My Daughter’s Horse-Filled Period Book Adventure

Join me on The Family of One Child as I share the heartfelt journey of creating a special book for my 8-year-old daughter to introduce periods in a fun, faith-filled way! Using Canva AI and a sprinkle of creativity, I wove in her love for horses and vibrant illustrations featuring her to craft a relatable ice-breaker book. Tune in to hear how I kept it simple, focusing on the term “period,” creating a resource she can enjoy independently while sparking meaningful conversations. It’s a story of love, laughter, and celebrating small family moments!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hi there and welcome to the Family of One Child podcast. I'm Four Comment, a wife, a part-time working mom and a full-time believer in making the most of every joyful and sometimes busy moments of raising an only child. If you're ready for real stories, plenty of laughter and parenting tips, you're in the right place. So let's dive into this adventure together. Hi and yes, you are listening to the Family of One Child podcast. So today's episode, it is a goodie. So I have been working on writing a short icebreaker book. You're thinking, what's an icebreaker book? Well, my daughter is eight years old. And I knew as she was getting older, as you do, kids do, there are certain topics. And I wanted to introduce those topics in such a way like an icebreaker. For example, getting your period. Now, for some of you that are listening, like, oh, I've already spoken to my child when she was seven or a lot younger. Or maybe you're listening to this podcast and you're thinking, no, I'm going to wait until she's a little bit older. And that is okay. So I wanted to... introduce it for me, I felt comfortable as an icebreaker just to let her know because she does have some friends who are two years older than her and the conversation might come up. And so I wanted to at least just talk about it and say, someone said, oh, a period. Well, And another thing, too, that she knows, because this might get too TMI when you say way too much information. In my bathroom, I have some feminine products. And so she asks them, Mommy, what is this? What's a pad? What's a tampon? What do you do with this? And she just knows. It just goes on my underwear. But I didn't really tell her the whole, you know. I didn't go into depth exactly what it does, why I do what I do, other than she knows since having her, when I laugh, when I jump up and down, mummy will tinkle. And yes, I'm working on my abs. If people are listening and you might be saying, hey, you should get your core muscles strengthening or what is the other exercise to strengthen your muscles down there? So I'm, you know, one step at a time, ladies, if you're listening to this. And so I had been looking for some time on Amazon, at our local, like our supermarkets, and just even just reading, maybe like going on different family websites, and I could not find anything. any book that would, I feel that was good for me. And so I was thinking, you know what? What about if I wrote that short book, an icebreaker and I could, what do I want her to know about a period? And what's a tampon in a way? And why do people carry it? Why do girls or pads or, But I wanted to have illustrations where she can relate to them because I found some books and then I read them and I thought, oh, one, it's too wordy. And there's other concepts like, for example, I didn't want to bring in sex. I didn't want to bring in where your body's at, you know. All this other stuff, I just wanted to introduce in a simple way like an icebreaker. And so I thought, I'm going to write a book with AI and have Canva help me to illustrate it. Now, it actually took me all night. I did it all night and I was so excited. And I think it was about... probably about nine pages, I'm counting. And she read the book and I was so excited because I catered it for where I knew where she was at. And this is what I did. This is what I love about today's technology is that maybe you're listening and maybe there's some topics that you just want to talk about more with your child. or you want to create something and you haven't found a book in the library or whatever, and you're able to have access to an AI or computer, or even if you're, you may be an illustrator or you may be someone who loves writing books. For me, I did have fun creating it. And so I was so happy with the product and I, And, you know, eventually I will put it on site so you all can, you know, if you want a copy, eventually I'll make it just to give a sample, see what it looks like, make it available for people. And I showed some other friends and they're like, wow, this is really good. And I was like, yeah, it is. I love it for me because I related it. Olivia loves horses. And so the language, like for example, I love it that I said, and my introduction to her was, to Olivia, my darling horse riding star, you're growing up beautifully with such a creative imagination. This book is for you to learn, explore, and shine with all my love, mom. I mean, isn't that wonderful? And so, and the next one, I'll just read it. I said, hi, Olivia, our horse riding star, because she loves to zoom. So I talk about her zooming. And then I said this, this book is about those changes. Oh, yeah, actually I should say, hi, Olivia, our horse riding star, zooming over jumps. You're growing up as fast as Lola. Now Lola is her horse.

