For a millennium, we’ve been unwilling to exhibit any humor regarding puberty and periods. We’ve turned them into shame and embarrassment. To the point, it is difficult for most people to say puberty or, forbid, periods out loud.

And, when you look at the slang words, especially for “period,” being on the rag, Aunt Flo, Red Tide, Monthly Visitor. If those terms aren’t humorous, what is?

Through all my years of teaching, I have found that the class falls short if I don’t infuse some humor. Usually, the feedback from moms is that their daughters enjoyed the class because of the combination of education and humor, and the result was puberty and periods didn’t seem so awful.

 I’ve thought about Stand-Up Comedy. I have a million one-liners and stories that would have you laughing. But, somehow, the only stand-up I do is in my classroom with the parents and their children. 

So, what is so funny about puberty and periods? Well, for years, nothing. It was something full of shame and embarrassment. But it’s a new era, with more understanding, products that make life easier, and rethinking the whole “blood.” Issue.

Hormones are a funny word, even though they are essential in puberty. So, in my class, instead of everyone just saying the word, we sing it. I tell the class how important it is to sing on the pitch; sometimes, that works, and other times, it sounds more like high-pitched moaning.  But I don’t stop at hormones; I make them sing estrogen and progesterone as well. The effect of that humorous activity is that they laugh and remember the experience, which makes puberty feel almost normal.

Emotional changes, horror of horrors. Mothers and fathers cringe. So, let's turn something that can be cringe-worthy into something we can laugh at and come up with some solutions. After sharing what emotional changes are during puberty, I make the group repeat them and give each expression. I say, “Show me anger, frustration, sadness, hangery.” Afterward, the room is filled with laughter, and the issue has been defused.  I give them the assignment to come up with three positive solutions when they’re feeling emotional instead of taking down a sibling. 

Lest we forget Periods, so let the fun begin. The curse is that awful time in a woman’s life when she bleeds and has horrible cramps, and make sure you stay away from her because she’s very emotional. It sounds like the intro to a horror movie.  So, how does one find any humor when that’s the stories we’ve been fed for years? That might seem true if you haven’t taken one of my classes. 

 The period lesson starts with a pantyliner demonstration. I ask the girls what they think it looks like. A dog bone, a bow tie, or maybe name tags. Laughter! Then, the real game changer is when I explain that if you have a dog, you better have a lid on your trash cans. I then put a “clean” panty liner in my mouth and act like a dog running around with that panty liner and, in some cases, dropping it right in front of its master. Reading this sentence might sound horrifying, but they get a good laugh and face what might be reality. 


I have a multitude of tricks in my puberty bag. I’ve taken a topic with taboos and turned it into something normal and humorous. So, parents, if you find it’s time to have the puberty period talk, engage your funny bone and have some fun. You’ll discover they might actually listen and learn something. 

If you want to have a fun and informative experience, Host one of my classes.