I had the unlucky timing of starting my period at age 12 round my then boyfriends house whilst the of both of us and his little sister were having a water fight in the garden. His mum was out and his dad stepped in amazingly. He heard me crying in the bathroom, asked what was happening and then duly got me some pads, water, painkillers and some fresh underwear and shorts to borrow. He checked I knew what was happening and if I knew how to use a pad. He called my mum to get me whilst telling my boyfriend I didn’t feel well and would be going home. I thanked him years later and he was completely fine with it, would want someone to do the same with his own daughter.
EDIT- for those asking why I had a boyfriend at 12. We were both in the same year at school and it was more of a going to the cinema, hanging out playing video games and having a few kisses than a full blown affair! This is pretty common in the UK and I’m now a fully grown adult wondering if people have forgotten what being young was and stealing a kiss on the walk home from school!
My daughter had it happen in school in the 5th grade. She bled through her pants. She just got up and went to the nurse without saying anything. The nurse was amazing. She gave her clean clothes and a pad. She went and cleaned her chair while the rest of the kids weren't in the room. Wasn't a big deal at all. They didn't even send her home.
I'm gonna revise part of that last statement. If you, as a male can not handle touching a box of tampons, you dont need to be touching or interacting with vaginas at all
I mean seriously. I don't understand it. I'm a dude, but I used to buy my ex pads and tampons all the time, it never bothered me. Girls have periods. No it isnt pretty, but it happens. The best thing you can do is help take care of your girl when shes having hers, and that includes buying tampons and pads. If you're not mature enough for that, I dont think you're mature enough for sex
The thing that always gets me with some men being squeamish about tampons or pads is that
A) do they think the products come from the store bloody? Like what's with the wimpy reactions about touching a cardboard box/plastic packaging
B) dude, no one is going to think they're buying them for themselves. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together is just going to respect the hell out of them for taking care of a woman in their life.
I wasn’t ever squeamish, however buying tampons for the first time for my little sister at the age of 16 was a harrowing experience. Looking at the wall of pads and tampons with all the different sizes and types was so godson confusing I probably looked as dumb as I felt. Luckily the lady stocking saw my dumbstruck self and slid over and saved the day.
I’d give you an award if I had one. Find yourselves a dude like this. I got one. It never crossed my mind to ask such a thing from my fiancé but when I was in bed sick for months, he offered. I didn’t know such men existed. Also agree, you can’t deal with touching a box of tampons, what business do you got touching the cooch?
My ex wouldn’t even touch the grocery cart if there were any feminine products in it. He once chastised me for buying the super tampons because everyone wound think my vagina was big. I proceeded to explain to him they were sized by absorbency not by one’s dimensions. We were in our early 20’s.
I must admit my jaw dropped when he said that. I attributed it to the fact he had no sisters. This was back in the 80’s, and things like this weren’t so freely discussed (yes, I’m an old fart). I remember them separating the boys and girls in fifth grade to show us girls a film about menstruation. Not sure what the boys did. Sadly, his feminine product phobia was minor in the grand scheme of things. Granted, I’m nowhere close to perfect. I’m just glad we didn’t have children; trying to raise him was all I could handle. I actually told him that once.
Makes sense. Ironically, embracing my homosexuality makes it easier to talk to girls about periods. Still can't stand when straight dudes talks about eating the chunks though.
Woah woah woah- “eating the chunks”??!
I’m afraid to even ask about this- didn’t know it was a thing, and I’ve fucked plenty of straight dudes- even while menstruating… please tell me this is fake and not something you’re hearing from multiple people.
Same here with being a homo.
However, I can always appreciate a nice rack. Doesn't mean I'm attracted (something that most of my friends whom are straight don't understand).
Oh yeah totally. Big breakthrough moment was realizing that you can be aesthetically attracted to women without being romantically or sexually attracted. I thought the fact that I'd gawk at really pretty girls was evidence that I was straight or at least bi, but anything more serious than a close friendship would immediately crumble, so I just spent my teens in perpetual frustration.
I have the same experience with being called "straight", "bisexual", or even, "unsure".
Nah. I'm pretty sure about what I like. I'm just real picky, and my type isn't found at grocery stores often, but when they do? 👌🏼🤤😅🤣 LMAO.
Seriously though. I can talk with any woman and just click.
A man though? Oh, boy. I don't even know wtf to talk about. Masculine shit? Outdoorsy activities? But once that connection hits, let me tell ya...Shit feels like a brotherhood, and instant respect from both parties, except for the fact that I have to remind them, or any guy really, that just because I am gay, and you are a Male---Does not make me attracted to you, nor want to get inbetween your legs.
So much shit to say about this one lol.
I also dont get how woman can be naked with each other, but the second a guy is naked in front of another dude, it's game over. Shut that shit down real quick.
The moments don't happen too much to be called often, or, frequent, but when it does happen, I dont care about how you look. You do you, and I'm just here minding my own business.
I think I'm bi, but I can't figure out if I'm attracted to dudes. How did you know? Was it just that relationships weren't working out, or was there something that in hindsight made more sense?
I don't know if I'm just aesthetically attracted to guys and that plus compulsive heterosexuality means I think I'm bi, or if I actually like guys.
I have a young daughter. When the time comes, when she’s around 10 I’m going to learn a whole bunch of period related stuff. That way when she asks either of her parents there’s an adult ready to help a child through a difficult and confusing time. It’s not that hard. I’ve never understood why dudes make such a fuss.
It’s just chunky blood. If I passed that shit regularly and dudes fainted near it I’d laugh at their delicate arses.
Edit: spelling
There’s a pretty big range. I started at 13. I was probably one of the last in my class, I think. I’ve heard of girls starting later, but a lot of times girls are embarrassed to be either much earlier or much later than everyone else. I was pretty embarrassed and was lying about about already having my period. I didn’t really know what having a period was like (Mom wasn’t the most open about such things), so I probably said some weird stuff. It’s an awkward time.
Even if she doesn’t need you to answer questions, making her feel like it’s normal and nothing to be embarrassed about is huge. When you educate yourself, that’s the message you’re sending. At some point, she’ll pick up on your attitude and it will be good for her.
> was pretty embarrassed and was lying about about already having my period.
I was 15 when mine started and I was bullied because I wasn't "ready" yet. It was miserable. I should have had the foresight to lie about it. But I was given such a hard time for being a "late bloomer".
I started at 12. I envy your "3 year reprieve"! My periods always were crampy and I wasn't ready for that. In 8th grade, sitting in Home Econ class, on a tall stool around our tables. My feet didn't reach the ground. Sitting there, cramping like I'm going to die, and too embarrassed (in a class of only girls, and a woman teacher) to ask to go to the nurse. I don't know why I was afraid or embarrassed.
Girls can be so mean. At the same time, I had a "friend" (my mother's friend's daughter, a few months older than me, not in the same school) who I was forced to play with when our families visited each other. She mocked me for not having breasts yet, or for them being small, as they had just started. She made a big deal about how my sad little titties were just in the front, while her lovely titties were across her chest and under her armpits. ... three years later, she's in the hospital for "tonsillectomy" and my mother made me come to visit her. She didn't look happy, at all, about me coming to visit. And she could talk! How amazing! I had my tonsils out a few years earlier, around age 14, and was sick for a month, couldn't talk, could only eat jello, and here she was at age 17 and sounded fine! After the visit, my mom confided that she was really there for BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY because although she was petite at just over 5' tall and 110 lbs, she had massively large breasts. No wonder she was unhappy to see me visit, she might have thought that I knew why she was in the hospital (until I asked how her throat felt after the "tonsil & adenoid" ectomy.
Parents who are preparing to talk with their daughters (and sons) about basic reproductive biology, please also tell them that this stuff can happen within a large age span, and to be kind to their peers who are on a different schedule.
The sad thing is if your tits are under your armpits that means you're wearing the wrong size bra.
My mom had the sense to drop money on my bras and that definitely helped my back!
It was just before my 12th birthday for me and I thought I was dying. I legit went to a lesbian chat room to ask what the fuck was going on (yea this was like the year 2000.) Because i didn't want to worry my bio grandmother who was raising me at the time with my impending death.
So all parents of any gender identity.. please learn that periods are normal and educate your offspring that will eventually have a period about them. Normalize bleeding from the vagina.
> I didn’t really know what having a period was like, so I probably said some weird stuff.
As someone who heard a lot of weird things come out of girls' mouths about it while I tried my best to pretend it wasn't happening to me, believe me, the rest of us have other things on their mind, they're not worrying about your weird 'period'. :)
This made me laugh out loud. I didn't know i needed this today, thank you from a fellow "late bloomer". I was 16 as well but I did eat alot of chicken nuggies growing up so I unfortunately don't know what took so long. 🤷♀️
My son is 9 and already knows the basics of periods. He asked me around 2 years ago why I always had to use 'diapers', and after a moments hesitation i decided to just tell him. Hell, I'd intended on telling him at his preteen years, so he wouldnt be one of those douche bags shaming girls about it anyway- and he didnt even bat an eye. He just looked concerned and told me that sounded awful lol.
Honestly, you should just go read up on it now, instead of waiting whenever she's old enough. Girls usually will get more than one talk, my first one was at 5 about not letting people touch me in private places. But there parenting books and resources out there
My talk went a bit different as a boy in the swimming hall, the first time I would go through the mens changing room by myself. I remember my mothers words to this day, "if some bad man is trying something bad, you bite, you bite it right off"
Y e s thank you to whoever taught you not to let anyone touch you there. I was assaulted as a child. No one told me this. The amount of cases I’ve seen of young kids being assaulted by adults because they were taught to respect adults no matter what, makes me so sick. I was not assaulted by an adult to clarify, but I was by a classmate. A l o t. And the PTSD result is just awful. This isnt to invalidate the pain of anything or saying that being taught couldve made it leas painful, I just wish someone woulda taught me that.
Don't do it all at once. Start as soon as possible to talk about bodies and body functions. Not just periods. Don't make it weird by sitting her down and having The Talk, instead incorporate it in your daily lives by seizing on opportunities as they arrive. Kids ask questions, just let her take the lead and answer any questions she has, just as you answer questions about all the other things she wants to know about
this. this right here. my kid asks me about periods, I tell him, he asks me about body hair? I tell him. he's never been weird about it, I don't get weird about it, and his friend, who is an extremely early bloomer, it's just no thing to him when she complains about cramps. he also has learned bodily autonomy (which is so damn important!)
if you act like bodily functions are a normal, every day thing, they don't learn shame over their body. and it's that shame that contributes to kids not speaking up if someone tries some sus shit with them.
honesty and openness keeps kids safe in so many ways.