UNKNOWN: 7:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 7:07

Your body is ready for new adventures, like learning about periods. Don't worry, darling. It's as natural as brushing Lola's mane. This book is is about those changes. And I'm excited for you to read this with me. Olivia, saddle up and let's go, girl. Now, I have illustration, an illustrated picture of her on her horse that looks like her. And I made sure the features, like she has brown eyes, so I got brown eyes and the long hair, and I know what kind of boots. And when she read it, she was like, Mom, what is this? Because she likes to read. And I said, I've written a book for you. And for the past... month, her and I have been on my phone writing stories to each other. And so I said, I wrote a book for you and I would love for you to read it with me. And because it was a short book, she said, mom, it's like maybe two pages long. Everyone's a critic. She cracks me up. I said, okay, thanks, Sally, for the feedback. But Just her reading this book, she goes, periods? And she turned around and she said, Mom, I know what a period is. And I was like, periods? How do you know, darling? Is it one of your friends, your older friends tell you, or at school? She goes, oh, no, I heard it on YouTube. YouTube? I was like, what? What the heck? And I looked at her and I said, oh, okay, in my casual tone. I'm like, oh, yeah, okay. And she goes, but I didn't understand it. I was watching some YouTube and some, you know, girls were just talking about a period, but I didn't understand it. And then I turned and I said, you know what? Thank you for telling me. And this is why I just wanted to have that conversation and just talk about periods.

