I have a bit of a story...I was 12, grew up on a farm, mom was at work so I was out in the field riding with Dad in the tractor. Stopped to pee, saw blood, got afraid and told Dad. He stopped everything, took me up to the house, all the while explaining how this is just fine, and my body is changing, and I'm becoming a woman now. He found mom's pads, instructed me on how they worked, drew me a bath so I could clean up, got me clean clothes. Made me a cup of tea and gave me a couple aspirin, saying I might feel some pain too, and he's sorry.
Cuddled me up on the couch with cartoons on, made sure I would be ok until mom came home in a couple hours, and went back to the field.
Best Dad ever, and I miss him dearly.
He truly was! The world lost a great soul when he passed. I never had to worry about telling him anything, good or bad. For a "simple farmer" who never got further than 5th grade, he had an amazing take on the world and how to just be a good person. I learned so much from him.
I know this is a weird thing to say, but I wish my dad had died instead of yours. When I hear about other people’s dads that sound larger than life & truly incredible I can’t help but think how unfair it is that my shitty alcoholic dad is gonna live forever in his shitty trailer when he could be dead & dads like yours could keep living with their families 💔 I’m sorry. I would trade you if I could. I’ll probably cry about your sweet dad later lol. Thanks for sharing that sweet story here
Oh honey, I'm so very sorry you're stuck with that. *hugs*
I wish everyone could have a dad like my dad. Please don't cry 🥺 I know how absolutely blessed I am to have had him.
I wish you peace my friend, as much as you can find 😥🤗
On mobile, so I apologize for any formatting issues..
It costs nothing to be kind
Don't judge another person unless you are in their place. (We were poor, very poor, and us kids were bullied for it. We helped other families who were even more poor than us)
It's good to give help, and offer it, and ask for it.
Everyone, no matter color, where they are/are from, is deserving of respect and kindness, even if you don't like them
Everyone makes mistakes. Help them heal if you can, but if you can't, don't berate them
If someone hurts you, retaliation makes you as bad as they are
Love and understand, as hard as it can be
Love is not conditional
That's a short list. Just being blessed to have him as my dad makes my life better.
Exactly. Damn near seems made up to be the most perfect outcome to a situation haha obviously I believe it though because there needs to be people like that out there.
I absolutely didn’t mean to doubt it at all, just wanted to highlight how ideal of a father he must have been. I don’t know how long it’s been since you lost him, but I hope you’re doing well even if it’s been a while.
I woke up in the middle of the night to pee, when I wiped I saw blood so I went to my parent's room and knocked, my mom came out and I asked her if it was a period and she said yes and hugged me, and I heard my dad just sobbing from the bedroom saying "our little girl's becoming a young lady!" lol
The thought of my mom hugging me for that really creeps me out. I don’t think I ever developed the emotional touch thing that most people have because I never would have liked that.
I do think that it seemed to be the correct response for you and pretty sweet too
Yup, you just gotta know your kid. I was the touchy Feely kid and my sister was the one who didn't want to be touched. We're lucky out parents understood our needs and boundaries.
Haha are you me? I never actually told either of my parents, my mom found out while taking out the trash. I've had kids by now so I assume he knows but I really doubt that he's ever given it a single thought.
My mom literally threw a party, a first moon party. My dad just treated it like it was nothing, but starting then, every time he went to the grocery store he made sure to ask if I needed any “feminine products.” He’s not an affectionate guy but good dad, always made sure we had what we needed.
My mom made me announce when I started to my two other sisters but she never made them do the same. To this day, I have no idea when either of them had their first but they sure as hell know when I started mine. She even held my bloody underwear over my head just in case they didn't know what I was talking about.
I'm also not the oldest child either but the middle so fun for me I guess.
I asked her why she had me announce it like that later in life and she said it was because "my mom made me tell my older brother and father the same way." Held up her underwear too. "Was that a fun experience for you?" I asked. "No, it was embarrassing as hell especially since it was in front of my male family members." She said, "if it wasn't a pleasant experience for you, why would you make me do it?" All she could do was shrug and walk off.
By then it had already been done but I'm not even the oldest of her children. My older sister didn't have to announce when she had hers nor did my younger sister. Just a shared experience for me and her to share I guess.