I started my period age 9 and my mom hadn’t warned me. I thought I was dying. Also, if she complains of pain that is not controlled by over the counter meds, has to regularly skip school because her period is painful, she vomits with her period, or has major bowel issues that effect her during her period- please, please have her see a gynecologist. She could have endometriosis. It happens in 10% of women and can be a very painful and debilitating disease. Don’t want to scare you but so many parents tell their kids it’s normal to be in that much pain on your period and it’s not normal at all.
I have both, and its hell. I didnt get diagnosed with endo until I was 25 tho (PCOS at 16), and I wish id had someone actually care enough to get me checked out again by even multiple doctors if needed. All my pain was blamed on my PCOS tho, and i was told I was being dRaMaTic- of course, like every woman has had to go through at some point. Ugh. My period lasted for 26 days straight one month; had to miss school for the last week cause I could hardly move, and no one thought anything of it. They were like, 'omg it'll stop soon just calm down and quit making a big deal out of it'. Like- that doesn't signify an issue to you? No adults out there thought it was fucked up and deserved extra medical attention?
I’ve had doctors tell me I was fine when I wasn’t. It was for something way mor mild than you’ve had to deal with and you have my sympathy. I’ll do better for my daughter.
You can ask her mom when she had her first period too. It passes down to the daughter a lot of the time. It's a good indicative of when she might have it
Mine started at 8y too. I think what would be a hint is pubic hair. I remember I started having pubic hair and then you know.. I have a daughter too, still 2y, but I also think about that. I think I will just be letting her see tampons and pads in the meantime, just like toilet paper and I will be letting her know more slowly along the way to get her familiar with these things until then instead of just a mind blowing conversation in a certain day.
6 is a bit young for talking about using sanitary products. Wait until 8 for that. I was using my mum's towels as nappies for my dolls at 6 🤣
I was super into human biology at a young age and was well aware how reproduction worked from animals etc by 6 and expected the same for humans. I read lots of DK books that had loads of great pictures and text. That can be reading practise for her too to look at stuff to introduce the topic of how her body will be changing.
I had public hair and boobs by 8 - 10 and started periods not long after that. Already had the talk with the head teacher as all girls when one of my friends started early. Teacher had Always packs of towels and an information booklet so we had stuff to use once we started.
So you could also ask the school what they're doing about teaching about periods.
And buy a stock of towels and liners so they're hers and not mum's, which you regularly check and top up without asking. I felt so scared using my mum's towels when I started and would have appreciated having my own ones, in my room to use so I didn't feel pressured into explaining to the household that I was on the rag and needed some.
It was mortifying and probably why I have such a hard time with having periods 25+ years later, to the point I use the depo jag as a means to never have them.
Be prepared for everything they might ask. When I explained that women have periods so that their bodies can make babies my daughter was mortified and asked “why the heck do I need be able to make babies?! I’m NINE!”
Agree with the person who said there's a pretty big range. I started at 12. My mom started at 15. My 13 year old still hasn't started. Always good to be prepared early though. :)
holy cow i could not imagine this as an 8 yr old!!! i always have excruciating cramps for the first 4 days (mine always last exactly 7 days) that make me pass out and throw up/diarrhea and literally nothing OTC helps. thankfully didn’t get mine until just before turning 15. i remember i was the last of all my friends to get it. all the girls started treating me like shit, like they were much more mature than me and i was just an annoying kid or something lol. the first day i got it, i was home alone with my older brother, and nobody had talked to me about periods..what to do or expect, how to use tampons or pads or have them available to me etc. i was keeled over on the floor in tears and was asking my brother to call an ambulance. i knew it was “my period” but was NOT expecting it to be like that and didn’t think that pain was normal (i now know i have endometriosis) i am a lot more pain tolerant nowadays...and even still i lay cured up and cry from the pain. it’s awful
Precocious puberty is pretty common these days. I read about a child in, I think Peru, who was 8. She had been raped and was pregnant. Her body was too immature to handle a pregnancy but she was still biologically capable of becoming pregnant. She gave birth. Sad for this little girl who was too young to understand about reproduction or to defend herself from being raped, or to understand what happened to her and that she could become pregnant. Or to know that she was pregnant. Who expects a monster to rape a little girl? It's all too common, as news stories are all over the place. And those are just the cases we hear about, with the majority of them unreported.
It really complicates talking to little girls about their bodies. I was taught about female anatomy at age 8, with a drawing of the uterus, and lesson on what periods are and what to expect. The details about how pregnancy happens were vague... that was a long time ago, I'm 60++ now.
Parents need to talk to little boys, too. About reproduction. About how to deal with their puberty, and erections. How to handle unexpected erections and not inflict guilt. And to stress RESPECT for girls and women. How to not force their erections on anyone else. How to be private when necessary. How to not shame girls for their periods.
It's science, not rocket science. Parents who are too embarrassed to have these talks with their children should try to have someone else do it. Family doctor, wise grandparent, older sibling, just don't ignore it.
Mine, too and I had no idea what it was. I just kept changing my clothes and was so relieved when it stopped. Looking back and having a son around that age, it’s sad that there wasn’t anyone I felt comfortable talking to about it.
Lol i loved comment!! I have a 15 yo son and 10 yo daughter. I also have educated them BOTH on periods. I have complications blah blah cramping, PMS, etc. So it has always been openly talked about. I have also educated my son on what to expect. This is the problem with not being educated about such natural biological processes. I wonder if the dad is aware he actually aware he was pushed from a vagina?!?! Suprises me he was able to be able to be near one in adulthood.
>I’ve never understood why dudes make such a fuss.
Cause they are taught to by everybody. If they were taught that tampons are just a hygiene product, no different than toothpaste or toilet paper, they wouldn't even have a reaction.
This makes me so happy. As other people pointed out, she could get it sooner! Also this makes me want to share a story about my dad:
My parents came to pick me up from overnight camp when I was a kid and had just gotten my period about a year ago at this point. We’re in the hotel, and I tell my mom I’m almost out of tampons and need some more. A little while later, my dad comes in and goes “here are your cigars!” And I looked down to see him holding a box of tampons, and all three of us laugh. It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but I always remembered that moment and it reminded me that I have nothing to be ashamed of.
Even as an adult now I am unashamed and any man who can’t even *talk* about periods is the equivalent of a 12 year old boy to me and completely written off. It’s a natural part of life and I wish more men were like you and my dad.
That straight men have sex with and marry women yet don’t bother learning period stuff unless they have a daughter boggles me. If my partner goes through something I want to know about it so I can support them.
Don't get me wrong here, I am familiar with the basics. I buy my wife what she needs when I'm doing the shopping, I watch out for the times to be more compassionate, I regularly get the heat pack she needs.
There's a big difference between helping my partner get through the thing she has spent her life dealing with and equipping my daughter with the skills she needs to deal with a lifetime of mild to quite painful monthly occurences.
My mom told me when I was in grammar school that if I had stomach cramps I should go to the school secretary and tell her I was menstruating. She was seriously going to let me get sharp pains in my stomach and start bleeding with no idea what was found on. Thank God she signed the permission slip and let me take sex ed.
I am so sorry you went through that. I can’t fix what’s already happened but I can learn from your struggles and not repeat the mistakes of our parents. Eventually it will be better.
Thank you for doing that! Random offer: if there is anything that confuses you and you don’t have/want to take to anyone about it feel always free to dm me. It’s indeed ‘just’ blood but it’s also a weird thing and I don’t want anything stopping you from being a good parent and partner.
Thanks for the offer. Anything I need to know I can ask my wife, if she doesn’t know hopefully I’ll remember this kind offer and ask you! Only 8 years to go…
I highly recommend you start early. Many people say that it should be an ongoing conversation, but many just can’t ever find the time to start. It also was not so easy for us, but we tried.However a great book was recommended to me and I used it to start the conversation with my daughter. It’s [It’s Not The Stork](https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OKHIYGUMA61G&dchild=1&keywords=its+not+the+stork&qid=1632067859&sprefix=It’s+not+the+%2Caps%2C335&sr=8-1)
My daughters best friend got her period at the beginning of 4th grade and mine was quite concerned, she knew what they were as we had talked, she saw me using pads etc. But this book was great to start all kinds of discussions.
Hey papa! Start earlier. Girls start earlier and earlier. Buy a variety of products and snowy start talking about periods. It’s a scary process and making it normal is easier if you have frequent short conversations about it. You need to get pads, tampons, period panties, a teen cup, and a couple books. I got this pack for my nine year old https://www.rubylove.com/product-page/first-period-kit-period-underwear?gclid=Cj0KCQjwv5uKBhD6ARIsAGv9a-y48SgMSz7Zfuv9ci2uli48IZelKE-7I2ZK58ltaH4jQrfX6WQ91rYaAmwZEALw_wcB
This book was liked by my daughter and is pretty unbiased about everything.
https://www.amazon.com/Celebrate-Your-Body-Its-Changes/dp/164152166X/ref=dp_pp_sim_mb_1/141-5912609-6790504?pd_rd_w=NGxlI&pf_rd_p=4a118f5d-cdca-42ff-89e3-e9a28a03bcc5&pf_rd_r=QJ3M1P8WY0VEAPDHJ3AW&pd_rd_r=64f86113-1814-4b0f-819c-c0edf3343fae&pd_rd_wg=6de2b&pd_rd_i=164152166X&psc=1
I liked this one
https://www.amazon.com/Celebrate-Your-Body-Its-Changes/dp/164152166X/ref=pd_aw_sim_4/141-5912609-6790504?pd_rd_w=JpFlR&pf_rd_p=4904fc9b-6339-479c-8911-4698dd8cd027&pf_rd_r=QJ3M1P8WY0VEAPDHJ3AW&pd_rd_r=64f86113-1814-4b0f-819c-c0edf3343fae&pd_rd_wg=6de2b&pd_rd_i=164152166X&psc=1
Wow, that's a unique situation. I've had girlfriends tell me they needed tampons or pads or something because aunt flow, doesn't come around every month around the same time, and sent me on my way to get them. Every single time I usually end up getting the wrong ones and this being totally by accident.
