What got you told “Welcome to Womanhood”? (And has it ever been about something positive?)

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What did you complain about only to be told “Welcome to Womanhood”? And has anyone ever said that about something positive?

Comments

  1. HollyStone Avatar

    The one time that stands out to me was after my first pap smear. I called my mum after and told her I felt shaky and weirdly violated, and my mum gave me the “Welcome to Womanhood!”

  2. Business-Stretch2208 Avatar

    Nope! Only violating and negative experiences

  3. BenchDear4411 Avatar

    I’ve never actually been told this. I’m 32.

  4. Front_Improvement_93 Avatar

    when I started my period

  5. Pretend-Confidence53 Avatar

    Every time I’ve ever complained about cramps too my mom.

  6. OldLadyMorgendorffer Avatar

    When I started my period…at 8 years old

  7. Belle0516 Avatar

    When I came in second place in the science fair in 7th grade to a boy who’s project was by far simpler and more disorganized because he put lights on his poster.

    My mom said it and we bonded over mediocre men getting preferential treatment compared to hard-working women. She was a Latina Attorney so she experienced that a lot.

  8. Geologyst1013 Avatar

    My period. Ugh.

  9. anotherpaintedlady Avatar

    When I got my period on a cruise and I was having cramps and I told my mom and she said that and “good luck with that”… I think I was 15 or 16 and I think she also said she’s happy she doesn’t have to deal with getting her period anymore.

    I was in pain and miserable bc getting my period messed up the cruise for me a bit bc I was bleeding and emotional the whole time and we walked SO much.

  10. winged_skunk Avatar

    My mom was so excited when I got my period that she made a little song. She sang it for me and my dad. 🙃💀💀🤢🤮

    It was grotesque. Also, it was Pearl Harbor Day when I was 12.

  11. kitti3_v0mit Avatar

    thankfully i don’t resonate with the period story. (i started mine when visiting my dad, he only told me that if he was a girl he would take his tampon out and throw it at people he hated), but i have had this energy towards being raped, which was just yucky

  12. XiphiasHesperax Avatar

    When I got my period near the end of 7th grade, my mother told everyone, and called all of her friends for the sake of violating my privacy and her having no life or real hobbies, and my stepfather at the time told me, “you’re a woman now, you’re blossoming.” 😶‍🌫️

  13. JayzieDreamSquare Avatar

    When I was retelling the story of the first time I got catcalled at age 14 to one of my classmates, she looked at me, patted me on the shoulder and said it.

  14. curlyhairweirdo Avatar

    My first period. There was cake.

  15. littlemybb Avatar

    When I was 12 and urgent care doctor noticed that I had a goiter.

    We went to the Children’s Hospital and they did a bunch of test, and they said I was fine then, but it was probably gonna be an issue down the line for me.

    It became an issue right when I hit puberty, probably because of the hormones.

    Once the Children’s Hospital said it wouldn’t be an issue for a while, it’s like my parents completely forgot about it. So when I really started struggling with feeling sick, feeling fatigued, feeling anxious and depressed, and just not feeling right around the time I started my period, they were like it’s just your hormones. This is part of it.

    That was my life for years after that.

    I was called dramatic, and all my problems were just brushed off as part of being a lady.

    Turns out it was my thyroid. I’m still mad about that.

  16. StopthinkingitsMe Avatar

    My mom told me when I started my period all over my bedding a week before my 10th birthday. I was half awake, there’s blood everywhere and my mom’s like ooooh you’re a woman now, I genuinely thought this was one of my dreams and tried to fall asleep lol. I mean it was 7.30 am on a Sunday.

  17. Foxy_panda1 Avatar

    Times I’ve been told welcome to Womanhood: 1) when I first got my period. 2) after my grandpa touched me inappropriately. 3) after my first big breakup. 4) after a man stole my v-card without my consent. 5) after my first pregnancy scare (there’s definitely more but these are the most memorable)

  18. Fableville Avatar

    When I started training bras at 9 and was told not to let the boys see my straps. Then when k got my first period when I was 10… I suppose I had one positive discussion with my mother, after she tried to console me because my sister was teasing bullying me for having stretch marks when I was 14. She told me that’s more common than not for teenage girls to get stretch marks on their thighs and boobs puberty if you’re destined to be curvy (which I am and my sister was not)

    Generally speaking, though, most of my “welcome to womanhood” moments had to do with puberty and also how to be aware of, avoid, and take accountability for the minds of men.