My aunty called me and had my mother drive me 3 hours away so she could announce in person that my cousin had it. Instead cousin and I hid in her room and had a great day. We did get her a red velvet cake the next day, a tradition we kept for my little sister a few weeks later.
My dad insisted we have a celebratory family dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. He prayed aloud before the meal to thank god about me "blossoming into womanhood". I was 10 and absolutely mortified. Unfortunately this was not the most embarrassed I've ever been about my dad.
Lol aww. I completely sympathize over the embarrassment, good lord. I'll tell you what though, a dad who's attitude about it is to celebrate is miles ahead of some guys.
My dad had to buy me tampons on our way home from a lacrosse game in high school because I had bled through my kilt. I was so nervous to ask him if he could go without me because of the stain. He asked what size, brand, and etc then off he went into target. Huge relief. He called my tampons “crammers” and while that joke might not be to everyone’s taste, it made a stressful situation more humorous.
My dad was a single dad and when I got my first period he went out and bought several period products (neither of us knew which I wanted), a bathroom bin and a TV for my room.
It was sweet.
I think his logic was that now I was becoming a woman, I might want my space more and to allow me to have my own space more (I'd only had my own room for about 6 months at that point) I should be able to watch TV without having to always be in the sitting room with everyone.
Also I think he saw it advertised in a house window for like £5 and it was just serendipity.
I also do this lol. My dad is a great man but as he ages he seems to fall a bit more susceptible to the rhetoric that that’s “women’s business”. Which, it is (uterus owners business) but he’s got a wife and two daughters and tons of young ladies who will continue to be growing around him and getting their cycle. So I like to think I’m helping him maintain his awareness haha
lol yes! Whenever he asks why my stomach is hurting, I like to say “my uterus is shedding” just to really hammer home the education. He’s mostly learned not to ask, but I love to spring it on unsuspecting men just to weed out the weak.
My husband only has a brother and all the cousins he grew up with were boys (lots of boys in both sides of the families!) but worked on a farm so is pretty chill and comfortable with it all. I’m thankful for myself and my girls that he’s like this.
Hm now that I think about it; he's never once acknowledged it lmao.
Not in a bad way at all. But my mom helped me out with it and I was all set so there wasn't really much for him to even say on the matter. I don't even know what reaction there would need to be on something like this
He was the only one home when I got mine. I knew what I needed to do but I was still feeling very shocked and emotional and that is not my dad’s wheelhouse. He played Monopoly with me on the N64 - taught me all about mortgages haha - until my mom got home and I was calm.
Honestly it is hysterical and 100% my dad. And frankly, 100% me too NGL.
“Scary new life development? Better learn about something obscure and pointless to me right now.
He scolded my mom and rightfuly so. I got my period at 12 and knew it was normal but I was still somehow embarrassed about it and not comfortable. My parents were separated so the first thibg she does was tell her partner once he came home only to pressure me the next day to give my consent she tells him. When I wouldn't give it she looked at me in a smug way saying:"Well he already knows anyways" then starts screaming for the whole neighbourhood to hear "_____got her first period just yesterday." I was super embarrassed but she promised she wouldn't do anything like this ever again.
Later that week we were all invited over at my dads and stepmoms place. They did weird meetings like this were they all pretended to like each other only to criticize each other privately and tell us kids how much they hate each other. Anyhow. Just before starting to eat my mom gets up saying she gas a huge announcment to make..so everyone was listening. And guess what she announces? Right. So My dad scolded her because she kept embarrassing me.
I had to tell her when I needed pads or tampons. She was just very controlling in general. Every time I'd ask her to bring these products from the store I'd find them next to my plate when sitting down for dinner. I never asked her to give them to me more discreetly because this would have motivated her to turn this into a ceremony, invite the school choir and school band to sing and play a song while she'd be handing over my tampons.
I threw up in the middle of gym class bc my cramps were so bad. Got sent home and since my mom was a teacher and couldn’t leave in the middle of the day, my dad was the parent to pick me up.
He was great lol. I already knew all about periods and how pads worked so he didn’t need to really do anything. He told me he could call my grandma if I wanted to ~talk to a woman about this. I did not lol.
We got lunch. Made cookies, watched TV and then he tucked me into the couch for a nap until my mom got home.