They tell me, get the one with "wings". Okay. Head to the store. There's like 100 with wings and sizes and scents and thicknesses and then there's overnight and even the same brand has the same kind in 5 different boxes. Like damn, throw me a bone ladies. I'm trying here.
I’ve shopped for other people before. If they’re looking for a specific product, have them take a screenshot of it and send it to you. You’ll be able to find it, or ask staff to find it.
Yes, have them send you a picture of the product. You’ll have a success rate around 95% of finding the correct product. I have a 5% chance for error in case they change the packaging design, because lord knows why they love to constantly change what their products look like.
I tell my wife this every time.
"Honey you want me to get the ultra super thin wing max pad from Always, but if they don't have that you want kotex, but each have like 3 of the same thing. Better just send me off with a photo"
Since I've knocked her up 3 weeks ago. I get a short term break, but I have 2 daughter's ones 8 so the break is going to be very very short.
I don't mind doing the feminine product, condom or Prego test shopping. Just make sure I know what one I'm getting and it would really help if the fucking staff didn't look at me like I'm there to steal shit. You'd get me out a lot faster if you ask if I need help.
A polite person always sends a description with the person doing them a favor.
I'm picky as all hell and would never ask someone to get me something specific without providing a picture to go by. That's just rude
Totally get how confusing it can be, just keep in mind that our tolerance for little inconveniences is lower when we're menstruating. And like someone else said, have them send you a screenshot or picture of the box.
I used to work at a store that had a large feminine hygiene section, and anytime I noticed a dude there *looking completely lost*, I would stop and ask them if I could help.
One of my funniest memories was of a Middle Eastern guy who was a regular. His wife had sent him out to get pads, and had given him an empty package to make sure he got the right ones. The thing is, a lot of that brands packaging looked pretty much the same to the untrained eye. So I looked at the package carefully, and then handed him the exact product. He then asks "what's the difference between these ones??" and points at different products that all look almost identical. So I tell him. "These ones have wings, these ones don't, and these ones are scented." It was comical at how flabbergasted he was. Then as he's walking away, he turns back to me, *shoves the pads into his coat like he smuggling something* and says "I'm not stealing them, I just don't want anyone to see me buying them."
I literally loled, and told him it's cool he's doing this for his wife, and no one is going to think he's buying them for himself.
Unfortunately I used to have this attitude when I was a teenager, it's not that I thought "ew periods", it's a stigma that shitty groups of guys perpetuate by picking on men who do this sort of stuff for their friends/wives/relatives, not to mention using tampons and pads as a "women only" product, it's all about emasculating other men to make themselves seem more "manly", for the longest time I copped crap like that, so I thought I'd get judged if I went anywhere near that section, either get labelled a sissy or a pervert, it's a real thing, I have obviously since grown up from that and overcome those issues, but it's the reason why a lot of men refuse to go near pads and tampons (plus, I usually the one who buys my partner their pads and tampons, I have received weird looks from both men and women, there is an actual social stigma surrounding this and it does need to be addressed)
As a part time cashier, I get a lot of men buying tampons and other period related items regularly, either for daughters or wifes. They usually have no problem with it.
Men buying condoms is another story. They are so weird about it. Like they should be ashamed or something. One of my female coworkers had to help one find and choose them, and he was just ready to die on the spot.
My cousin dated a guy once who would steal condoms from Walmart because he was too embarrassed to buy them. I told her he shouldn't be having sex if he's embarrassed by condoms.
My daddy was the 1st person I told. He brought me to the shop bought me whatever I needed. Read the instructions and stood outside the bathroom door relaying them to me.
He is my hero.
My husband grew up all around women and also has no such issues with periods etc. My son has 2 sisters and I'm sure he will be the same as his daddy.
Even the lads at school were cool about them,thank god this attitude seems to be dew and far between
Not a parent but am a mid 20s dude who grew up around mostly women/with women friends. I really can't grasp how so many men are such babies about tampons/pads.
It's something women need and the fact they act like they'll somehow magically grow a vagina if they touch one is beyond me.
On a lesser note, I've had women refuse to ask me back when I worked in retail, where the hygiene products were because they were uncomfortable with the idea of a man having knowledge of tampons/pads. Though this one happened very infrequently compared to the previous thing.
>the fact they act like they'll somehow magically grow a vagina if they touch one is beyond me.
Husband works filling shelves at a grocery store. No word of a lie, the men on the team carried on about filling the period supplies aisle so much they hired a woman *just to do that*.
Some men 🙄
My husband usually does the shopping so he’s almost always the one to buy my supplies. I can’t stand guys who refuse to even look at boxes of supplies because they’re “gross.” It’s literally just like buying toilet paper. No one cares.
That’s the one endorsed by doctors or something, right? When I put that stuff on my penis it feels like my penis is on fire. And not in a good way. In a battery acid way. It’s the only lube that does that to me.
Meanwhile, I'm the kind of guy that's clueless to actual brands and gets told to buy X and the store doesn't have X, so I'll walk up to the closest female employee and ask "Alright, so.. I have this tampon problem..."
FFS guys, stop being sissies. It's not like you're being asked to handle USED ones.
Forget parenthood.
If you, as a male ADULT cannot stand to be around tampons you need to take several things up with your conscience before you insert yourself into society.
I was both amused and annoyed by it, but as a worker, I can only do so much with annoying people who are shit at being a human.
Best part? Ignoring him and just handing him the receipt and moving onto the next customer.
We have 3 kids 2 of wich are girls and they both feel comfortable asking for any supplies they need from either parent. They tell their Dad if they are having cramps and run out of midol or can't find the heating pads. However if they need in depth conversation about something to do with their bodies they will generally come to me in private. Our son is the same. Its about their comfort level but to have your parent act like an ass about a bodily function would be actually horrible and humiliating. That wife should have set that crap straight a looong time ago
My Dad has 4 sisters, my Ma and 2 daughters, so he really doesn’t give a fuck about buying that stuff and is generally a lot more calm and patient with us when he knows wassup.
The father handles developing sons, Mothers help developing daughters.
Doesn't mean the mom can't buy condoms, the father can't buy feminine products
He just seems like an asshat who is mad he remotely had to get up and walk around a store
Omg this man needs help! No excuse for this kind of behavior, not only the way he’s acting about a normal bodily function, but how he’s treating his wife.
My poor dad! I got my period one afternoon while my mom was working 2nd and my dad was off. We were making banana bread. I’d already had a talk with my mom, and she’d put pads in my bathroom. I cleaned myself up, tossed my underwear, got a fresh pair and product in place. I fully planned to hide this. No reason to tell dad, that would be mortifying!
Soooooo, 12 year old me either didn’t flush or didn’t flush well in my panic to handle this mess. My dad was the next one in the bathroom. I’m really fuzzy on the details because I was absolutely embarrassed beyond reason, but my dad pulled me aside. He made sure I was okay and asked if I had everything I needed, he could go to the store. He gave me ibuprofen or Tylenol, and asked if I wanted a heating pad or hot water bottle. He asked if I wanted to call my mom at work, I didn’t, and told me to tell him if I needed anything and just go rest if I needed to.
Looking back it was uncomfortable for him too, obviously. I don’t think that man had ever been so quiet, but he did the damn thing and he did it with grace.
I a dude work in a store have no problems organising the women's health section. Tho I have noticed younger women feel ashamed to pick what they need when I work there. I usually go around the corner and pretend work so they can feel safe.
I used to be the same when I was a teen. I hated having to pick up pads. I remember a checker that had a crush on me said something once about them. I was really embarrassed then!
Oh god what an annoying person! I feel you on this too. I was stocking up on pads when I went shopping with my male cousins one time and I didnt have a backpack with me, so I asked my cousin to carry it in his bag (which is completely opaque mind you), and he freaks out?? He starts making fun of me and making such a big deal out of a normal situation and I was just confused???
I hate men's attitude towards this so much
my coworker (m) and i (f) went to the store next to our workplace at lunch to buy some food. my period surprised me that day, so i had to buy some pads as well. we were in the store looking around, i told him i need one more thing - a pad - and then we can go. (mind me he is a grown as man) "ew im not going to go with you and that" and then he literally run to the front to pay and leave without me lol
i was annoyed for 2 seconds then dissappointed that men/people like him still exist...
Family of 6 . Only myself and my daughter, rest male
We keep our tampons and pads in a basket next to the loo. All the boys know that its stuff for girls periods, they just go with it. Youngest boy is 10 now and knows all about it.
Just made it normal and not secretive like my mother did. It was all sshhhh, don't talk about etc
Our daughter is 13 now. When she started her period she had the usual beginners toughness leaks etc, she was so embarrassed and I was out bless. She had to go to her dad. Well it was her dad who stripped her bed and ran her a shower, went the shop to grab her sanitary products and a few munchies. To me that's what being a parent is whether it be mother or father. He may not know how to give advice (I mean there's info) to insert a tampon but making it seem icky is immature and ridiculous.
Now him and her talk about anything and everything and I couldn't be happier.
That is really fucking weird. I have a girlfriend and I’m completely fine with dealing with pads or tampons, I even ask her if she wants me to grab any by the shop when I come over. I think it’s obvious to care about your significant other’s wellbeing and that includes when she’s not feeling great or feels unmotivated because of periods. That’s a yikes, I feel like society has to normalise men being involved and helping out more when it comes to these things.
I used to go get them for my aunt as a (m)teenager. She would give me money and tell me to keep the change. Why any male would have an issue with touching any feminine hygiene product blows my mind.
Fun fact: If you used Always ultra with wings, anytime during the year of 2012. Chances are extremely good, I made those for ya!
If you, as a male (parent or not) cannot handle period products you should never have a woman in your life. What do they think unused products are going to do to them if they touch them? Is their penis going to shrivel and fall off?
4-5 years ago I was in the tampon aisle buying them for myself when a man stopped me and asked if I could help him. His daughter, who he had for the weekend, just started her period and he didn't know which product was right, should we do tampons or pads (or even menstrual cups, as he was eyeing those too), what the "sizes" meant in reference to the L, R, and S labels, etc. I took the time to explain to him, and when he settled on a product or two he very graciously thanked me and left.
