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

The story: I had just gotten accepted into my city's well-known private high school and couldn't be happier. Before school started, every student had to take placement tests to determine classes. On the day of the placement tests, and the day I was going to meet all of my fellow classmates, I got my period. I was happy it had finally come, but seriously? Did it have to be today, God?

While there was no dress code required to take the placement test, the school itself had a dress code that said no dark jeans. I told my mom that I was allowed to wear whatever I wanted to take the test, but she INSISTED that I wear white jeans. We loaded me up with multiple maxi pads — it felt like I was wearing a diaper. I should've been fine, right? But when the test was over, I could feel that something was wrong. My new classmates were staring at me strangely. I sprinted to the nearest bathroom, where I realized with horror that I had bled through my WHITE pants! It's been five years and I still wish my mom had been more understanding of me that day. — Caroline Parkinson, intern