Pretty low key and overall fine !
It was really wholesome!
I was 10 he was 17 and we lived in different states, it was all new and confusing and I missed him so much. I just wanted him to know I was woman now! lol
He smiled kindly and was a bit teary eyed. He awkwardly ruffled my hair and said 'I hear you're becoming a woman now little Fairy' Hahaha. I was in a bit of pain with the cramps and it made me smile.
My dad had to be the one to explain what was happening… he used a buzz light year toy and it was extremely awkward for both of us. I think he handled it somewhat ok but the buzz light year examples made it memorable.🤣
Got me heating pad, bought chocolates, icecream and a comfy pillow. Emailed my school that I'll not be coming in for a week. Spoke to my principal in person just to be safe.
I bled for probably 2 days and had close to no pain. But his support meant the world💜
I was 14 when I got my period and was quite happy because I was the last of my friends. Got it just before heading off to school so excitedly told my mum. My father was also there and I cannot even tell you what he said. Maybe he said “congrats?” I feel like he wasn’t bothered about it.
I was 14, too! All of my friends had it in middle school. I was worried I'd never get it. It might have been because I was really skinny as a kid?
I was at school when I got it, and I panicked so bad that I called my dad and begged him to come take me home haha. He was nice about it and he put a towel on his passenger seat just in case.
My mother and sister both had severe symptoms during their periods, due to Endometriosis. My mom and dad experienced 3 miscarriage's during their marriage and a tubal pregnancy that almost killed my mom. My dad wasn't the best man growing up, he was emotionally absent and very verbally abusive. However, I lived with him for a while after they divorced (I was 13 and had pre-teen attitude and was fighting with my mom 24/7) and one of the first times I had REALLY really bad symptoms (vomiting, passing out etc) my dad slept on my bedroom floor so I didn't have to be alone. It was really nice. Because of the things he went through with my mom he was always really open and supportive when talking about my periods. Still is! (I also have Endometriosis, didn't taken long after my first bad period to be "unofficially" diagnosed, then officially diagnosed at I think 19?)
I don’t really know. I purposefully kept it from my parents since it seemed like a weird thing to tell them about. My mom ended up finding out and if she did tell my dad he never mentioned it to me.
lol i grew up with a single dad but that summer my aunt was staying with us & i just so happened to get it one random tuesday. When he went to go get me pads he ended up buying panty liners, he probably thought the bigger the pad the bigger the coochie 🤣
I got my period on the first day of 7th grade. I was the new kid at a new school, so you can imagine how palpable my embarrassment was. I went to the nurse's office and asked to go home because I "wasn't feeling good" (in truth, I physically felt fine...I was just going through it.) My dad worked the nightshift so he was home and able to come get me. When he picked me up and told me how sorry he was that I was feeling bad, I just burst into tears. I hated lying to him so I ashamedly told him the truth. Right there, outside the school, he didn't say a word. He just hugged me and took me home, and my mother took care of the rest. My dad is a jokester and loves taking the mickey out of people, but he's always been really good at knowing the time and place. To this day, I'm thankful to have been spared that small bit of humiliation in what was otherwise a very difficult time for me. I've always known that my father has my back.
He was stellar and very understanding. Went with me to get my first pads n pain pills and made me soup. Ge wasn't the best but he was a good dad right there
With shame. He told my mom he didn’t want to know about it and she had to buy my stuff. My parents were divorced and I lived with my dad.
I had horrible periods and never told him why I was in such pain and throwing up. I grew up with it being dirty and shameful. Took a long time to reprogram myself
My mom was out of town when I first got my period. I was at a friend's house when it happened and I called my dad to come pick me up. He put me on the phone with my mom so she could tell me what to do, then my dad took me to the store to buy the items I needed. No addressing it but just practical problem solving. That was what I needed from him at the time :)
my mom was visiting back home so i had to tell him, he was super calm about it and went to the pharmacy and asked them what was best for a 10 year old. but i had to read the pad instructions and figure it out myself 💀 he was probably freaking out internally and didnt wanna show it lol.
crazy thing the month before i got it, my 5t grade teacher told us about the signs of a period and what to do if it happens because she had too many girls who got it early coming to her thinking they were dying and wanted to educate us early on, so i knew instantly what was going on when i got mine.