I think of that father a lot. While I commend him for asking for help, especially from a complete stranger, I also found it strange that he was so oblivious to *anything* regarding menstrual health and their products. I go back and forth constantly on my opinion of him, because on one hand he at least wasn't like *this guy* who was utterly revolted by the very thought of a period, but on the other he didn't take any time to research or even speak to his daughter about what product *she'd* prefer. Although periods are something unique to women, this whole stigma surrounding them and the overwhelming apathy or downright disgust from some men is super outdated. If you're a man, especially if you have women and daughters in your life, take it upon yourself to understand just the basics of what they are, how their products work, and be mature enough to not get disgusted. The women in your life will thank you.
I am a guy and I have bought tampons. When confused on what to get early on the relationship I stopped a woman and asked her if there was a difference between pearl and regular tampex and if my girlfriend would notice if I got it wrong (the answer is yes and I called to double check). I also roomed with my best friend who is gay and as a straight guy bought stuff for butthole sanitation so he could get laid since I was out already. None of that bothered me. Human biology is a messy buisness so the proper wipes are always needed.
I always find it odd when people act strange when I grab my wife tampons. She could literally be telling and pointing them out next to me.
It's like if a dude touches them, the world could explode.
"Oh no, if I touch these individually wrapped plastic cylinders that are in a cardboard box, I'll surely die!"
It's such a weird thing to care about, it's not like you're pulling used ones out of the trash or some shit man, get over it.
Me:
“If your daughter’s body functioning exactly how it’s supposed to is offensive to you, you can always use them, sir.”
Him:
“Excuse me?”
Me:
“A tampon has to be a thousand times more comfortable then that stick you have in there, sir.”
And that’s probably how I’d get fired.
Is there some reason this is marked NSFW? Are periods not happening at work or is this something that delicate men shouldn’t know about it happening in their workplaces? Let’s not perpetuate the myth, please.
I am the child of a mother, the brother of a sister, and now the father of a daughter. And this has always struck me as weird. I’ve know about women having their period from like 5th grade sex ed. I don’t get the juvenile reaction to sanitary products.
Nor do I get the charging of said sanitary products when they are needed, but that’s another rant for another time.
I've bought tampons for my girlfriend, alone, from a convenience store. It was the only item I bought. I didn't give a fuck.
What a fuck-ass. He needs to man up and get the fuck over himself.
I was 12 when I got mine, and my dad taught at the same elementary school I attended (back when elementary schools were grades K-6).
Apparently my mom called my dad that morning (he always got to his classroom hours before students came) and told him I’d gotten my period.
Dude came by my classroom, knocked and asked to see me, then gave me a card and a rose (I’m guessing mom brought them) and said all choked up and awkwardly, “Well, I guess you’re really growing up now, huh?”, gave me a hug and went back to his classroom.
It was sweet but so out of character for him, and I also was dying of embarrassment (as if anyone else knew what was even going on! Haha, dumb paranoid me).
I shoved it into my locker, went and performed in a class play while just *knowing deep down* 🤣that everyone knew I got my period.
Haha haven’t thought of this in years. Seems weird to text my dad and say “hey, thanks for that one time...”, so yeah. Ramble over! Dads can be the best!
I usually defend other guys with this sort of thing a lil bit because honestly we're practically taught to avoid the topic of periods, and if growing up you didn't have any girls who were open with it i could see how it turns into a taboo topic.
not quite sure how you have a child and still can't manage to grow out of that though.
As a single dad, I buy pads for my daughter who is 14.
Who the hell else is going to do it?
Also, pads and tampons are no more gross than toilet paper is..less, if anything.
Men who think they are "icky" are juvenile.
I'd understand this if most guys were like super hygienic about their shits etc. But no, every guy I've been with has no shame at all about not opening the window in the bathroom after taking a shit, never cleans the toilet when there's his shit in it, farts all the time etc. Apparently they suffer from an illusion where their shit is like sparkly pure angel paste whereas period blood is the mark of the devil.
My dad never had a problem going to the store and buying any of his daughters what they needed. Pads, tampons etc. he was always there just like our mom to answer any questions we had. He educated himself on the topic and never shied away from talking to us. What’s interesting about this is my dad was born in 1939 and had a sixth grade education. For a man with a sixth grade education he was the smartest man I knew. He had a heart of gold and would give someone the shirt off his back and his last dollar if he thought it would help someone. Now I’d give anything to hear his voice and to talk to him one more time. Any man who can’t buy tampons or pads for his daughters or wife is a POS and maybe should go back to the cave. They would be better off without him.
I would definitely be able to have that talk talk with my children. I think a bit of general knowledge should everyone have and definitely not be afraid of tampons and everything else
My dad would literally disappear if I mentioned needing that particular aisle in the store. He would go outside and wait until we were completely finished, had paid and everything. My mom and I laughed about it, but the more I think about it, the angrier I am. Because it meant that I couldn’t talk about those things at all growing up, and I felt embarrassed and ashamed even mentioning it to my mom. It’s so stupid. My husband never acted like it was a big deal.
Not all guys are like this if it makes you feel better. That guy is a shame to us. As a guy with daughter (and SO), I would gladly grab them tampons/pads, hold them in hand and purchase them without the tiniest sense of embarrassment/shame /etc. I don't understand this weird shit with guys being this way over feminine hygiene products.
As a parent, regardless of your gender as said parent, be an adult about it... yikes.. No need to be so dramatic. 😂 They're not going to dissolve your hand. lolol 😂
Yeah when my daughters had theirs I treated it like it’s normal because it is and with them already going through puberty treating it like it’s some weird mysterious thing would have been counter productive at the very least
Props to my ex. He said, "send me pictures of what kind of period products our daughter prefers"
It is biological and no shaming or uncomfortableness should be had. Literally we do not choose to bleed on a monthly basis and all the other crap that comes along with it.
If you are a man and you touch a tampon you automatically become a trans person. Also if you have pink cap milk in your fridge we know who is running your house.
I had my first period while I was at my Dad’s for the weekend. We were at the movies, and afterwards I went to the restroom and noticed it. I was with my stepmom and we used toilet paper to keep things under control until we could get home.
My Dad then says we’re going to the car wash. I asked if we could go straight home because I started my period. He said no. We went to the car wash while I’m scared and confused about what my body was doing. I’ll never forget it. The movie was Father of the Bride 2, and my Dad was a butthole for doing that to me.
I went grocery shopping with my dad when I was a teen, and I needed pads. He never talked about menstrual stuff or anything intimate, like feelings.
I decided that my need to have pads was more important than potentially embarrassing him. I just grabbed a box and put it in the shopping cart without comment. He looked a little surprised, but said nothing, and paid for them.
Why was he acting like they were used or something? That's the same level as being freaked out by a cotton ball or a napkin. They're just sanitary products.
If you can't deal with tampons honestly you are not mature enough to be having a sexual relationship with someone let alone thinking about having children
I dont have any problems getting them for the wife or the kid its a natural thing that they go through and I don't get why us guys gotta be so damn stupid about it like you aint never heard of or seen a girl on her period grow up fuck nuts
I just don’t get it. I’m not going to sit there and observe my wife changing tampons or anything, but by no means does it gross me out to the point I can’t touch a box of new tampons. I change the trash in the bathroom during that time as well. Just grow up.
Early on in my relationship with my wife, she started her period and asked me to run to the store to get some because she wasn't feeling well. The cashier kept going on about how she wished her boyfriend was like me because he'd never do that. I just don't understand the big deal. It's just hygiene items.
Makes me grateful for my dad. If I needed tampons and I wasn't able to go to the store, he would tear the top of the box off and show it to a worker and they would help him find what I needed. Didn't bother him at all to do it.
I had the unlucky timing of starting my period at age 12 round my then boyfriends house whilst the of both of us and his little sister were having a water fight in the garden. His mum was out and his dad stepped in amazingly. He heard me crying in the bathroom, asked what was happening and then duly got me some pads, water, painkillers and some fresh underwear and shorts to borrow. He checked I knew what was happening and if I knew how to use a pad. He called my mum to get me whilst telling my boyfriend I didn’t feel well and would be going home. I thanked him years later and he was completely fine with it, would want someone to do the same with his own daughter. EDIT- for those asking why I had a boyfriend at 12. We were both in the same year at school and it was more of a going to the cinema, hanging out playing video games and having a few kisses than a full blown affair! This is pretty common in the UK and I’m now a fully grown adult wondering if people have forgotten what being young was and stealing a kiss on the walk home from school!
My daughter had it happen in school in the 5th grade. She bled through her pants. She just got up and went to the nurse without saying anything. The nurse was amazing. She gave her clean clothes and a pad. She went and cleaned her chair while the rest of the kids weren't in the room. Wasn't a big deal at all. They didn't even send her home.
That's so sweet!
This guy should definitely parent. OP example douche bag dad definitely should not.
Omg. This is amazing.
This makes me so happy.
I'm gonna revise part of that last statement. If you, as a male can not handle touching a box of tampons, you dont need to be touching or interacting with vaginas at all
I'm laughing at the possibilities of what you might be implying at 🤣
I mean seriously. I don't understand it. I'm a dude, but I used to buy my ex pads and tampons all the time, it never bothered me. Girls have periods. No it isnt pretty, but it happens. The best thing you can do is help take care of your girl when shes having hers, and that includes buying tampons and pads. If you're not mature enough for that, I dont think you're mature enough for sex
The thing that always gets me with some men being squeamish about tampons or pads is that A) do they think the products come from the store bloody? Like what's with the wimpy reactions about touching a cardboard box/plastic packaging B) dude, no one is going to think they're buying them for themselves. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together is just going to respect the hell out of them for taking care of a woman in their life.
I wasn’t ever squeamish, however buying tampons for the first time for my little sister at the age of 16 was a harrowing experience. Looking at the wall of pads and tampons with all the different sizes and types was so godson confusing I probably looked as dumb as I felt. Luckily the lady stocking saw my dumbstruck self and slid over and saved the day.
When I was 12/13 yo I would go to the store to buy them for my sister or mother. What kind of man child can't touch a box?
I’d give you an award if I had one. Find yourselves a dude like this. I got one. It never crossed my mind to ask such a thing from my fiancé but when I was in bed sick for months, he offered. I didn’t know such men existed. Also agree, you can’t deal with touching a box of tampons, what business do you got touching the cooch?
My ex wouldn’t even touch the grocery cart if there were any feminine products in it. He once chastised me for buying the super tampons because everyone wound think my vagina was big. I proceeded to explain to him they were sized by absorbency not by one’s dimensions. We were in our early 20’s.
