do With Him When You Get Him."  (A book my best friend and I went halves on.)  we were sure that these would be our keys to ultimate success on the boy front.   But my friends  . . .  as they say . . .
that's a whole other story. 


A thought to carry with you through today  . . .

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.° ˛°. . 
˛*The divine within each of us
can help us to love, to forgive,
and to give people a chance.
~LDS.org, blog staff •。★★ 。* 。 

to read more on this . . . 

Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  my favourite Walnut Slices.  Oh boy . . . dangerous.

Have a great Sunday.  May it be blessed.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!


5 comments:

  1. Oh honey I am glad the world is different now. I started telling my children little bits here and there while they were still young. That did not stop a little boy decorating my room with butterflies! I was so broke that I could have cried. I was given books too and it was years before I knew how to pronounce words. It must have been difficult to be only ten though.

    God bless your Sunday and love to you and Todd always.

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  2. Hahahahaha..I just took a small trip down memory lane..I found my Le Bon Dieu book tiny little thing my ancient great aunt Agnes gave me..in it was a card for my first communion from The Dunwoodies..and ythe insert was like the little religious cards I adored getting for writing well etc..at school..not like the poor people that we paid for per week...and the milk we got every day to drink in class..anyway.I finished a post last night..you will see why this post..well we were thinking alike..
    I stopped when I was 55 ..I forget the exact date..I started..I hated those things..to attach..oyoyoy..so when it happened to me..I told my mom..just put it by the door..the way I am supposed to..such a prude I was.
    Hated it until I was 55..no menopause etc..but boy every month..extra strength MIDOL.
    You smooth operator you:)

    Hint about my post..you mention the name here;)

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  3. I thought I was dying Suzan! I really did! xoxo

    I will be over to check out your post soonest Monique! I am sure it is delightful! Funny our minds are so much alike! Oh, I HATED school milk! It was always warm and YUCKY! Oh but we Canadians had brilliant childhoods didn't we! xoxo

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  4. Oh, this was a fun one and brought back memories of my days of learning about my body and what would happen. It also made me chuckle with how I tried to teach my own sons and daughters. I remember clearly the book my mother used which was calle the Birds and the Bees. I later found that so funny. Anways, I smiled on this one and I too loved being a woman and thus a wife and mother; which is the best.
    Love and hugs for you!

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  5. I thought it was a post which would resonate with many of us LeAnn! We are all of an age I guess! Love and hugs right back. xoxo

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