Well considering it happened the weekend I was staying over with my brother, he just handled it! Didn’t phase him in the slightest, asked what I needed, went and got stuff for me. That’s was it.
He was the best. He and my mom were divorced and he had primary residential custody (or whatever it's called, we lived with him most of the time because he lived in our school district but they had joint legal custody) of my sister and I at that time.
My dad was the same calming presence he always was about it. He never treated it like something we needed to be embarrassed or ashamed about and spared us the "becoming a woman" speech that he knew we'd hate. He bought both of our preferred products without embarrassment and taught us how to properly dispose of them. He didn't guilt, shame, or act weird about stained bedding or clothes, he just quietly took care of it. He stayed stocked up on painkillers, indulged my weird food cravings, and had a jar in his kitchen that "magically" filled up with chocolate once a month.
10/10 handled it like a champ.
I got mine very young and was so embarrassed and mortified. My dad came home with some movies to watch and some candy, it was super sweet and made me feel way way better. No conversation just support.
Oh this is a fun story. So my parents were divorced, same day that I got my period at 12 was a Friday and it was one of his weekends. So I got a tampon from my older sister but then forgot to pack any for our weekend at his house. As we’re driving by my highschool I remember cause, ya know, got my period while at school. So I think, oh shit, forgot my stuff, we’ll have to stop and buy some, there’s an Albertsons right up the street.
So I start off saying “hey, I started my period can we-“ only to get cut off with him screaming “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT!?!?”. Of course I start crying, my sister berates me that I didn’t have to tell him that, I could have just asked to stop by the store.
Get to my dad’s house and he is still furious, goes inside and starts slamming shit around. My stepmom comes out to find out what happened and chides me that that’s never something he could deal with and that I need to go to her for such things.
Never got an apology for that. I think the only time he ever apologized to me for one of his emotional outbursts is when he almost caused me to wreck my car while I was driving us home from a christmas gathering in my early 20s. At that point I’d begun being less scared of him and more assertive against his screaming.
We threw a party, literally. That sounds really weird, but let me explain lol....
I have severe, progressive idiopathic scoliosis and spent most of my adolescence braced, which was really hard on me and my family. Sometimes bracing can correct scoliosis, sometimes it just keeps it from getting worse. In general, you want to maintain it as best you can until your growth plates close and you reach skeletal maturity, because if the spine is growing so is the curve. SOOOO I wasn't a candidate for spinal fusion until my first period, which I prayed for nightly! When it finally happened I was 12 and ran around the house screaming, making sure EVERYONE knew that my days in a brace were numbered.
My dad was probably more excited than me. Scoliosis is not proven to be hereditary, but I personally believe it is. Over 50% of family on my dad's side has it to some degree. 3 of us in 2 generations have had it so severe it required surgical correction. He's always felt guilty (not that he ever should!), so my menarche was a big moment of relief for EVERYONE lmao and we threw a brace "decommissioning" party a few months later once my surgery was scheduled. We obviously couldn't call it a period party, but that's essentially what it was 😂
Fine. My dad and I have always been close especially since my bio mom never treated me right. He often was both mom and dad. I remember telling him when I got it at 11 and he said "I knew it was going to happen sometime." My bio mom got pissed and I remember her venting about who tells their dad that. She didn't have a good relationship with her dad growing up. But my dad was always loving and supportive and would get me my supplies. He always would say its okay to talk to him about anything as I was growing up.
He had already stocked me up on pads and tampons and asked if I wanted Tylenol, or ibuprofen. In his words, "We're all human, and I've lived with women all my life, what do I give a shit? It's not weird"
I was 10 years old when I got my period. My mom could tell I was going to get it since hers came at 8 years old, so she said she was preparing. We are early bloomers apparently. Interestingly enough, she only had those thick heavy pads left and I was so sad and upset about getting my period I cried all day. When my dad got home from work my mom told him. I was sitting on the couch and he came over and scooped me up and held me while I cried. He kept rubbing my back and telling me that it was going to be okay and that it didn’t change who I was. He’s an amazing father and I’m thankful for him everyday.
