42-year-old actress Jessica Biel is about to release a new book, A Kids Book About Periods, and to promote the read, she hopped on her Instagram to answer some questions from her fans.
One user asked her, “How do you talk to your sons about periods?” — for those who don’t know, Biel shares sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 3, with her husband, Justin Timberlake.
To properly answer this question, Biel posted a video, sharing her thoughts on the potentially tough conversation…
Well, I don’t have all the answers, but my way is I just tell them the truth about what’s going on with me, and how I’m feeling. I try to do it in a way that is giving them truthful, in a real, biological, anatomically correct information. You know? But also something that isn’t going to feel too overwhelming for them. I’m not hiding it from them, and I’m telling them the real words, and you know, giving them the real definitions of these terms and phrases.
Basically, she’s not hiding the truth from them, but she’s also not dumping it all on them at once before they’re even able to understand it fully.
Another user asked her why she decided to write a book about periods, and she responded by explaining how she didn’t fully understand her cycle for the longest time.
I didn’t know all the things going on with my cycle, and I thought that was really crazy because I should know these things. I’ve always felt strongly that we need to normalize the discussion around periods and as a parent, writing this book felt like an organic way to engage kids in the conversation from early on.
The book hits shelves on May 7!
