Step Talk

...might help. I'm sure there are books geared towards girls her age these days to help them understand & deal with it. You might want to check out the school library or even contact the school nurse (just a thought.) If none of that helps, try Barnes & Noble online, or Amazon. Good luck!

Hipi

My SD12 has breast buds but no period to date....
She is an oil slick (hair and face) and I have to tell her to bath daily and brush her teeth. Her hair is soooo oily that she was getting this craddle cap crust on her scalp (which she would pick at ..) so, since I'm a nurse- I explain things kinda elementary to them. I tell SD12 and SD7 about germs and keeping themselves clean. I took the initiate to buy some more "expensive" Bath and Body works stuff so its fun to bath and be "girlie".

As a RN, my only concern with an 8 y.o. not understanding what her body is doing (having a period). I am in no way advocating the "sex talk" but I would be apt to explain its something that happens to all girls as they become women. I would focus on what she needs to do to be clean and whatnot but steer away from too much info. I would also probably assess her current knowledge (or misconceptions) on the topic of periods. Some of her friends may be talking or experiencing the same and its best to figure out what she knows first...

I agree - I explained that when your body grows bigger into a lady's body that sometimes you have stuff that comes out of your privates - sometimes it would look reddish brown and sometimes it would look clear or white. I also explained that she might have hair starting to grow in places like her underarms and her privates, that it was normal and she shouldn't be scared if that happened. We talked about her body odor then and we went shopping for deodorant - which she picked out. I also told her that as her body kept growing she would notice that her breasts started to feel tender and would grow and that everyone has these things happen at different times - hers just started happening sooner than some other girls.

She denies discharge but I have noticed it in her panties when I do laundry. I haven't noticed another "period" but I am not sure she would tell me if she had anything happen at her mom's. I want her to be able to be open about this stuff and the only way I know how is to talk talk talk. Her dad talks to her minimally about the girl stuff.

oh yeah - no breast buds - although her last annual physical she was underweight.

She seems grateful that I talk to her about this stuff, so I think that is a good sign. I just never expected to have to do it at 8!

If you can get this to open its got some interesting information about what we, especially the kds, are putting in our bodies.
I had to copy and paste this in the address window.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/potables/walmart.asp

I do think all of this stuff is related and its important to look for organic instead of hormone treated milk.

They are starting mighty early now days.... What I do at times, is assess what the kids know (or what they have been told). I will ask- so what do kids say about "x" or whatever...it takes the spotlight off her to respond to her opinion but can rather say "Oh my friend says...." which sometimes feels safer.

My SD12 was telling her biodad (my DH) that she didnt have to shower daily and then said "Sarah (thats me), do you shower every day??" I said, "Yes and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, depending on what I'm doing...". She just kinda looked at me like I was the WIERD one!

I got my DH involved by asking him to remember when he was a young man and when he saw girls that were oily or stunk- he said "Oh yeah they were so gross"..I said- "well, thats gonna be your daughter if you don't stay on the bandwagon with me to remind her". Anymore- he will tell her to shower and gets the argument with her, instead of me. And if she does argue with me about it- I just say give my DH the look and he'll chime in and say "you need to shower or you'll be the stinky kid!!!!!!!!!"

HEHE- small victory for the SM!

My SD started using deodorant when she was 4 years old, she is way off the charts for her age group, now 8, we fear puberty will begin very soon. We had to remind her everyday to put it on, but she eventually got used to doing it herself. I recommed you give her the knowledge she needs. I bought this GREAT book from American Girl called "The Care and Keeping Of You" it explains everything about her body and how to take care of it from head to toe, and helps You answer questions. It is just for kids her age and has comments from other kids about how to except what is happening to her body. I hope this helps, be patient with her, we all needed a little help starting out.

when it comes to things like that. I feel really bad that her own mother doesn't talk about things "like that". I can't imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't had my mom to go to, not that I wanted to back then, but I knew it wasn't taboo to talk about.

thanks for the American Girl book - she loves anything American Girl.

It sounds like you are patient. I share in your frustration that BM doesn't take a role in the big quesitons. Good Luck.

I have raised one SD already in which I had to explain the facts of life. You need to tell her directly that she needs to take a bath. That she is becoming a woman and that if she doesn't take a bath she will smell badly and no one will want anything to do with her.

I guess I just don't beat around the bush about these things. To me it would be more embarrasing going around stinking.

I also took my SD out when she was 10 and purchased her a training bra. She was mortified when I asked her out loud if she wanted one with a pink bow. LOL!!!! We to this day talk about it. Her Mom was out to sea and SD was living with us for that 6 months.

Don't be afraid to be direct. The kids will appreciate it.

"Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt"

I am not a step parent but I do have a D that has had body odor since the age of 5 y.o. About 1 or 2 weeks ago Good Morning America had a recent study about girls who get their periods at age 7. The recent study was focused on stress the child is having with a parent. I felt horrible because I can sometimes stress my daughter but did I really cause her to get body odor? I have not yet taken her to a pediatrican... and was hoping to relate to some else. If you have any comments it would really help.
I have been using Gold Bond talc after every shower and that helps her stay fresh.

We had a talk the other day about her blackheads - what they are and how to wash her face more carefully.

She has been doing better with the deodorant each day and she took the news that she needed to shower every day in stride.