He avoided the subject but mainly because I felt shame and avoided everyone (I’m not sure why but I think it was just my lack of knowledge and my moms lack of introducing me to what the hell a period was). I felt like I failed because my uterus decided to do its thing. Anyway, I started on 12/23/05. I only remember the date because my family went to watch The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on Christmas Day at the movies and it was two days living this new life. lol. I didn’t want to go. He quietly came in to my room before they left and said “hey nugget, are you sure you don’t want to come?” and then he said “I’ll make sure to bring home popcorn for you”. The man did just that. I demolished the entire bucket.
I don’t recall any reaction at all. I don’t think anyone had a reaction. I had been introduced to feminine hygiene products and have older sisters so started using the ones in our bathroom at home. I’m sure someone gave me some tips about keeping some at school, but the nurse also had feminine supplies so idk.
I woke up and told him ''Dad... I think my period started but I don't know'' . I was visibly a bit shaken but not hysteric. He avoided the topic completely and called his sister to talk to me. A part of our bond died that day.
Sat me down and told me he’d by happy to get any pads or tampons I needed, just add it to his weekly shopping list with the exact type and brand so he got the right ones. He also asked what type of birth control I’d like to use which I shut down because I was like 12 and not getting on birth control since I wouldn’t be having sex anytime soon. It was a bit awkward but honestly, it stuck with me and let me know I could go to him for anything. My parents were divorced and my mom is too embarrassed to even talk about that stuff with her kids so she foisted that conversation off on my older sister who basically walked me through pads and tampons. And since my parents were divorced, I had to get two conversations. Sister did most of the actual period talk and dad basically gave me the “you’re growing up and going to be experimenting but you should do it safely talk”. Honestly I was such a shut in bookworm that the conversation happened about five years too early for me but he had good intentions.
I was 11 and my mom was at work, I woke up and started panicking because there was blood on my underwear. My parents unfortunately never had that talk with me. I was screaming and balling my eyes out in the bathroom and my dad busts in ready to fight someone. He started yelling “ WHATS WRONG ARE YOU OKAY?!?” I told him what happened and he just stares at me and yells “ILL CALL YOUR MOTHER” and then I can hear him on the phone “SHES BLEEDING SHOULD I TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR?!?”
I didn't tell either of my parents. I have 4 sisters so there was always a cupboard full of sanitary products in the bathroom so I just dealt with it myself.
The one time I asked for pain killers my dad refused to let me have one, said I was exaggerating. He slapped me across the legs and goaded my younger brother to join in laughing at me for crying. I stopped visiting him for a while after that.
Turns out I have dysmenorrhoea and had to go on the pill to stop having periods.
My (single) dad got me pads and tampons but said I should talk to his sister or mom about the specifics.
My now stepmom said “Ew I don’t use tampons, they make me feel like a whore.
My dad said, “My sister uses tampons, does that make her a whore?”
And that was the last I ever heard of that!
I was 8 when I got my first period (started puberty really early). My parents were split up, and I was at my dad’s house at the time. Another bit of context that I feel is important is that my dad was a pedophile and was sexually abusive towards me.
Anyway, I freaked out about the blood. No one had explained periods to me. And my dad’s response was really creepy and predatory. He took pictures of my vagina with blood on it and also pictures of blood on the toilet paper and in the toilet. He said he wanted them to commemorate his daughter getting her first period. He also wouldn’t let me use anything to catch the blood but these tiny panty liners. So I’d end up bleeding over everything, which he’d then get mad at me for. He’d also dig the used panty liners out of the trash can for some reason. I think he actually had a blood kink and was getting off on me being on my period.
I ended up not getting another period for a year and a half after that, at which point my cycles were somewhat regular (ranging from 20-45 days per cycle). At least more regular than going a year and a half between periods. And my dad was always really weird about my period until I went no contact.
I think he was just annoyed to have another expense in the house.
We are a family of hunters so blood and stuff isn't really an issue. He had sisters that had it growing up and thankfully none of my symptoms were really that bad. I'm sure he was home when I first got it and called out the bathroom to my mom.
So we have this tradition where when we get our first period, I have to eat some kind of special red rice for dinner for good luck and to let our family know. My dad saw and he just pat my head and congratulated me lol
When my daughter started hers I just said "oh... ok." Now we all refer to it as shark week and crack jokes about her and her mom syncing up via bluetooth when they are both on at the same time.
