Period Shoe.

Disclaimer:

This is a girl story that only mothers with daughters will truly appreciate. Or people with a warped sense of humor. If you fit neither category, just stop reading now.

Roger Leroy is a late bloomer. She’s fine with this fact of life. She is an athlete and has played every sport we have allowed her to since age seven. Currently she plays basketball and runs cross country.

Side brag note: Last week she scored 35 points on her basketball team which we thought was pretty impressive. That was before Saturday when she scored 42 of the team’s 50 points. (The other 8 points were Wizzy’s.)

Because of her athletics and thin build and genetics, she’s only had three periods in her 16 years. She appreciates this. (Wizzy, her fraternal twin sister does not.)

She cleans a very large church on the weekends with her dad. It is hard work and I’m proud of her for doing it because it is a job that very few teenagers would be willing to do. It is definitely not a cool job.

It’s a bonding time for her and her dad. When they’re not fighting about cleaning methods and rushing through your work and things of that nature. This job is how she has earned enough money for her first (used) car. Because in the land of plenty, where many of us live, our teenagers did NOT receive a car for their 16th birthday.

One other thing you need to know about Roger Leroy before I replay our conversation; she is an excellent student but is a little absent-minded. She is intense and focused and as a result, sometimes loses track of the little details.

A few weeks ago, they arrived home late on Saturday night and I was working on the computer. She brought her shoes in to me and set them on the table announcing she “needed to put them in the washer.”

She knows I have issues about putting really dirty things in the washer. Yes, I know that is what a washer is for – to get dirty things clean. Just let me continue with our conversation because this is not about my issues:

ME: “Is that blood?!

RL: Yeah, I didn’t realize it.

ME: OH MY GOSH, how can you NOT feel that?

RL: Mom, I just didn’t realize it. (rolls eyes)

ME: How can you NOT realize it??? You have to go to the bathroom and change more often.

RL: Change what?

ME: Please don’t act like this.

RL: It’s not an act. I didn’t know I was bleeding.

ME: That’s what happens when you have your period. Didn’t you feel it running down your leg into your SHOE?????????

She starts laughing hysterically.

I start laughing at how gross and ding-dongy this daughter of mine is. (I’m sure ding-dongy is a word)

ME: In all my years, I don’t know anyone who has leaked like that!

RL: Mom, it’s not from my period – MY ANKLE WAS BLEEDING!!!

When we both recovered from laughing, I told her to be quiet while we called her Dad in the room…

ME: When you have daughters you need to watch for this kind of stuff. Didn’t you see blood running down her leg and into her shoe????

I wish I had a picture of his expression…

…but we only took a picture of the shoes.

Life Lesson (LL): Hydrogen Perioxide removes all kinds of blood.

Share a Life Lesson (SALL): Share a good laundry tip with us–you know, like hairspray removes ballpoint ink or share something as gross as Roger Leroy’s period shoe. Because I like to laugh and I’ll be sure and pass the laundry tips on to PhilBillPaul