Red Goddess Box, Win!

I’m pleased to introduce Alexis Saint as a Guest Writer on The Girl Revolution. Alexis is a personal friend of mine. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Intern. She is also the mother of five-year-old Sarah, one of our beautiful Poster Girls in the rotating header.

By Alexis Saint

The four of us were crowded into a public restroom at a high traffic big box store and I was wrangling my three small children, all under 36 inches, up to reach the sink.  Attending to the business at hand which was getting all 40 fingers washed when my oldest son, four at the time, asked if he could have some candy while pointing to the feminine products vending machine.

Having already decided to handle questions pertaining to sexuality in a very matter-of-fact way, I answered that the machine did not have candy in it. It had pads, kind of like small diapers, to catch the no-longer-needed lining of a women’s uterus if there was not a fertilized egg inside of it already.

He seemed satisfied with my answer, but just then a woman came out of one of the stalls with a very embarrassed look on her face, glared at me and made straight for the door, without washing her hands, I might add.  I wondered if starting her period as an adolescent had been somehow bound up with shame, secrecy and fear.

In that moment I decided that my daughter’s period would be a source of honor and celebrated as a benchmark on her path to womanhood.

Although she was only 11 months old at the time, I started a collection of items that I thought would be appropriate for the occasion.  So, in my quest to honor her as a maiden, as a contributing member of the earth’s life force, and as my prepared, informed and confident daughter, I began collecting things in a wooden lock box decorated with pixies.  The box is big enough to encompass the following…

A dream journal…a collection of multi-cultural stories about how menarche is celebrated around the world…letters written to my daughter from my trusted and loving sisters about their feelings/experiences of femininity, menstruation, and growing up…these are to give her sense of the community with all women.

A lunar calendar...to illustrate the harmonious cycle of the earth and the women on it.

Bath salts…tea bags…a candle…a mirror…for alone time to reflect and relax.

A well-written book on female sexuality…for practical education.

A new package of dark colored undies (period panties)…pads and tampons…for self care on the big day.

And finally an OTC pain reliever for cramps..lets be real, cramps and PMS happen.

My hope is that my daughter will grow to revere and embrace her full inheritance as a woman.

In celebration of this special moment in a girl’s life, Marianne Impal, of Red Goddess at www.redgoddess.org has offered to give one Red Goddess Box to a reader of The Girl Revolution.

This Red Goddess Box, which retails for $49.99, includes:

• A Solid Wood Fabricated Keepsake Box
• Lavender Bath Salts
• Celebration Tea
• Comfort Herbal Pillow
• Energy Leg and Foot Rub
• Active Leg and Foot Spritz
• Calming Body Myst
• Pad Purse
• Purse Pats Cleansing Towelettes
• Moon Calendar with stickers
• Positive Picks Inspirational Cards
• Stationery
• Gift Giver’s guide to walk you through what can sometimes be an awkward time in a young girl’s life

LEAVE A COMMENT about how you’ll handle your daughter’s period or a story about how your parents handled it for you and you’re entered to win.

This post is entered in Bloggy Giveaways. This contest will run for 7 days, and shipping to the United States and Canada are accepted. Enter for a chance to win another popular Fit Girl shirt on Blog Fabulous.