Growing up gently with Teen Parcel

Growing up gently with Teen Parcel

It may not have escaped your notice that we have a tween girl living with us. I say tween, as that seems to be the descriptor most used for a child who has not yet hit the teen years, but is most definitely moving on from childhood – if inconsistently! It’s a wonderful age. She is amazing company, really funny, developing – with the odd raised eyebrow from us to keep it in check – a sarcastic dryness to her judgements, yet still young enough to be helpful, to declare her love for us, and to accept that there have to be rules.

She owns a couple of those books, the ones that avoid the necessity for embarrassing conversations if she doesn’t really want to have them. Though having read them, she has occasionally talked to me about a fact she has learned, or a concern she has, and they have been easy chats, prompted by her own curiosity, rather than by any awkward need to know.

She understands about her body, and about what she will face over the next few years. So when Pink Parcel asked if we would be up for reviewing their newest product, Teen Parcel, she was happy to take a look, and give it her verdict.

What is Teen Parcel?

Pink Parcel is a subscription service for women, to make their monthly period something a little less dull, and to have an excuse to treat themselves to something lovely – to prompt them to take time to pamper themselves a little. Teen Parcel is the young girl’s version of that, and aims to help girls see their time of the month not as something to be embarrassed about, but as a time when it’s nice to look after themselves, and feel good about themselves. Every month, a few days before their period is due, girls will receive a beautifully packaged set of goodies to try, plus some pampering products and a little treat. Pink Parcel have this to say:

That first period is a big deal. It can be scary, but also an exciting time. We want to replace the scary with something a little more positive, which is why we’ve launched a special teen version of our Pink Parcel.

So what’s in it?

  • Sanitary towels – something new for them to try, or the brand they’ve specified once they decide what they like best.
  • Tampons – as above. We received Tampax Pearl applicator tampons in ours.
  • A drink, and a small sweet treat.
  • Some beauty products to use for pampering, or some jewellery. GG got a really sweet cord bracelet this month with a little charm, and some lovely glittery nail polish.

Teen Parcel, treats for girls

What did she think?

She was excited to find out what was in her first Teen Parcel, and we shared a lovely 15 minutes or so discovering the contents. It also prompted a really calm and easy chat about periods, and how she might deal with them when the time comes. As a mum, I liked that opportunity to talk to my daughter in a way that she found comfortable. The excitement of the little gifts really took away any awkardness that might have accompanied that conversation.

We opened a couple of the tampons and took them apart so she could see how they’re made. I told her what I use, and how it works for me, and we talked about the different types of protection girls use for their periods. I like the fact that she knows a little more now, and that when the time comes, she’ll feel confident to look after herself, without needing to ask me unless she wants to. They came with a handy pouch to keep them in, which prompted me to tell her about the time I’d been in a very serious business meeting and knocked my bag off the table, spilling the contents onto the floor. Oh how I wish I’d had a pouch like that!

Teen Parcel handy pouch for tampons

Each month the pack contains different treats. This month GG received a Teapigs Chocolate Flake teabag (which I quickly snaffled, her not being a fan of tea – treats for Mums too!), and a little packet of Haribo. I was pleased to see that Pink Parcel hadn’t gone overboard on the treats. GG is diabetic, and pre-menstrual hormones are known to mess with your blood sugar, so too much chocolate is necessarily not what a hormonal girl really needs. A small treat is fine though, and the tea felt comfortingly sweet, without the sugar, so this was perfect!

Sweet treat from Teen Parcel

She was also very pleased to have her own stash of skin-cleansing products, and it’s nice that she gets to experiment with products before deciding on her favourites.

Teen Parcel skincare products

She thoroughlly enjoyed discovering all the things that will become part of the teenaged her, and after the fun I asked her what she thought about the whole business of getting periods and growing up. She told me:

It’s alright. It’s just something you have to do, isn’t it. It’ll be fine…

Which is exactly what Teen Parcel is all about. Demystifying the whole thing, taking away the embarrassment, making it all feel normal. Mission accomplished!

Teen Parcel also has a page on the Pink Parcel website dedicated to young girls, and answering some of the questions girls might have before their first periods. I really like the openess of it, it’s a place where girls can get some reassurance over something which, quite frankly, before it happens, sounds a bit scary. Making it all a lot less daunting.

When you subscribe, the first parcel costs £5.95. Every parcel after that is £9.99.

Disclosure: we have been paid for our time in reviewing Pink Parcel, and have received 2 packs for the purposes of review. All opinion, editorial, and images are our own.

 

13 thoughts on “Growing up gently with Teen Parcel”

  1. What a fab idea. At 8 1/2, my daughter isn’t too far behind and I know we will have to have those conversations soon – and I’m not looking forward to it! I’m one of those mums who gets all awkward and nervous talking about these things. This sounds like a great way to ease the embarrassment!

    Reply
    • I think a prompter is really helpful. And her having read some books alone was a good thing too, so she wasn’t having to learn it all from her mum. I’ll edit in the books we have 🙂

      Reply
  2. Really interesting review Helen. My tween and I have had the conversation but I can see how this could make it easier as a mum to approach it if you don’t know where to start!
    A service like this for a tween or teen would make the subject of periods something positive and happy. Great idea!

    Reply
  3. I LOVE the sound of this! L is nearly 8 but I can feel those teen years arriving very quickly and I couldn’t think of a better way to deal with the hassle of a period 🙂

    Reply
  4. I’m not sure if I would have purchased the kit for my girls, but it is certainly a good way to open the conversation for those moms/dads who are unsure how to tackle the topic of menstruation.

    Reply
    • That’s what I like most about it Becky. Takes the awkwardness out of it if you have something to focus on, and checking out sanitary products before you actually need to use them seemed a bit less embarrassing for her than if she was a bit older, I think.

      Reply
  5. I do really like the sound of these kits but not sure that they warrant paying £9.99 a month for. Mind there does seem to be a lot of products. Easy for me to say with 4 boys though!
    Girls are getting younger (my cousin’s daughter was 8 or 9 and most of her peers already had their periods!!) so it is never too early to introduce the facts to them I think.
    Great review.

    Reply
    • Gosh that is young! I know what you mean, it does seem like a lot, but when you consider the cost of sanitary products anyway, there’s no getting away lightly is there? Certainly as a treat for a few months at the beginning I think it’s a nice thing to do, and the health and beauty products that come in the boxes are lovely. Nice way to treat a young girl while she’s getting used to all the hassle of it.

      Reply
  6. Great to have the sanitary products there ready for a good old Mum-daughter chat. I’ve already talked to my two year old about periods (she asked about my tampons), but I suspect it went a bit over her head. We’ll need something like this closer to the time, I’m sure!

    Reply

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