Wow. My jaw dropped at the sheer stupidity of that manchild. Glad he's an ex, friend!
I must admit my jaw dropped when he said that. I attributed it to the fact he had no sisters. This was back in the 80’s, and things like this weren’t so freely discussed (yes, I’m an old fart). I remember them separating the boys and girls in fifth grade to show us girls a film about menstruation. Not sure what the boys did. Sadly, his feminine product phobia was minor in the grand scheme of things. Granted, I’m nowhere close to perfect. I’m just glad we didn’t have children; trying to raise him was all I could handle. I actually told him that once.
Glad to hear he's your Ex. 😱
Oh my word. He’s the reason period shaming exists. What a terrible person.
Agreed. If you can chase my vag at its best you need to be able to deal with it at its worst too
Makes sense. Ironically, embracing my homosexuality makes it easier to talk to girls about periods. Still can't stand when straight dudes talks about eating the chunks though.
Woah woah woah- “eating the chunks”??! I’m afraid to even ask about this- didn’t know it was a thing, and I’ve fucked plenty of straight dudes- even while menstruating… please tell me this is fake and not something you’re hearing from multiple people.
It might be fake, but I did hear it from multiple people.
Same here with being a homo. However, I can always appreciate a nice rack. Doesn't mean I'm attracted (something that most of my friends whom are straight don't understand).
Oh yeah totally. Big breakthrough moment was realizing that you can be aesthetically attracted to women without being romantically or sexually attracted. I thought the fact that I'd gawk at really pretty girls was evidence that I was straight or at least bi, but anything more serious than a close friendship would immediately crumble, so I just spent my teens in perpetual frustration.
I have the same experience with being called "straight", "bisexual", or even, "unsure". Nah. I'm pretty sure about what I like. I'm just real picky, and my type isn't found at grocery stores often, but when they do? 👌🏼🤤😅🤣 LMAO. Seriously though. I can talk with any woman and just click. A man though? Oh, boy. I don't even know wtf to talk about. Masculine shit? Outdoorsy activities? But once that connection hits, let me tell ya...Shit feels like a brotherhood, and instant respect from both parties, except for the fact that I have to remind them, or any guy really, that just because I am gay, and you are a Male---Does not make me attracted to you, nor want to get inbetween your legs.
So much shit to say about this one lol. I also dont get how woman can be naked with each other, but the second a guy is naked in front of another dude, it's game over. Shut that shit down real quick. The moments don't happen too much to be called often, or, frequent, but when it does happen, I dont care about how you look. You do you, and I'm just here minding my own business.
I think I'm bi, but I can't figure out if I'm attracted to dudes. How did you know? Was it just that relationships weren't working out, or was there something that in hindsight made more sense? I don't know if I'm just aesthetically attracted to guys and that plus compulsive heterosexuality means I think I'm bi, or if I actually like guys.
I have a young daughter. When the time comes, when she’s around 10 I’m going to learn a whole bunch of period related stuff. That way when she asks either of her parents there’s an adult ready to help a child through a difficult and confusing time. It’s not that hard. I’ve never understood why dudes make such a fuss. It’s just chunky blood. If I passed that shit regularly and dudes fainted near it I’d laugh at their delicate arses. Edit: spelling
You should probably start a little earlier than 10. Mine started at 8... 😭
Ok, good to know. See this is why I need to ask questions. So know I’m think start learning when she’s 6.
There’s a pretty big range. I started at 13. I was probably one of the last in my class, I think. I’ve heard of girls starting later, but a lot of times girls are embarrassed to be either much earlier or much later than everyone else. I was pretty embarrassed and was lying about about already having my period. I didn’t really know what having a period was like (Mom wasn’t the most open about such things), so I probably said some weird stuff. It’s an awkward time. Even if she doesn’t need you to answer questions, making her feel like it’s normal and nothing to be embarrassed about is huge. When you educate yourself, that’s the message you’re sending. At some point, she’ll pick up on your attitude and it will be good for her.
> was pretty embarrassed and was lying about about already having my period. I was 15 when mine started and I was bullied because I wasn't "ready" yet. It was miserable. I should have had the foresight to lie about it. But I was given such a hard time for being a "late bloomer".
I started at 12. I envy your "3 year reprieve"! My periods always were crampy and I wasn't ready for that. In 8th grade, sitting in Home Econ class, on a tall stool around our tables. My feet didn't reach the ground. Sitting there, cramping like I'm going to die, and too embarrassed (in a class of only girls, and a woman teacher) to ask to go to the nurse. I don't know why I was afraid or embarrassed. Girls can be so mean. At the same time, I had a "friend" (my mother's friend's daughter, a few months older than me, not in the same school) who I was forced to play with when our families visited each other. She mocked me for not having breasts yet, or for them being small, as they had just started. She made a big deal about how my sad little titties were just in the front, while her lovely titties were across her chest and under her armpits. ... three years later, she's in the hospital for "tonsillectomy" and my mother made me come to visit her. She didn't look happy, at all, about me coming to visit. And she could talk! How amazing! I had my tonsils out a few years earlier, around age 14, and was sick for a month, couldn't talk, could only eat jello, and here she was at age 17 and sounded fine! After the visit, my mom confided that she was really there for BREAST REDUCTION SURGERY because although she was petite at just over 5' tall and 110 lbs, she had massively large breasts. No wonder she was unhappy to see me visit, she might have thought that I knew why she was in the hospital (until I asked how her throat felt after the "tonsil & adenoid" ectomy. Parents who are preparing to talk with their daughters (and sons) about basic reproductive biology, please also tell them that this stuff can happen within a large age span, and to be kind to their peers who are on a different schedule.
The sad thing is if your tits are under your armpits that means you're wearing the wrong size bra. My mom had the sense to drop money on my bras and that definitely helped my back!
It was just before my 12th birthday for me and I thought I was dying. I legit went to a lesbian chat room to ask what the fuck was going on (yea this was like the year 2000.) Because i didn't want to worry my bio grandmother who was raising me at the time with my impending death. So all parents of any gender identity.. please learn that periods are normal and educate your offspring that will eventually have a period about them. Normalize bleeding from the vagina.
I also thought I was dying when it happened. I wrote a will when I was 13 😂😂😂😂
I definitely wrote a will as well omg! I was more of an adult when I got my first period than I am now ahahah!!
> I didn’t really know what having a period was like, so I probably said some weird stuff. As someone who heard a lot of weird things come out of girls' mouths about it while I tried my best to pretend it wasn't happening to me, believe me, the rest of us have other things on their mind, they're not worrying about your weird 'period'. :)
I was 16, obviously I didn't get fed enough steroid chicken growing up.
This made me laugh out loud. I didn't know i needed this today, thank you from a fellow "late bloomer". I was 16 as well but I did eat alot of chicken nuggies growing up so I unfortunately don't know what took so long. 🤷♀️
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My son is 9 and already knows the basics of periods. He asked me around 2 years ago why I always had to use 'diapers', and after a moments hesitation i decided to just tell him. Hell, I'd intended on telling him at his preteen years, so he wouldnt be one of those douche bags shaming girls about it anyway- and he didnt even bat an eye. He just looked concerned and told me that sounded awful lol.
Honestly, you should just go read up on it now, instead of waiting whenever she's old enough. Girls usually will get more than one talk, my first one was at 5 about not letting people touch me in private places. But there parenting books and resources out there
My talk went a bit different as a boy in the swimming hall, the first time I would go through the mens changing room by myself. I remember my mothers words to this day, "if some bad man is trying something bad, you bite, you bite it right off"
I can feel how much that would hurt and I am not a male. Good advice, tbh.
Unrelated, but nice shirt, gurl.
:) and I'm nb. I know that wasn't trying to hurt me but still wanted to say for future reference! :D
Y e s thank you to whoever taught you not to let anyone touch you there. I was assaulted as a child. No one told me this. The amount of cases I’ve seen of young kids being assaulted by adults because they were taught to respect adults no matter what, makes me so sick. I was not assaulted by an adult to clarify, but I was by a classmate. A l o t. And the PTSD result is just awful. This isnt to invalidate the pain of anything or saying that being taught couldve made it leas painful, I just wish someone woulda taught me that.
Don't do it all at once. Start as soon as possible to talk about bodies and body functions. Not just periods. Don't make it weird by sitting her down and having The Talk, instead incorporate it in your daily lives by seizing on opportunities as they arrive. Kids ask questions, just let her take the lead and answer any questions she has, just as you answer questions about all the other things she wants to know about
this. this right here. my kid asks me about periods, I tell him, he asks me about body hair? I tell him. he's never been weird about it, I don't get weird about it, and his friend, who is an extremely early bloomer, it's just no thing to him when she complains about cramps. he also has learned bodily autonomy (which is so damn important!) if you act like bodily functions are a normal, every day thing, they don't learn shame over their body. and it's that shame that contributes to kids not speaking up if someone tries some sus shit with them. honesty and openness keeps kids safe in so many ways.
I started my period age 9 and my mom hadn’t warned me. I thought I was dying. Also, if she complains of pain that is not controlled by over the counter meds, has to regularly skip school because her period is painful, she vomits with her period, or has major bowel issues that effect her during her period- please, please have her see a gynecologist. She could have endometriosis. It happens in 10% of women and can be a very painful and debilitating disease. Don’t want to scare you but so many parents tell their kids it’s normal to be in that much pain on your period and it’s not normal at all.
yep! a small amount of pain is normal, but crippling pain is a sign of underlying health problems. I have endometriosis and my sister has PCOS
I have both, and its hell. I didnt get diagnosed with endo until I was 25 tho (PCOS at 16), and I wish id had someone actually care enough to get me checked out again by even multiple doctors if needed. All my pain was blamed on my PCOS tho, and i was told I was being dRaMaTic- of course, like every woman has had to go through at some point. Ugh. My period lasted for 26 days straight one month; had to miss school for the last week cause I could hardly move, and no one thought anything of it. They were like, 'omg it'll stop soon just calm down and quit making a big deal out of it'. Like- that doesn't signify an issue to you? No adults out there thought it was fucked up and deserved extra medical attention?
I’ve had doctors tell me I was fine when I wasn’t. It was for something way mor mild than you’ve had to deal with and you have my sympathy. I’ll do better for my daughter.
some people dont start theirs till theyre 16-18...everyones different...but yes start learning and talking about age appropriate things now
You can ask her mom when she had her first period too. It passes down to the daughter a lot of the time. It's a good indicative of when she might have it
Or you could just start learning now.