UNKNOWN: 9:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 9:03

And isn't that wonderful? I mean, come on. And so this episode is about if there is a situation or maybe you have a book, like you already have a resource that a friend or a mom, you know, someone gave to you like, this is so good for my child. Growing up, my mom did not have those kind of resources. And so I found out through older siblings and friends, and I wanted for me to really just focus on the simple, what is a period and how is your body changing? That was where I felt for me and Olivia at her age in college, Just to start with. And from there, as we're reading this book, and she loved the illustrations of her and different horses. And then I even had her grandparents, her grandma, her great grandma, because I wanted her. I know that maybe when she goes to the barn and she's with her trainer, I told her in the book, I wrote it in that we are so proud of her. And that we wanted her to know that she can talk to us. For example, page six, I said, the title is Caring for Yourself Like a Rider. And I said, as a horse rider, you can keep riding during a period strong and ready. Change your pad every few hours, take warm showers or rest, like letting low light. relax after training session with zoe and zoe is her one of her horse trainers and i said like eat fruits and drink water and i could have put everything but i just wanted to keep it very simple to stay energized for your next hobby horse because i i know see i interject things that she absolutely loves doing and she loves to play with her hobby horse and she loves to jump around the kitchen Keep a pouch with your pads and your emergency bag. Now her and her friend, they have an emergency bag and currently they're just putting their makeup and lip gloss. And caring for yourself is like grooming your horse and it feels great. So, and with the illustrations, I got her helmet and she has a pink bag that she takes to school. She puts all her lip gloss and hairspray. I know, right? And so I put that in the picture with, once again, her horse. And I was so excited. Even my husband said, wow, this book is amazing. I was like, well done for well done. So I wanted to encourage you as I wrote this book and I got such good feedback from my daughter. After that, you know, when she read it from back to front and, you know, she saw her grandma and granny and trainer and, and I had it with that she could talk to us and that we're very proud of her, is that she started to ask other things about the body, which opened up to more conversations. And that's what I wanted. I was so excited. I wondered, you know, as a mom with an only child, it's not like, you know, oh, well, Maybe I'll do it for the next child. That's definitely. I thought, you know what? I really want to be mindful in what I am going to talk about in how I present it, because I feel that this kind of conversation is something that I always want to have open between myself, my daughter and my husband. Like, I really enjoy her coming to us, talking to us, asking us questions. No matter how uncomfortable I may feel, I wanted her to know that we are here and that we see here and that we'll try our best as we all journey on this path together. So I wondered if you're a mom and maybe, you know, you have a boy. I mean, I did not say anything about boys. This was all about... Olivia and her horse in, you know, discovering what a period is. I just wrote about that as an icebreaker. I'm curious too. Did you have a book? Did you write something or did your husband, you know, he talked about boy stuff. I told my husband, this will be one of many series as she grows up and there might be topics about, I don't know, peer pressure. I mean, there might be, there'll probably be lots of things, but as an icebreaker, and because Olivia likes writing stories, now, and maybe you're like, well, my kid doesn't really like writing, reading books. You now can create videos with Canva AI. So maybe instead of a book that, Maybe like, oh, my child likes to write songs. She'll prefer if I sing songs to her about getting a period. And maybe you might, you know, think of a different way. But I just wanted to share what I did to introduce myself. introduce this this topic it's icebreaker and yeah I could have just said it honestly I could have just sat down and talked about it with her over you know a frappuccino or talk to her while we're going for a walk or just hanging out and sitting in the kitchen but I really wanted to just to present it in another way as an option and so I I really wanted to encourage you, if you're listening to this episode and you cannot find something that you're wanting to use as an icebreaker, a conversation starter with your child, I would recommend you, if you can, go online and create something for yourself. For me, it has this icebreaker. I think I call them icebreaker books because I didn't want to go into a lot of depth, honestly. It's just something that will lead to another conversation, which has helped a lot. She's asked so many questions about other things as well. And I'm like, okay, how do I talk about that? And it's so funny because You know, one conversation leads to another, to another, to another. It's like, oh, it's so hilarious. And so I hope, and maybe you're like, no, I'm good at the resources I have. Isn't it funny, you know, as they're growing up from little babies to toddlers to, what are they, tweens? Oh my goodness. She's eight years old. And as a parent that is still learning, sometimes I think, yeah, I love this situation. Right now, I figured it out, the season, and voila. This is a whole new season for me. Oh my goodness. And then I stopped. Asking questions, asking other parents, how do they navigate it? How do they communicate? What resources are they available for me? What other podcasts am I listening to to educate myself and present it in a different way? The things we do for our children, I tell you what. But remember, moms, you are amazing. I mean... I wanted you to know there's so many different options, you know, how you want to go about. For example, like me, I could have just gone to the library, which I did, or I could have just... I'm sure that there's so many resources out there and what topics we want to, you know, talk about with our kids and depending on how you want to present it, like I said. But for me, I felt like... I wanted to have my voice in how I tell her as mommy. And what better way for me to tell her from my heart is to write her a book. And that is so good. I am such a wonderful mom. Now that I'm saying it, I'm like, I am amazing. And I want you to know that you are are amazing too you are I hope that you tell yourself I really truly believe you're listening to me you are amazing you are doing the best you can with the time that's given with the resources you have I mean, come on, please congratulate yourself. I remember when I was telling Olivia, she's like, isn't that boasting about yourself, mommy? I said, but it's true. It's so true that I am doing the best I can. I too am learning and growing. And with the resources I have, at the time that's given to me, I'm doing the best I can. So I've got to tell myself, I'm amazing. So you are amazing too. And I want you to tell yourself that. And take time out and give yourself a hug. I tell you, mums with an only child. You know, that's what I love about other mums is, When I meet a mother who only has another child as well, there's something like my heart, it's like I have like a secret language and we don't have to say that much, especially if they're the same age. Like I've met some other moms, like when Olivia was five or six and I met another mom who has an only child and their child is like a, And she has a girl too, and they're five or six. And I'm like, whoa. And we talk about certain situations, and it's like, yeah. So what has this got to do with, you know, this book and this episode? Why has it? It's because you, for me, there's so many influences. And yes, Olivia loves you. No, she's not on TikTok because we don't have a TikTok account, but she watches YouTube. And, you know, she talks about, oh, mom. You know, so and so and so and so. And she'll mention their names. And we were going to stores like Sephora. It's a makeup store. It's a place where you buy makeup and beauty products and skincare. And there's another place. And she's like, oh, mom, see that picture there? That's that so-and-so. And she has this brand. I'm like, what the who? And so because she's watching other stuff and she has friends, and even though I have a, you know, a great relationship with her. We practically, I like to think we do, is that I want to continue to be a voice to her as well. And I feel as she's growing up and as she's, you know, I still want mummy to, I still want to be that influencer.

