Reflection date: April 7, 2009

[Session topics in March 2009] April 2009 Newsletter

 

Blossom into Butterflies

For as long as I can remember, I have always used the life of the butterfly to describe the growth of young girls...including my own growth.  The butterfly, like all of us, starts from an egg.  A butterfly egg is the size of a pin head. From that egg, a caterpillar is born. The caterpillar eats and eats and increases in size more than 20,000 times the egg size.  The caterpillar  then becomes a pupa or chrysalis. During this time, the caterpillar experiences many changes.  At the end of the pupa stage, emerges a beautiful adult butterfly.  We go through similar stages.  We start off as an egg.  I like to think the caterpillar stage for us is from birth to 7 years old.  Once we become 8 or 9 years old, we begin to experience changes with our bodies.  Remember the caterpillar experience changes during its pupa stage? Our pupa stage is called puberty.  Puberty can start as early as 7 or 8 years old and later depending on the girl.  During this stage, you’ll notice the growth of your breasts, body hairs and a change in your body size.  These changes occur on the outside.  You also have changes going on inside of you as well.  The major change for you and all young girls will be the start of your menstruation also called your “period”.  This is nothing to be ashamed of.  Your grandmother, your mother and your aunts all have experienced this major change in life.  Not only are there physical changes, there are mental changes as well.  And Blossom on Butterfly Wings is here to make sure you have a positive experience while you go through puberty. We want you to become that beautiful woman (butterfly) you were created to be.

It's a Girl Thing

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a boy?  I think most girls ask themselves this question at least once in life.   But you do not have to think hard to know that being a girl is very exciting.  During our session on Being A Girl, we discussed how exciting it is to love fashion, dancing and being creative.  And although we are all different, we share a special bond because we are girls.  We can relate to one another. We must take pride in who we are and accept our differences.  You are all talented and special.  Use your creativity to make a difference in the world. “It’s a girl thing and we got it like that.” 

 

Role Models

What makes a good role model? During our session, we discussed role models and why they are important. Role models are people we look up to. People who we imitate and seek advice from to make us better people. When I think of a role model, I think of someone who is very confident and successful in life. Remember that being rich or having nice things does not always define success. A role model should be someone who makes smart and positive decisions; someone who is very respectful to everyone. A very good example of a role model is the First Lady of the United States of America—Mrs. Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama is a very confident woman. She is very passionate about the well-being of the American people. We often see her feeding the poor or reading stories to little children. She shows respect not only to her family and friends, she shows respect to people she meets each day. Most of you love fashion, right? Well guess what? She loves fashion. She dresses appropriately at all times. She is concerned about the way she looks and feels. She exercises on a regular basis and eat the right foods. She is not only concerned about her health, she is also concerned about President Obama and Sasha and Malia’s mental and physical health as well. So when you choose a role model, the first thing you should ask is, “what positive things is he or she doing?” “Is he or she treating other people the way they would like to be treated?” “Is he or she a leader?” Michelle Obama passes all questions with a yes. Read about her today. You will see why she is a wonderful role model.

Growth and Self-Care

It’s never too early to start thinking about basic hygiene and self-care. By now, you should have mastered flossing and brushing. Dental health is very important to protect against cavities and gum disease. Want to be fresh and clean? Start working daily showers or baths into your daily routine, especially if you have started your period. Enjoy things like scented deodorants, fragrant body washing gels and sprays. Learn the proper way to wash your face. If you don't know, ask your mom or Blossom on Butterfly Wings. Ask mom if she’ll teach you how to wash your own clothing. Taking care of what you have, shows how mature and responsible you are. At the end of the day, put dirty clothes away properly. Doing these things on a regular basis, will encourage good habits that will follow you for a lifetime.