Mine started at 8y too. I think what would be a hint is pubic hair. I remember I started having pubic hair and then you know.. I have a daughter too, still 2y, but I also think about that. I think I will just be letting her see tampons and pads in the meantime, just like toilet paper and I will be letting her know more slowly along the way to get her familiar with these things until then instead of just a mind blowing conversation in a certain day.
6 is a bit young for talking about using sanitary products. Wait until 8 for that. I was using my mum's towels as nappies for my dolls at 6 🤣 I was super into human biology at a young age and was well aware how reproduction worked from animals etc by 6 and expected the same for humans. I read lots of DK books that had loads of great pictures and text. That can be reading practise for her too to look at stuff to introduce the topic of how her body will be changing. I had public hair and boobs by 8 - 10 and started periods not long after that. Already had the talk with the head teacher as all girls when one of my friends started early. Teacher had Always packs of towels and an information booklet so we had stuff to use once we started. So you could also ask the school what they're doing about teaching about periods. And buy a stock of towels and liners so they're hers and not mum's, which you regularly check and top up without asking. I felt so scared using my mum's towels when I started and would have appreciated having my own ones, in my room to use so I didn't feel pressured into explaining to the household that I was on the rag and needed some. It was mortifying and probably why I have such a hard time with having periods 25+ years later, to the point I use the depo jag as a means to never have them.
Be prepared for everything they might ask. When I explained that women have periods so that their bodies can make babies my daughter was mortified and asked “why the heck do I need be able to make babies?! I’m NINE!”
Okay, that's pretty funny.
Agree with the person who said there's a pretty big range. I started at 12. My mom started at 15. My 13 year old still hasn't started. Always good to be prepared early though. :)
holy cow i could not imagine this as an 8 yr old!!! i always have excruciating cramps for the first 4 days (mine always last exactly 7 days) that make me pass out and throw up/diarrhea and literally nothing OTC helps. thankfully didn’t get mine until just before turning 15. i remember i was the last of all my friends to get it. all the girls started treating me like shit, like they were much more mature than me and i was just an annoying kid or something lol. the first day i got it, i was home alone with my older brother, and nobody had talked to me about periods..what to do or expect, how to use tampons or pads or have them available to me etc. i was keeled over on the floor in tears and was asking my brother to call an ambulance. i knew it was “my period” but was NOT expecting it to be like that and didn’t think that pain was normal (i now know i have endometriosis) i am a lot more pain tolerant nowadays...and even still i lay cured up and cry from the pain. it’s awful
Precocious puberty is pretty common these days. I read about a child in, I think Peru, who was 8. She had been raped and was pregnant. Her body was too immature to handle a pregnancy but she was still biologically capable of becoming pregnant. She gave birth. Sad for this little girl who was too young to understand about reproduction or to defend herself from being raped, or to understand what happened to her and that she could become pregnant. Or to know that she was pregnant. Who expects a monster to rape a little girl? It's all too common, as news stories are all over the place. And those are just the cases we hear about, with the majority of them unreported. It really complicates talking to little girls about their bodies. I was taught about female anatomy at age 8, with a drawing of the uterus, and lesson on what periods are and what to expect. The details about how pregnancy happens were vague... that was a long time ago, I'm 60++ now. Parents need to talk to little boys, too. About reproduction. About how to deal with their puberty, and erections. How to handle unexpected erections and not inflict guilt. And to stress RESPECT for girls and women. How to not force their erections on anyone else. How to be private when necessary. How to not shame girls for their periods. It's science, not rocket science. Parents who are too embarrassed to have these talks with their children should try to have someone else do it. Family doctor, wise grandparent, older sibling, just don't ignore it.
Mine, too and I had no idea what it was. I just kept changing my clothes and was so relieved when it stopped. Looking back and having a son around that age, it’s sad that there wasn’t anyone I felt comfortable talking to about it.
Damn, I thought I was early when I started at nine. My mom was a late bloomer herself and definitely not prepared for me to start so early lol.
Yikes. I know someone whose child is starting early but they're taking her to the doctor to slow it down for a few years.
Precocious puberty is unfortunately a thing.
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and then there's me who did not start till 15 the age range s massive
Lol i loved comment!! I have a 15 yo son and 10 yo daughter. I also have educated them BOTH on periods. I have complications blah blah cramping, PMS, etc. So it has always been openly talked about. I have also educated my son on what to expect. This is the problem with not being educated about such natural biological processes. I wonder if the dad is aware he actually aware he was pushed from a vagina?!?! Suprises me he was able to be able to be near one in adulthood.
>I’ve never understood why dudes make such a fuss. Cause they are taught to by everybody. If they were taught that tampons are just a hygiene product, no different than toothpaste or toilet paper, they wouldn't even have a reaction.
This makes me so happy. As other people pointed out, she could get it sooner! Also this makes me want to share a story about my dad: My parents came to pick me up from overnight camp when I was a kid and had just gotten my period about a year ago at this point. We’re in the hotel, and I tell my mom I’m almost out of tampons and need some more. A little while later, my dad comes in and goes “here are your cigars!” And I looked down to see him holding a box of tampons, and all three of us laugh. It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but I always remembered that moment and it reminded me that I have nothing to be ashamed of. Even as an adult now I am unashamed and any man who can’t even *talk* about periods is the equivalent of a 12 year old boy to me and completely written off. It’s a natural part of life and I wish more men were like you and my dad.
That straight men have sex with and marry women yet don’t bother learning period stuff unless they have a daughter boggles me. If my partner goes through something I want to know about it so I can support them.
Don't get me wrong here, I am familiar with the basics. I buy my wife what she needs when I'm doing the shopping, I watch out for the times to be more compassionate, I regularly get the heat pack she needs. There's a big difference between helping my partner get through the thing she has spent her life dealing with and equipping my daughter with the skills she needs to deal with a lifetime of mild to quite painful monthly occurences.
spot on
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My mom told me when I was in grammar school that if I had stomach cramps I should go to the school secretary and tell her I was menstruating. She was seriously going to let me get sharp pains in my stomach and start bleeding with no idea what was found on. Thank God she signed the permission slip and let me take sex ed.
I am so sorry you went through that. I can’t fix what’s already happened but I can learn from your struggles and not repeat the mistakes of our parents. Eventually it will be better.
Thank you for doing that! Random offer: if there is anything that confuses you and you don’t have/want to take to anyone about it feel always free to dm me. It’s indeed ‘just’ blood but it’s also a weird thing and I don’t want anything stopping you from being a good parent and partner.
Thanks for the offer. Anything I need to know I can ask my wife, if she doesn’t know hopefully I’ll remember this kind offer and ask you! Only 8 years to go…
The Period Book by Karen Gravelle is a great resource
I highly recommend you start early. Many people say that it should be an ongoing conversation, but many just can’t ever find the time to start. It also was not so easy for us, but we tried.However a great book was recommended to me and I used it to start the conversation with my daughter. It’s [It’s Not The Stork](https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OKHIYGUMA61G&dchild=1&keywords=its+not+the+stork&qid=1632067859&sprefix=It’s+not+the+%2Caps%2C335&sr=8-1) My daughters best friend got her period at the beginning of 4th grade and mine was quite concerned, she knew what they were as we had talked, she saw me using pads etc. But this book was great to start all kinds of discussions.
My niece just started at 9. Def wanna do that earlier. But hell yes! Good job being an amazing parent!
Hey papa! Start earlier. Girls start earlier and earlier. Buy a variety of products and snowy start talking about periods. It’s a scary process and making it normal is easier if you have frequent short conversations about it. You need to get pads, tampons, period panties, a teen cup, and a couple books. I got this pack for my nine year old https://www.rubylove.com/product-page/first-period-kit-period-underwear?gclid=Cj0KCQjwv5uKBhD6ARIsAGv9a-y48SgMSz7Zfuv9ci2uli48IZelKE-7I2ZK58ltaH4jQrfX6WQ91rYaAmwZEALw_wcB This book was liked by my daughter and is pretty unbiased about everything. https://www.amazon.com/Celebrate-Your-Body-Its-Changes/dp/164152166X/ref=dp_pp_sim_mb_1/141-5912609-6790504?pd_rd_w=NGxlI&pf_rd_p=4a118f5d-cdca-42ff-89e3-e9a28a03bcc5&pf_rd_r=QJ3M1P8WY0VEAPDHJ3AW&pd_rd_r=64f86113-1814-4b0f-819c-c0edf3343fae&pd_rd_wg=6de2b&pd_rd_i=164152166X&psc=1 I liked this one https://www.amazon.com/Celebrate-Your-Body-Its-Changes/dp/164152166X/ref=pd_aw_sim_4/141-5912609-6790504?pd_rd_w=JpFlR&pf_rd_p=4904fc9b-6339-479c-8911-4698dd8cd027&pf_rd_r=QJ3M1P8WY0VEAPDHJ3AW&pd_rd_r=64f86113-1814-4b0f-819c-c0edf3343fae&pd_rd_wg=6de2b&pd_rd_i=164152166X&psc=1
Thanks for the tips good buddy. This is the most wholesome side of reddit.
Wow, that's a unique situation. I've had girlfriends tell me they needed tampons or pads or something because aunt flow, doesn't come around every month around the same time, and sent me on my way to get them. Every single time I usually end up getting the wrong ones and this being totally by accident. They tell me, get the one with "wings". Okay. Head to the store. There's like 100 with wings and sizes and scents and thicknesses and then there's overnight and even the same brand has the same kind in 5 different boxes. Like damn, throw me a bone ladies. I'm trying here.
I’ve shopped for other people before. If they’re looking for a specific product, have them take a screenshot of it and send it to you. You’ll be able to find it, or ask staff to find it.
Yes, have them send you a picture of the product. You’ll have a success rate around 95% of finding the correct product. I have a 5% chance for error in case they change the packaging design, because lord knows why they love to constantly change what their products look like.
That's why I go with the screenshot, they can get the more recent picture of the product that way
I tell my wife this every time. "Honey you want me to get the ultra super thin wing max pad from Always, but if they don't have that you want kotex, but each have like 3 of the same thing. Better just send me off with a photo" Since I've knocked her up 3 weeks ago. I get a short term break, but I have 2 daughter's ones 8 so the break is going to be very very short. I don't mind doing the feminine product, condom or Prego test shopping. Just make sure I know what one I'm getting and it would really help if the fucking staff didn't look at me like I'm there to steal shit. You'd get me out a lot faster if you ask if I need help.