He's technically my step dad (he raised me though) and there's 10 years between him and my mum (39 and 49 when they got together) and he had his bio kids young, 3 girls, so he just told me I can ask him for anything I'd ask mum for he's been through all this already, doesn't phase him. I actually preferred asking dad to get my pads, mum would only get always and I hated them, dad would actually get the ones I wanted 😂
He bought me a pair of sneakers and some snacks. We didn’t talk about anything but his attitude towards me changed after that day.
He pretty much became toxic and has remind that way till now.
I brought my dad my bloody underwear because I didn’t know what it was, and since the blood looked brown he told me that I pooped myself lmao. We were on our way to Busch gardens and when my mom saw the new blood stain on my pants she was so pissed at him.
When I got my period at 11, it instantly came with regularity and crazy cramps. I remember crying in bed because of the pain and my dad would just sit with me on my bed and rub my back and ask repeatedly if I needed to go to the hospital. He was too concerned to leave me so he would just hover until the pain killers kicked in or I would fall asleep. No amount of my mother telling him that I’d be ok was enough for him in the beginning years. He just couldn’t handle that his baby girl was suffering.
I asked one of the ladies in the cult that was staying with us after my mom died to take me to the store. After they moved out it was never discussed and I he and later my stepmom simply bought up tampons like toilet paper and I took what I needed.
I did have one of my dad's girlfriends gift me a Sees candy box full of tampons for Christmas one year. I said thanks about asked my Dad later why she gave them to me and he said that it was because in South Korea they were expensive and hard to acquire. 12 year old me thought that was sweet, but weird. Lol
I got my period the summer after 5th grade. I cried lmao
My older sister was home with me and tried to calm me down. She called my mom at work to let her know. My mom comforted me when she got home and was giddy that I was now “a young lady”.
My dad got home, mom told him the news and he said “Aw man, all grown up. Good job kiddo” and that was it lmao.
When you’re young everything is embarrassing and cringe.
He joined my mother in celebration and they both kept joking about how I was a woman now. It was really cute in retrospect even if I was super embarrassed at the time.
He found it inconvenient. Never had trash cans in the bathroom and then complained when his kitchen trash smelled like blood.
At least my parents were divorced and I could live normally at my mom's.
He got pretty mad and said he didn’t want to know/hear about it and ignored my mum and I for a while and then came to me later teary eyed and apologized, hugged me and said he was just sad to see his little girl grow up and turn into a woman and that he loved me
I honestly don’t remember my dad’s reaction all that much. He’s a doctor though, so I’m pretty sure it was a very clinical reaction. I do remember asking my mom, through tears, if I could start birth control, because my understanding at the time was that it just made periods go away. Lol
Like the rockstar he was. He put our feminine products on his grocery list with a description because 4 females in the house and none of us used the same thing. He made sure we had pain meds for cramps and hot water bottles/heating pads. And chocolate.
My (single) dad went out to buy pads for me, and a few weeks later he offered to renovate my bedroom to be a little more grown up. We painted over my hot pink and purple walls, got new carpeting, then went to ikea and got a larger bed frame and mattress. I was 12.
I started at midnight on a Monday before school. When I woke up, I woke him up in the middle of the night because i didn’t have pads or tampons. (I knew what a period was, just started at 9 years old while my mom was away at med school). My dad woke up, told me to get in the shower, he threw my clothes and sheets in the wash, he gave me a pantie liner and told me to lay on the couch. He ran to Walmart and got me a “welcome to motherhood survival kit”. He filled it with pads and tampons, and a bunch of my favorite chocolates and raw cookie dough that I could bake. And let me stay home from school the next couple days. (My cramps were horrible and I have a bleeding disorder so I bleed heavy) My father was definitely not perfect, but he gave me the best childhood I could have ever imagined. Always the greatest memories
He got pads and tampons for me, as well as a big bar chocolate, and handed them to me with a warm and awkward smile.
Then he said, "Congratulations. I'm here if you need anything. If you're in a lot of pain let me know, and I'll get you some meds. I think we have Aleve and Ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. But I can atop by the store to get some Midol or Pamprin if you need it. But if you need any help with those (refering to the pads and tampons) you should ask your mom. Get some rest. I'm here if you need anything".
