Training Breasts

I often wonder how other parents deal with explaining puberty, body changes and all that to their children. I remember my mom buying me books, one entitled "Period" and then the requisite Judy Blume library.

I do remember feeling embarrassed and weird reading these books, I was around 10 or 11 I think. I told her I wanted to take "Period" to school and she got this panicked look and said "NO!", then got flustered and irritated when I asked why. Thinking back, I probably was trying to exact the panicked and irritated reaction. I got the vibe that I wasn't supposed to talk about this kind of stuff, so I read the books, didn't really understand it all, but was too ashamed and embarrassed to ask for clarification.

Of course, maybe I did ask, and the ensuing conversation was so traumatic that I've blocked it from my memory. I am sure she'll read this and set me straight.

I remember being told by my aunt that my mom stole all the boobs, and that is why hers were so much smaller. I don't ever remember "the talk", or even really talking about puberty and body changed in general with my mom. The topic just seemed so uncomfortable.

So when Bug would ask questions about pregnancy and birth, body parts and how we grow and change, I just answered the questions. Didn't get all scientific, and did my best to act like it was no big deal.

So why I was not ready for what happened at Wal-Mart today is beyond comprehension. We walked into the girls clothing aisle, I was picking up her Brownie sash and stuff, and she yells "Hey mommy, I want to look at these bras!"

uhhhh okay......

Thankfully, Buddy fell asleep on the way to the store, and was sleeping in the cart, so we had time to discuss things and look at the offerings.

She picked up a spangly thing with molded, padded cups, underwires and stars all over it. Since when do training bras have underwires?

I tried to steer her towards the sports bra type sets. And as she looked around for a bra with stars on it (which seems to be a requirement) we chatted about breasts and how they will grow. I told her that right now she had breast buds, and that she doesn't really need more than a training bra.

Somehow she got "bra" and "breasts" mixed up and for the rest of the shopping adventure, she was very excited to have "training breasts". That term is so wrong, on so many levels, and yet so many 16 year old boys know exactly what "training breasts" are.

I convinced her to go with the sports type set and a more bra looking thing with molded "bends" (not really cups). She eagerly put on her new bra when we got home, and can't wait to wear the sporty one to bed tonight.

I can't believe that I'm letting her enter the enslavement so early in her life, but it was easier to agree, and encourage her understanding of the changes to come, than to actually try to pound some sense into her.

She did ask about when her breasts started to grow, if it would hurt. I thought back to my own experience, and lied through my teeth. "oh, it is a little uncomfortable, but not too bad"

So, my 6 year old has training breasts. I have one more gray hair.