Mum throws a 'first period party' for her daughter - complete with guests and cake

Cast your mind back to the moment you got your first period. It's likely you'll remember an array of feelings - excitement, embarrassment, confusion -depending on how old you were, how prepared you were and the reaction and support you received afterwards.

Well, one tween's mother went above and beyond to ensure her daughter's first period was a cause for celebration - throwing her 12-year-old a "period party" to mark her entry into womanhood.

Shelly Lee, of Florida, arranged a special cake for her daughter Brooke (with red icing of course) as well as boxes of pads and tampons.

Brooke's cousin, Autumn, shared photos of the event on Twitter, along with the caption: "Brooke started her period today & my family is super extra."

And far from being mortified, Brooke looks pretty ... chuffed. 

Autumn's tweet has now been shared over 7,000 times - and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many commenter's praised the family for ensuring Brooke received the information and support she needed - something many young women simply don't experience.

So are "period parties," a thing now?

Last year, a mum posted to the Essential Kids forum that her daughter had been invited to a First Period party. "The invite says she should bring a note or card, offering blessings, encouragement and words of wisdom," she wrote, before asking the community for their advice.

"Painkillers and chocolate are your best friend," one woman responded.

Amen to that.

While many forum users thought the idea was a tad "mortifying" others felt it was a wonderful way to remove feeings of embarrassment or shame.

"I think actually it's probably a really good idea, kind of taking the embarrassment away and just making it a normal part of becoming an adult," one mum wrote. "I also would have died before discussing anything like that with my friends at that age so if it makes awkward conversations more open and comfortable then count me in."

It's not just parents, however, who think the idea of throwing a "party" is a good way to open discussions around puberty.

In their book: The New Puberty: How to Navigate Early Development in Today's Girls, pediatric endocrinologist Dr Louise Greenspan and psychologist Dr Julianna Deardoff, suggest holding a "puberty party" to tackle awkward questions as a group, with other mums and daughters. "Share the information and the giggles", they write, before noting that you might want to call it "something else" to avoid embarrassing the girls