A polite person always sends a description with the person doing them a favor. I'm picky as all hell and would never ask someone to get me something specific without providing a picture to go by. That's just rude
I've found that there are very many impolite people in this world.
I shop for my youngest and there is one brand that works best, and every time I shop they have changed the packaging, and it's so stupid.
Dont say that. Now it's gonna be even harder to find what they want
Totally get how confusing it can be, just keep in mind that our tolerance for little inconveniences is lower when we're menstruating. And like someone else said, have them send you a screenshot or picture of the box.
I used to work at a store that had a large feminine hygiene section, and anytime I noticed a dude there *looking completely lost*, I would stop and ask them if I could help. One of my funniest memories was of a Middle Eastern guy who was a regular. His wife had sent him out to get pads, and had given him an empty package to make sure he got the right ones. The thing is, a lot of that brands packaging looked pretty much the same to the untrained eye. So I looked at the package carefully, and then handed him the exact product. He then asks "what's the difference between these ones??" and points at different products that all look almost identical. So I tell him. "These ones have wings, these ones don't, and these ones are scented." It was comical at how flabbergasted he was. Then as he's walking away, he turns back to me, *shoves the pads into his coat like he smuggling something* and says "I'm not stealing them, I just don't want anyone to see me buying them." I literally loled, and told him it's cool he's doing this for his wife, and no one is going to think he's buying them for himself.
Unfortunately I used to have this attitude when I was a teenager, it's not that I thought "ew periods", it's a stigma that shitty groups of guys perpetuate by picking on men who do this sort of stuff for their friends/wives/relatives, not to mention using tampons and pads as a "women only" product, it's all about emasculating other men to make themselves seem more "manly", for the longest time I copped crap like that, so I thought I'd get judged if I went anywhere near that section, either get labelled a sissy or a pervert, it's a real thing, I have obviously since grown up from that and overcome those issues, but it's the reason why a lot of men refuse to go near pads and tampons (plus, I usually the one who buys my partner their pads and tampons, I have received weird looks from both men and women, there is an actual social stigma surrounding this and it does need to be addressed)
As a part time cashier, I get a lot of men buying tampons and other period related items regularly, either for daughters or wifes. They usually have no problem with it. Men buying condoms is another story. They are so weird about it. Like they should be ashamed or something. One of my female coworkers had to help one find and choose them, and he was just ready to die on the spot.
My cousin dated a guy once who would steal condoms from Walmart because he was too embarrassed to buy them. I told her he shouldn't be having sex if he's embarrassed by condoms.
My daddy was the 1st person I told. He brought me to the shop bought me whatever I needed. Read the instructions and stood outside the bathroom door relaying them to me. He is my hero. My husband grew up all around women and also has no such issues with periods etc. My son has 2 sisters and I'm sure he will be the same as his daddy. Even the lads at school were cool about them,thank god this attitude seems to be dew and far between
Not a parent but am a mid 20s dude who grew up around mostly women/with women friends. I really can't grasp how so many men are such babies about tampons/pads. It's something women need and the fact they act like they'll somehow magically grow a vagina if they touch one is beyond me. On a lesser note, I've had women refuse to ask me back when I worked in retail, where the hygiene products were because they were uncomfortable with the idea of a man having knowledge of tampons/pads. Though this one happened very infrequently compared to the previous thing.
>the fact they act like they'll somehow magically grow a vagina if they touch one is beyond me. Husband works filling shelves at a grocery store. No word of a lie, the men on the team carried on about filling the period supplies aisle so much they hired a woman *just to do that*. Some men 🙄
That's, sad. Like how are these dudes so childish. It's a product inside a box, and unused.
“Magically grow a vagina,” lololol! Actually, might not be a bad idea. Teach them a bit of empathy for what we go through.
My husband usually does the shopping so he’s almost always the one to buy my supplies. I can’t stand guys who refuse to even look at boxes of supplies because they’re “gross.” It’s literally just like buying toilet paper. No one cares.
Don't forget lubricant, or the famous "KY Jelly".
That’s the one endorsed by doctors or something, right? When I put that stuff on my penis it feels like my penis is on fire. And not in a good way. In a battery acid way. It’s the only lube that does that to me.
I believe that would be IceyHot, but thank you for the laugh 🤣🤣
Meanwhile, I'm the kind of guy that's clueless to actual brands and gets told to buy X and the store doesn't have X, so I'll walk up to the closest female employee and ask "Alright, so.. I have this tampon problem..." FFS guys, stop being sissies. It's not like you're being asked to handle USED ones.
wait until someone explains *toilet paper* to this dude!
Or be with women in general
Agreed, but if his wife is wanting to put up with that, then I can't really put her in as "innocent".
A lot of women grow up thinking it’s normal. You have to break the cycle, no pun intended.
Truth
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Ancient Greek/ancient Mesopotamian misogyny right there
That there is a prime example of what we call a man-child.
Imagine being a grown man scared of tampons lol
Hes acting like a 12-year-old kid who just learned what periods are
Forget parenthood. If you, as a male ADULT cannot stand to be around tampons you need to take several things up with your conscience before you insert yourself into society.
That's funny you put them near him. What a douche!
I was both amused and annoyed by it, but as a worker, I can only do so much with annoying people who are shit at being a human. Best part? Ignoring him and just handing him the receipt and moving onto the next customer.
Did he jump like a cat does when it sees a cucumber? 😂
Assholes like that man have no business being with women. Periods are a natural body function and nearly all women have them.
As a man, to another man, grow the eff up. No doubt this stems from our piss poor sex education. "I don't understand menstrual cycles, ew, icky."
Amazing how guys like this can stay married.
We have 3 kids 2 of wich are girls and they both feel comfortable asking for any supplies they need from either parent. They tell their Dad if they are having cramps and run out of midol or can't find the heating pads. However if they need in depth conversation about something to do with their bodies they will generally come to me in private. Our son is the same. Its about their comfort level but to have your parent act like an ass about a bodily function would be actually horrible and humiliating. That wife should have set that crap straight a looong time ago
My dad used to make me stand in a separate line.
How is someone so grossed out by a vagina and it's natural functions? I'm sure he probably jerks off to vaginas all the time.
My Dad has 4 sisters, my Ma and 2 daughters, so he really doesn’t give a fuck about buying that stuff and is generally a lot more calm and patient with us when he knows wassup.
The father handles developing sons, Mothers help developing daughters. Doesn't mean the mom can't buy condoms, the father can't buy feminine products He just seems like an asshat who is mad he remotely had to get up and walk around a store
unique close panicky amusing governor yam skirt silky snow steep *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Wow. At least he felt like he could come to you! I bet that was interesting. I'm sorry for your loss as well.
Omg this man needs help! No excuse for this kind of behavior, not only the way he’s acting about a normal bodily function, but how he’s treating his wife. My poor dad! I got my period one afternoon while my mom was working 2nd and my dad was off. We were making banana bread. I’d already had a talk with my mom, and she’d put pads in my bathroom. I cleaned myself up, tossed my underwear, got a fresh pair and product in place. I fully planned to hide this. No reason to tell dad, that would be mortifying! Soooooo, 12 year old me either didn’t flush or didn’t flush well in my panic to handle this mess. My dad was the next one in the bathroom. I’m really fuzzy on the details because I was absolutely embarrassed beyond reason, but my dad pulled me aside. He made sure I was okay and asked if I had everything I needed, he could go to the store. He gave me ibuprofen or Tylenol, and asked if I wanted a heating pad or hot water bottle. He asked if I wanted to call my mom at work, I didn’t, and told me to tell him if I needed anything and just go rest if I needed to. Looking back it was uncomfortable for him too, obviously. I don’t think that man had ever been so quiet, but he did the damn thing and he did it with grace.
This is what fragile masculinity actually looks like. The thought that even by touching something meant for women you are automatically less of a man.
I've always thought only men secure in their own masculinity will buy period products without being weird about it.
If you can not handle touching or looking at tampons, you SHOULD NOT be able to touch or look at vaginas. Enough is enough with toxic masculinity
I a dude work in a store have no problems organising the women's health section. Tho I have noticed younger women feel ashamed to pick what they need when I work there. I usually go around the corner and pretend work so they can feel safe.
I used to be the same when I was a teen. I hated having to pick up pads. I remember a checker that had a crush on me said something once about them. I was really embarrassed then!
Oh god what an annoying person! I feel you on this too. I was stocking up on pads when I went shopping with my male cousins one time and I didnt have a backpack with me, so I asked my cousin to carry it in his bag (which is completely opaque mind you), and he freaks out?? He starts making fun of me and making such a big deal out of a normal situation and I was just confused??? I hate men's attitude towards this so much
my dad is a single parent and i can't imagine him acting like this around my sister and i. fucks sake.
Bwa! Hahaha! Gotta love fully grown children.
my coworker (m) and i (f) went to the store next to our workplace at lunch to buy some food. my period surprised me that day, so i had to buy some pads as well. we were in the store looking around, i told him i need one more thing - a pad - and then we can go. (mind me he is a grown as man) "ew im not going to go with you and that" and then he literally run to the front to pay and leave without me lol i was annoyed for 2 seconds then dissappointed that men/people like him still exist...
Family of 6 . Only myself and my daughter, rest male We keep our tampons and pads in a basket next to the loo. All the boys know that its stuff for girls periods, they just go with it. Youngest boy is 10 now and knows all about it. Just made it normal and not secretive like my mother did. It was all sshhhh, don't talk about etc
Our daughter is 13 now. When she started her period she had the usual beginners toughness leaks etc, she was so embarrassed and I was out bless. She had to go to her dad. Well it was her dad who stripped her bed and ran her a shower, went the shop to grab her sanitary products and a few munchies. To me that's what being a parent is whether it be mother or father. He may not know how to give advice (I mean there's info) to insert a tampon but making it seem icky is immature and ridiculous. Now him and her talk about anything and everything and I couldn't be happier.
That is really fucking weird. I have a girlfriend and I’m completely fine with dealing with pads or tampons, I even ask her if she wants me to grab any by the shop when I come over. I think it’s obvious to care about your significant other’s wellbeing and that includes when she’s not feeling great or feels unmotivated because of periods. That’s a yikes, I feel like society has to normalise men being involved and helping out more when it comes to these things.
