The Hard Truth About Getting Our First Periods . . . and What Parents Can Learn

The story: I'm in fourth grade (I know, what hormones were in my milk that I got it so young?!). I'm in school. I have to poop. I can usually poop anywhere (my special talent), but for some reason, when I go to the bathroom, nothing comes out. I think: OK, maybe I just have a bit of poo anxiety.

I go home, sit on the toilet for 30 minutes. Still nothing. Then, I look down and I have my first period. I didn't have to poop, it was just cramps. My mother was supportive and lovely and took me to Barnes & Noble to buy Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul. I just wish she hadn't said, "You're a woman now!," because I was 9 years old. That's a lot of responsibility. — Alaina Demopoulos, junior writer, Beauty