Cosmo what, girl? More like young adult!

"Mom, I am vulnerable to sports injury you know. I need to be careful at soccer practice."

"Did you say something?" I look up from my book at my daughter.

"Mom, don't you care that I am vulnerable to injury at soccer?"

I am confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Cosmo girl! mom. The article is "MVP Mishaps! I read the article and I am vulnerable to sports injuries."

Still thinking about my book, "Aren't we all?"

"Mom, you are not taking this seriously. Do you want me to tear my ACL?"

Closing my book, she's got my attention as I am slightly amused, "Go on."

"Well, Cosmo girl! says that when I have my period
I am more at risk to injuring my ACL and tonight I hurt my knee, I think you should read the article."

She hands me the magazine and walks away. All I can think is thanks Cosmo girl! for adding more drama to my life. The article titled "MVP Mishaps!" has a by-line that reads, "Protect your body so you're scoring on the field, not sitting on the sideline!" As I read further I can see why my eleven year old is alarmed, not that she does cheerleading, volleyball or gymnastics. It reads, "Watch out for: fractures. Explosive moves, like hitting a vault or spiking a volleyball can break small bones. To heal, you'd have to stop playing and wear a cast or a splint for six weeks." No wonder why she is suddenly hypersensitive to playing sports. If I were eleven, I'd be nervous too! But then the article continues with a segment on prevention. "Strengthen forearm muscles with wrist curls or extensions using one to three pound dumbbells."

Suddenly I see the light bulb, the other day she was talking about needing to do some exercises to protect herself from getting hurt and now that she has her period, according to the article, she is at risk for the ACL injury. No wonder why she didn't want to go to soccer tonight. What else is in this magazine?

As I read further I find most of it harmless, fashion advertisements mostly. Although, I did come across a few medical stories about late teens almost dying from bacterial meningitis and another story on a late teen almost dying from a fractured neck in a cheerleading accident. Another answer to why my daughter is worried about injury and her health, but overall the magazine seemed "PG." And just as I was coming to this conclusion, another article caught my eye which made me reassess my initial evaluation.

How had I missed "is real ideal?" on whether or not to have Breast Implants? And with further reading I found "The Gender Spectrum" on people coming to terms with their true gender identities. New conclusion. Cosmo girl! is definitely out! There are definitely some topics I would like to discuss with my daughter before she reads about them in a magazine. I have a feeling we will be discussing this issue (no pun intended) in the days to come.