Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f0GEHY921786; Tue, 16 Jan 2001 09:17:34 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 09:17:34 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sa6410af.040@langate.gsu.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1151] Menstrual Monday X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 5.5.3.1 Status: O Content-Length: 2131 Lines: 19 I came across this in the December 2000 Ms magazine: "...when a Navajo girl gets her period she's celebrated with a four day ritual called Kinaalda, during which the honoree runs with other children shouting behind her in order to draw attention to new womanhood. The blurb goes on to say: "Celebrate Menstrual Monday this year! It's the Monday before Mother's Day, "because menstruation comes before motherhood." I had a few thoughts when I read this: 1. In classrooms, where topics such as these can and are talked about, it might be interesting to do comparative discussions of rites of passages in various cultures for boys and girls. This would be especially interesting in ESL classrooms, although, different cultures may have different taboos concerning such discussions, especially in mixed classrooms. 2. Menstrual Monday evoked many reactions in me-mainly due to the hush hush concerning this topic, even though half of the adult nonelderly population goes through this every month. We have come along way since the time that sanitary napkin boxes were sold in drug stores covered with brown paper, but we still have a long way to go. I also wonder how many of our learners have myths/misconceptions about menstruation that can be discussed in a health literacy class. 3. I was struck by the connection between menstruation and motherhood. Is this the only reason to celebrate menstruation? What about childless women? Should childless women mourn menstruation, instead of celebrating it? Also,are any of boy's coming of age processes connected to fatherhood? For example, do we tell boys: congratulations on having your first wet dream, this means that you can father a child? Maybe if we made more connections for boys about their budding maturity with their potential fatherhood, they would feel more responsible concerning their sexual behavior and potential fatherhood! Any thoughts about any of these ideas? Daphne Daphne Greenberg Center for the Study of Adult Literacy Georgia State University University Plaza Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 Fax: 404-651-1415 Ph: 404-651-0400 E-mail: alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu
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