Aunt Flo’s False Alarm

Being a Year 2 teacher you come across your fair share of one-liners.

“Miss, when I go home, I’m going to ask my mummy if you can come to my house and play.”

Or

“My mum and dad like to have a lie down on a Saturday afternoon, so we go to Granny’s.”

You get the idea. There is no filter on these children, which is what can make the job so enjoyable.

One Wednesday morning, a little girl in Year 2 called Betsy had just come up to me and said she had a tummy ache. She was the youngest in the class, so was only just six years old, but came from a family with older siblings. I did the usual thing, “Oh, have you been to the toilet? Have a drink of water. It is lunch time soon - let’s see how you feel after that.”

Betsy hurried off to the toilet and soon came back looking really alarmed. Naturally, I thought what most teachers would think - she had done a great big stinker in her pants and I would soon have to put the Play-Doh away to pick up the poo instead.

“Miss, I’m a woman.”

“Well, you’re a little girl but you’ll be a woman one day, Betsy.”

“No, I mean it’s started.” Betsy pointed to her pants, which had her skirt tucked into them, revealing her little chunky thighs attached to her stout frame.

It took me a moment to realise what she was suggesting. I still wasn’t quite sure it was possible for a Year 2 child, so I thought I’d better ask my TA to come over and listen to the conversation too.

“Miss, I have started my…” Betsy looked around and checked the other Year 2 children couldn’t hear despite the fact that they were all intrigued by what she was about to say whilst creating their 3D shapes out of Play-Doh “…period.”

I looked at my TA and she looked at me. Betsy did say she had tummy ache. But surely not?

“How do you know you have started your period ,Betsy?” My TA asked, while I was still processing the information. I thought Year 2 was supposed to be pipe cleaners and princesses - not periods and PMS!

“I can see it, Miss.”

My TA wandered off to the toilets with Betsy and I waited in class, wondering how the big reveal would go. Two minutes later, Besty ran back into the classroom, bypassed me and sat in her seat and carried on with her table making spheres. I looked at my TA who was sniggering as she came back into the room.

“Well? Did you get her a pad or something?” I asked, unsure what to do in this scenario.

“Don’t worry – it wasn’t her period in her pants.”

“Well, what was it?”

“Skidders.”

Needless to say, I was relieved Betsy had returned to class and Aunt Flo hadn’t joined her. 

The lesson?

Sometimes it’s not a rite of passage — just a bit of poor wiping.

And always remember: teaching in Year 2 means expecting the unexpected… and maybe keeping gloves on standby.