Connecting and supporting women

By Dr Maria Boulton

My clinic Family Doctors Plus recently presented an education session at a local Primary School. It was a session on "Puberty for Girls", and it was attended by grade 5 girls, their parents, the school principal and some of the teachers. The presentation was made by my business partner Dr Fiona Raciti, myself and Heather Menzies (Psychequip Principal Psychologist).

We have done this presentation dozens of times now; however we are always making improvements to it. For this session, Heather came up with this brilliant idea of highlighting connections amongst women.

She basically asked the mothers/carers/aunts/grandmothers to share what puberty was like for them. As each of them shared their thoughts with the group, they were handed a string. This string went from person to person, and in the end, it was like a giant cobweb spread over the audience. Heather used this exercise to highlight how all women are connected by their experiences.

Then one of the mothers further highlighted the importance of girls being kind to each other as they all go through the massive life-changing event of puberty. Then another mother shared her hope that all the girls would be supportive of each other instead of reverting to shaming or bullying.

The session left us all with a feeling of connectedness and hope. What a great way to start a girl's entry into adulthood-by highlighting the sense of community and the importance of supporting one another. As a mother of both a girl and a boy, this message resonated stronger in my heart.

Dr Maria Renee Boulton, GP, wife and mother of 2, has enjoyed working in general practice for 12 years. 

Dr Maria has always enjoyed working with mothers, babies and children, all the more so since starting her own family. Dr Maria works in general practice at Family Doctors Plus in Windsor, Brisbane, Australia.

She has recently published her first book “Mum’s Guide to Pregnancy”- a must have for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. You can contact Dr Maria at maria@drmairaboulton.com.au or visit her websites drmariaboulton.com.au or familydoctorsplus.com.au. You can follow her on Facebook on facebook.com/DrMariaBoulton.