UNKNOWN: 21:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 21:33

Like I'm a place of sound mind, but not, you know, I'm a place that is a foundation. And my husband and I, we continue to work on that because with communication, communication, it's a lot of work. And so that's why I wanted to make this episode. And just, this is just one way to, of her because as she's getting older you know she's going to get more resources elsewhere but at least the icebreaker books are from me I may be many things but I wrote a lot of icebreaker books so we can have those conversations and maybe I'll do videos or maybe I'll have an icebreaker podcast I don't know But I wanted to encourage you, you will find your rhythm. You really will. You know your child. I mean, hello, you spend more time with your child and you're loving on them and you're encouraging them and you are learning yourself. Like, we are totally invested in helping our children. You know, your child, we're helping them to be the best kids who they can be in as well. And we want to be that person where they come to. I mean, that's my goal. If my child has something I want to talk about or share, I want her to continue to come to me. And if not me, then her dad, her grandparents, people who have... an absolutely close relationship with. And that way she feels comfortable in all situations to come and tell. Now, honestly, am I equipped? I'm like, maybe I'll ask some advice. I don't know. But I'm like, if I don't know, I say, yeah, I don't know. Or sometimes it's like, oh, you want to talk about that now? I'm going to sleep. Isn't that funny when kids talk? I mean, they'll talk, but it's like at the time that they should be going to bed. Well, your time is up. I am cleaning something, but I always try my best to like be open to those times. Or once I get in the conversation and I talk and talk and talk and she's like, okay, mom, I'm done. I'm going to sleep. Well, I'm done. I'm talking about it. I'm like, oh my goodness. Balance, balance, balance. But I just want to thank you all for listening to this podcast, The Family of One. It is such like, it is an adventure, isn't it? It's absolutely adventure. Oh, and at the end of the book, I put this, like the last chapter, I said, Olivia, you're a horse rider who soars over every fence. Periods and changes are part of your amazing journey, making you stronger. Keep riding and talking to God, mom, dad, grandma, or granny. Darling, we're so proud of you. This book is just a start keep smiling like the star you are in and out of a saddle and I got two horses and I got a rainbow at the back and then she loves to drink her pink lemonade drink boba tea oh no it's not boba tea it's like a pink lemonade drink with some strawberries and then I have a picture of of her and her horse i mean these are like these photographs taken from the barn and she was like oh so i got some fun pictures that i put in there as well and so i hope this will really encourage you if you're listening to this to maybe do something creative In a way, if you're wondering, I just can't find that book, I can't find that video or whatever that you want to create your own, or you just want to talk about it, it's an icebreaker. So I just want to say thank you very much for listening. I appreciate it. And remember, you are amazing. You are. Do something for yourself. I hope you are. When you're listening to this, I don't know, maybe you're cleaning the kitchen or walking or maybe you're just like relaxing in the background and you got this on and I'm like laughing away or maybe like, is this lady ever going to finish? I crack myself up. Hopefully, this has encouraged you to laugh or maybe start up your podcast of your own. But please, whatever you do, you say to yourself, you are doing the best you can with the time that's given, with the resources you have. Mom, you are amazing. And I want to say thank you for listening. Remember, this is for your friend, like the number four. And I will see you. I don't know where I see you. You're here for me in the next episode. Take care. Do something nice for yourself. You can send me a message and I will email you back. Okay, then. Thank you. Bye.