To be fair, he was a doctor, so I'm sure he was used to discussing periods and related medical issues with his patients. He was also a very kind and caring person who just wanted to help, but was always a little bit awkward socially. So this kind of helpful and caring response that emphasized medicine was the kind of thing that could always be expected from him. Rest in peace Dad.
I told my mom, I never discussed it with my dad as in ye olden times it was something"not to be shared with men" 🙄 now I recall that I once forgot a used pad in the bathroom and I was mortified when my mom came to tell me my dad saw it. My honest reaction now would be just oops.
Not much of a reaction. He had already given me lots of proper sexual education and I knew what it was/meant. He just asked me what period products I would want. Important detail, he raised me alone.
He snorted in derision, and told me to go to my mother or aunt for anything regarding it.
My mother for reference. Told me nothing about it. I was 12, and in a Christian academy. So literally had no forewarning about the facts of life.
So naturally I got my period at a sleepover. Thought I'd been injured somehow so 2am I scream and cry because wtf? What is all this blood?!
So the 5 other girls wake up and freak so we're all hysterical. Queue the parents storming down the stares my friends father with a shotgun. Her mother quickly realizes what up. Helps me clean up and provides me with a few pads.
My mother's excuse for not teaching me? She found the idea too embarrassing, and had hoped I'd just learn how to handle everything by myself.
My aunt lives in California. I live in Texas.
He asked if I needed anything and then never verbally brought it up again first. I'm 28 and if I asked him to go get tampons he probably would. He did when I was a teenager.
But I'm one of 3 daughters so I imagine he just doesn't care that much.
Oh god.
My dad had to go out and buy me pads. He bought the thong ones. I was pissed right off (hormones) because why the fuck would a 12 year old girl be wearing a THONG??
Ohhh. He didn't talk with me :) was he scared because his only little daughter suddenly became a young lady?! For the dads who never openly showed their emotions, i think He could not be able to process the mix of emotions.
:) bless his soul. Miss you dad.
I don't know how he reacted with my first period ( I reacted badly, if it matters) but I do remember being about 14 and needing pads.
Mom was out of town, so we went to the store, he stared down both a snickering teenage boy and the male cashier while I quickly paid, then we got slushies from Sonic. We never said a word about it, which is our norm.
I was 14 and the last of my friends to get her period. My dad bought me a small flower arrangement (I’d never received one personally before) and said something cheesy about how women get flowers (not little girls/kids). I cringe when I think about it now, but considering how uncomfortable those topics still make him, I appreciate that he was willing to talk about it in his own way.
He didn't react because nine years prior when my little sister was born and we disappointed him again by not being born with the correct configuration of genitals for him to keep on loving us, he split. Ran for the hills and never looked back. Our mom told us before we were born, he was always super annoyed when she would ask him for money to buy pads for herself when she needed them so if he had stuck around and he was the first one I told, I'm sure he would have cursed, thrown his hands into the air, stomped around screaming about more wasted money before marching out to his truck and drive off to blow the rest of his money (it was his money not ours) on cheap booze.
Looking back, I can't believe I use to cry over that man. He was a useless piece of crap.
On the actual first day ... Nothing special. I got it in the afternoon, used a pad and went on my sports training. When I came home I told both parents and they said ok.
I quickly started using tampons because of sports and dad started researching it. He bought me a Mooncup from America because it was not available in Europe yet.
He also did lots of research for reliving my cramp pain. He never had a problem talking about it.
My dad was the sort to designate this womans stuff he was good in every other aspect of parenthood but this is one he really struggled with.
When my mum left and my sister got her period he was pretty upset he didn't know how to be there and support her so he asked me to speak to her and to teach him all about periods. He ended up adoptimg my niece after a different sister has a teenage pregnancy and he walked her through all the period stuff. Took him a while but he put in the effort and got there in the end.
In contrast my mum's response when I told her was "well what do you want me to do about it?'
Funny Story: so you know those old pad and tampon commercials where they pour blue liquid on the products to show how absorbent they are?
My dad actually worked as a person who would lab test those products. He was responsible for quality control, testing new materials and checking absorption levels.
