Chioma, a Grade 9 (Junior Secondary school 3) student, sauntered home with a distressed look. As she opened the kitchen door she came face to face with Grandma (who she fondly called “Gma”) and her distressed look was replaced by a wide grin, because Gma is her favorite person. Better still was the tantalizing aroma of her favorite meal- spaghetti and meatballs (Gma’s favourite recipe). Gma came in that morning for a weekend getaway with her daughter and grandchildren. Gma was very observant and never missed anything, so she had sensed her granddaughter’s mood, despite the grin. “Chichi darling, you must be mulling over something in that imaginative mind of years…Gma is here to share.” “Nothing Gma, not to worry” Chioma promptly replied but at Gma’s insistence, she spilled the beans.

“Gma, I took one of mummy’s tampons to school today so that Dedun (my friend) can show me how it is used. You know, mummy uses it, but I get to use only the sanitary pads/towels, so I mentioned it to Dedun who uses tampons, and she agreed to show me how they are used. While discussing its use in the washroom, the “Amebo” (gossip) of the class -Pero, came into the washroom. As expected, she reported us to our class teacher – Mrs. Anyanwu, who invited us to the staff room and after a stern lecture on the ills of the tampon, she requested that we write the sentence “Tampons are bad for girls, and I will never use them” a 100 times.”

Gma in a soothing voice, prompted Chioma to finish her meal, then asked “Does your mum know you took her tampon?” Chioma responded  “No Gma. I was simply curious because anytime I asked if I could use it, she would say…”Not yet.” Gma interrupted Chioma and asked “so do you realise it was wrong to take your mum’s possession without her consent…what does that amount to? That was wrong of you.” Chioma admitted that her action was wrong but was curious to know whether Mrs. Anyanwu was correct in her assessment of tampons.

Mrs. Anyaku has given the following reasons why tampons should not be used:

1. It destroys a lady’s virginity by breaking the hymen.
2. It can get lost within the body.
3. You cannot sleep with it in you as it becomes toxic.
4. It is not meant for minors. You must be an adult before you can use it.
5. It is the main cause of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) which can lead to death.
6. It increases the risk of endometriosis – a gynecological disorder.
7. It will be inconvenient as in order to urinate, it must be removed and reinserted.

Gma laughed and responded “What your teacher enumerated are common myths regarding tampons, but they are false. The tampon does not interfere with the urinary tract as it is inserted into the vagina. Similarly, the tampon cannot travel beyond the vagina although in exceedingly rare circumstances, it may require the assistance of medical personnel where the tampon is very deep in the vaginal tract. That said and done, what is a tampon? Tampons, like sanitary pads/towels, are disposable feminine hygiene products used during menstruation. Its use is a little more complex than the straightforward pad, which is placed on the underwear as it must be properly inserted into the vagina sometimes with the help of an applicator. Because it is inserted, it is not visible through clothing and can safely be used by sportswomen and swimmers. For reasons of hygiene, they must be changed within intervals of four to eight hours. Now that you know more about the tampon, I think you should wait till you are older, to use  a tampon as its use is more complicated. What better teacher than your mum…she will teach you when she figures the time is right.”

Chioma brightened up and asked Gma for a second helping of her favourite spaghetti dish.

Love

Havilah