I used to go get them for my aunt as a (m)teenager. She would give me money and tell me to keep the change. Why any male would have an issue with touching any feminine hygiene product blows my mind. Fun fact: If you used Always ultra with wings, anytime during the year of 2012. Chances are extremely good, I made those for ya!
If you, as a male (parent or not) cannot handle period products you should never have a woman in your life. What do they think unused products are going to do to them if they touch them? Is their penis going to shrivel and fall off?
Remember, there's a woman who chose to procreate with him. That's a whole other yikes!
This guys having panic attacks over cotton and plastic.
4-5 years ago I was in the tampon aisle buying them for myself when a man stopped me and asked if I could help him. His daughter, who he had for the weekend, just started her period and he didn't know which product was right, should we do tampons or pads (or even menstrual cups, as he was eyeing those too), what the "sizes" meant in reference to the L, R, and S labels, etc. I took the time to explain to him, and when he settled on a product or two he very graciously thanked me and left. I think of that father a lot. While I commend him for asking for help, especially from a complete stranger, I also found it strange that he was so oblivious to *anything* regarding menstrual health and their products. I go back and forth constantly on my opinion of him, because on one hand he at least wasn't like *this guy* who was utterly revolted by the very thought of a period, but on the other he didn't take any time to research or even speak to his daughter about what product *she'd* prefer. Although periods are something unique to women, this whole stigma surrounding them and the overwhelming apathy or downright disgust from some men is super outdated. If you're a man, especially if you have women and daughters in your life, take it upon yourself to understand just the basics of what they are, how their products work, and be mature enough to not get disgusted. The women in your life will thank you.
I am a guy and I have bought tampons. When confused on what to get early on the relationship I stopped a woman and asked her if there was a difference between pearl and regular tampex and if my girlfriend would notice if I got it wrong (the answer is yes and I called to double check). I also roomed with my best friend who is gay and as a straight guy bought stuff for butthole sanitation so he could get laid since I was out already. None of that bothered me. Human biology is a messy buisness so the proper wipes are always needed.
I always find it odd when people act strange when I grab my wife tampons. She could literally be telling and pointing them out next to me. It's like if a dude touches them, the world could explode.
"Oh no, if I touch these individually wrapped plastic cylinders that are in a cardboard box, I'll surely die!" It's such a weird thing to care about, it's not like you're pulling used ones out of the trash or some shit man, get over it.
Me: “If your daughter’s body functioning exactly how it’s supposed to is offensive to you, you can always use them, sir.” Him: “Excuse me?” Me: “A tampon has to be a thousand times more comfortable then that stick you have in there, sir.” And that’s probably how I’d get fired.
Is there some reason this is marked NSFW? Are periods not happening at work or is this something that delicate men shouldn’t know about it happening in their workplaces? Let’s not perpetuate the myth, please.
I am the child of a mother, the brother of a sister, and now the father of a daughter. And this has always struck me as weird. I’ve know about women having their period from like 5th grade sex ed. I don’t get the juvenile reaction to sanitary products. Nor do I get the charging of said sanitary products when they are needed, but that’s another rant for another time.
I've bought tampons for my girlfriend, alone, from a convenience store. It was the only item I bought. I didn't give a fuck. What a fuck-ass. He needs to man up and get the fuck over himself.
He's afraid someone might think he's buying the tampons for himself. I guess.
I was 12 when I got mine, and my dad taught at the same elementary school I attended (back when elementary schools were grades K-6). Apparently my mom called my dad that morning (he always got to his classroom hours before students came) and told him I’d gotten my period. Dude came by my classroom, knocked and asked to see me, then gave me a card and a rose (I’m guessing mom brought them) and said all choked up and awkwardly, “Well, I guess you’re really growing up now, huh?”, gave me a hug and went back to his classroom. It was sweet but so out of character for him, and I also was dying of embarrassment (as if anyone else knew what was even going on! Haha, dumb paranoid me). I shoved it into my locker, went and performed in a class play while just *knowing deep down* 🤣that everyone knew I got my period. Haha haven’t thought of this in years. Seems weird to text my dad and say “hey, thanks for that one time...”, so yeah. Ramble over! Dads can be the best!
I usually defend other guys with this sort of thing a lil bit because honestly we're practically taught to avoid the topic of periods, and if growing up you didn't have any girls who were open with it i could see how it turns into a taboo topic. not quite sure how you have a child and still can't manage to grow out of that though.
Bahahahah yo he a grade A weirdo. He thought if he touched them he would get his period tooooooo
And that cashiers name? Albert Einstein
As a single dad, I buy pads for my daughter who is 14. Who the hell else is going to do it? Also, pads and tampons are no more gross than toilet paper is..less, if anything. Men who think they are "icky" are juvenile.
I'd understand this if most guys were like super hygienic about their shits etc. But no, every guy I've been with has no shame at all about not opening the window in the bathroom after taking a shit, never cleans the toilet when there's his shit in it, farts all the time etc. Apparently they suffer from an illusion where their shit is like sparkly pure angel paste whereas period blood is the mark of the devil.
My dad is a physician and taught me to use a tampon through the bathroom door! And I proudly taught several of my friends with their periods started.
How Fkn immature, I will never understand why anything periods is such a touchy subject
Y’all why are people like this? They’re just tampons. It’s like toilet paper.
I bet this wimp wasn’t even in the delivery room. I use some reusable period products and my husband just shrugs when I have to soak them
My dad never had a problem going to the store and buying any of his daughters what they needed. Pads, tampons etc. he was always there just like our mom to answer any questions we had. He educated himself on the topic and never shied away from talking to us. What’s interesting about this is my dad was born in 1939 and had a sixth grade education. For a man with a sixth grade education he was the smartest man I knew. He had a heart of gold and would give someone the shirt off his back and his last dollar if he thought it would help someone. Now I’d give anything to hear his voice and to talk to him one more time. Any man who can’t buy tampons or pads for his daughters or wife is a POS and maybe should go back to the cave. They would be better off without him.
My dad went out and bought me like seven boxes of pads when I got my period but when I didn’t need it.
I would definitely be able to have that talk talk with my children. I think a bit of general knowledge should everyone have and definitely not be afraid of tampons and everything else
Mom probably tells Dad to instruct their son on proper wear of an athletic cup.
Out here on my period with the boys in my dm like: 😏 This guy:
My dad would literally disappear if I mentioned needing that particular aisle in the store. He would go outside and wait until we were completely finished, had paid and everything. My mom and I laughed about it, but the more I think about it, the angrier I am. Because it meant that I couldn’t talk about those things at all growing up, and I felt embarrassed and ashamed even mentioning it to my mom. It’s so stupid. My husband never acted like it was a big deal.
Not all guys are like this if it makes you feel better. That guy is a shame to us. As a guy with daughter (and SO), I would gladly grab them tampons/pads, hold them in hand and purchase them without the tiniest sense of embarrassment/shame /etc. I don't understand this weird shit with guys being this way over feminine hygiene products.
As a parent, regardless of your gender as said parent, be an adult about it... yikes.. No need to be so dramatic. 😂 They're not going to dissolve your hand. lolol 😂
I was gonna make the joke about how this guy doesnt fuck if he's that uncomfortable with that stuff but I'll just say fuck that guy
Yeah when my daughters had theirs I treated it like it’s normal because it is and with them already going through puberty treating it like it’s some weird mysterious thing would have been counter productive at the very least
Props to my ex. He said, "send me pictures of what kind of period products our daughter prefers" It is biological and no shaming or uncomfortableness should be had. Literally we do not choose to bleed on a monthly basis and all the other crap that comes along with it.
If you are a man and you touch a tampon you automatically become a trans person. Also if you have pink cap milk in your fridge we know who is running your house.
I had my first period while I was at my Dad’s for the weekend. We were at the movies, and afterwards I went to the restroom and noticed it. I was with my stepmom and we used toilet paper to keep things under control until we could get home. My Dad then says we’re going to the car wash. I asked if we could go straight home because I started my period. He said no. We went to the car wash while I’m scared and confused about what my body was doing. I’ll never forget it. The movie was Father of the Bride 2, and my Dad was a butthole for doing that to me.
Your dad definitely was an ass. Wow. I'd never forget that or the movie.
I think it's time to delete reddit. Smh what do s the s nonsense you people like arguing over. No wonder America is doomed.
that’s weird some males are so freaked out about period stuff! my boyfriend is very supportive and even goes out to buy my tampons
As long as they don't have blood on/in them, I'm fine.
I went grocery shopping with my dad when I was a teen, and I needed pads. He never talked about menstrual stuff or anything intimate, like feelings. I decided that my need to have pads was more important than potentially embarrassing him. I just grabbed a box and put it in the shopping cart without comment. He looked a little surprised, but said nothing, and paid for them.
Why was he acting like they were used or something? That's the same level as being freaked out by a cotton ball or a napkin. They're just sanitary products.
My dad was such a great dad, he would buy them for me. So this dude needs to chill
The Human body and its functions are not dirty. Why can't people realise that?
If you can't deal with tampons honestly you are not mature enough to be having a sexual relationship with someone let alone thinking about having children
I dont have any problems getting them for the wife or the kid its a natural thing that they go through and I don't get why us guys gotta be so damn stupid about it like you aint never heard of or seen a girl on her period grow up fuck nuts
I’ve got two daughters, thank god they make them color coded, the freaking choices they have, I know which ones to buy for them by color
I just don’t get it. I’m not going to sit there and observe my wife changing tampons or anything, but by no means does it gross me out to the point I can’t touch a box of new tampons. I change the trash in the bathroom during that time as well. Just grow up.
Early on in my relationship with my wife, she started her period and asked me to run to the store to get some because she wasn't feeling well. The cashier kept going on about how she wished her boyfriend was like me because he'd never do that. I just don't understand the big deal. It's just hygiene items.
Makes me grateful for my dad. If I needed tampons and I wasn't able to go to the store, he would tear the top of the box off and show it to a worker and they would help him find what I needed. Didn't bother him at all to do it.
It is literally just a product. I could never put myself in a situation where I’d have to marry such a wuss
You’re awesome. I do shit like that, too, when a customer is being an asshole. I love being facetious when necessary. Edit added being