Another lil Benley collection

Our Little Girl is Growing Up

A panicked slam echoed through the house. Ben and Miranda exchanged a worried glance - that was definitely their daughter Pru slamming the bathroom door shut, followed by muffled sobs. Rushing to the bathroom, Ben jiggled the handle, finding it locked.

"Pru? Honey, what's wrong?" Miranda called out, her voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine" came Pru's muffled reply, her voice tinged with something that felt out of place. Ben exchanged a worried glance with Miranda.

"She doesn't sound fine," he murmured, leaning against the door. "Miranda, she's crying. We need to get in there."

"Okay, Ben, don't panic. Maybe she just needs some space. Let's try talking to her first. Pru, honey, we're here for you. Can you tell us what's wrong?

"Go away" Pru sniffled

"Maybe she's sick," Ben suggested, worry etching lines on his forehead. "Pruey. Are you feeling sick?" He knocked on the door again

Silence followed, thick with emotion and uncertainty. Then, Pru's voice broke the stillness, this time quieter, almost pleading. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ben rubbed the tension in his neck, frustration boiling inside. "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on," he said gently, feeling the delicate balance he needed to maintain.

Miranda squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Hold on a sec," she said, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Just a hunch..."

Taking a deep breath, she called out, "Honey, it's okay. Is it... your period?"

Ben, who hadn't considered that possibility, nearly choked. "Period? No it's too soon for that. She just turned 12 last month."

Miranda sighed, her instinctual maternal concern sweeping over her. "Ben, girls can start as early as nine. We need to be supportive. Pru must be scared."

She knelt by the door, her voice soft and soothing. "Pru, sweetie. Can you open the door? We just want to make sure you're okay."

Another long pause, then a sniffle. "I... I can't come out," Pru's voice cracked.

"Is it... is it something you're embarrassed about?" Miranda asked gently.

A choked sob escaped the bathroom. "Yes"

A silent exchange passed between Ben and Miranda. Now they were both sure. Even as doctors, facing a first period for their own daughter felt different. They'd been so open with Pru, explaining puberty and periods in detail when she turned eleven.

"We thought she'd be prepared," Ben murmured, leaning against the doorframe.

"Ben, imagine you wake up and your underwear is full of blood, no amount of talks with your mom and dad about pads and tampons can prepare you for that." A wave of empathy washed over her. She remembered her own first period, the confusion and fear that flooded her. Even with some knowledge, the reality of it was overwhelming.

"Hey Pruey...Remember that whole puberty talk we had last year?" Ben asked softly through the door. He could hear the sniffles subsiding slightly, replaced by a tense silence.

"Yeah," Pru mumbled, a hint of muffled defiance in her voice.

"Well, honey," Miranda chimed in, "this might be what we were talking about."

The silence that followed was thick. Ben and Miranda could practically picture Pru's face scrunched up in confusion and, hopefully, a dash of realization. They'd explained periods, the changes in her body, the emotional rollercoaster that might come with it – all in an age-appropriate, factual way. Knowing it was coming intellectually and experiencing it were clearly two very different things, though.