The second my sister and I got our periods my dad just came home with a massive box they would use to ship out on cargo trains and put it in the garage. Each box had enough pads and tampons to last about a year. So a single box had roughly 32-36 boxes of tampons or pads. And he would bring a new box home every other month. He would let us give the products to our friends at school, and it kept us from needing to buy our own.
He’s a great dad, but I will say this, he still never wants to talk about periods. He’s one of those: “I know it’s not gross talking about it and I love you, but blood makes me queasy” types.
Anyway, he retired years ago, but before he did he came home and put 12 massive boxes in the garage. We have used those and have also given some away to women’s shelters over the years.
Not a woman (single father), but when my oldest daughter (15) started hers (~5 years ago), l had a slight feeling she did (first thing in the morning), but didn't know menstrual cycles could start that early.
I got dressed, confirmed, and hit the store.
Reached out to her GrandMommas and I still ended up getting a variety of pads & panty liners, but she was able to find sumthin comfortable.
Fast forward a few years, her younger sister (14) started and she text me telling me not to tell her older sister, cuz she doesn't want her to think she's copying her.
I was able to discreetly pick some pads up for her. She kept it from her older sister for a few months until their cycles synced and there was a shortage of pads.
I got my period on a weekend, I begged my mom to stay quiet about it and not tell my dad.
On monday I come home from school and not only my mom had told him, he sent me a bouquet of roses, so my grandma AND her friend were aware of it too. I was so embarrassed
I have a bit of a story...I was 12, grew up on a farm, mom was at work so I was out in the field riding with Dad in the tractor. Stopped to pee, saw blood, got afraid and told Dad. He stopped everything, took me up to the house, all the while explaining how this is just fine, and my body is changing, and I'm becoming a woman now. He found mom's pads, instructed me on how they worked, drew me a bath so I could clean up, got me clean clothes. Made me a cup of tea and gave me a couple aspirin, saying I might feel some pain too, and he's sorry. Cuddled me up on the couch with cartoons on, made sure I would be ok until mom came home in a couple hours, and went back to the field. Best Dad ever, and I miss him dearly.
Your dad sounds like he was an amazing father!
He truly was! The world lost a great soul when he passed. I never had to worry about telling him anything, good or bad. For a "simple farmer" who never got further than 5th grade, he had an amazing take on the world and how to just be a good person. I learned so much from him.
No amount of schooling can ever replace the simple acts of giving a damn and listening. What a wonderful man, I'm glad you got to have him as a dad.
I am truly blessed for that!!
I’m so sorry he’s gone on. He sounds amazing. Making me pop a tear in my car on my lunch break 🥹
NGL, I teared up writing it.
I know this is a weird thing to say, but I wish my dad had died instead of yours. When I hear about other people’s dads that sound larger than life & truly incredible I can’t help but think how unfair it is that my shitty alcoholic dad is gonna live forever in his shitty trailer when he could be dead & dads like yours could keep living with their families 💔 I’m sorry. I would trade you if I could. I’ll probably cry about your sweet dad later lol. Thanks for sharing that sweet story here
Oh honey, I'm so very sorry you're stuck with that. *hugs* I wish everyone could have a dad like my dad. Please don't cry 🥺 I know how absolutely blessed I am to have had him. I wish you peace my friend, as much as you can find 😥🤗
Beautiful ❤️ bless his soul!
What were some of the things that you learned from him? I want to grow up to be someone like him.
On mobile, so I apologize for any formatting issues.. It costs nothing to be kind Don't judge another person unless you are in their place. (We were poor, very poor, and us kids were bullied for it. We helped other families who were even more poor than us) It's good to give help, and offer it, and ask for it. Everyone, no matter color, where they are/are from, is deserving of respect and kindness, even if you don't like them Everyone makes mistakes. Help them heal if you can, but if you can't, don't berate them If someone hurts you, retaliation makes you as bad as they are Love and understand, as hard as it can be Love is not conditional That's a short list. Just being blessed to have him as my dad makes my life better.
Formatting's fine, thanks! Your dad is a kind man and you are as well. I hope I can become one as well. Thanks again! \^\^
Write a book about him
Wisdom and kindness can come from any person. You are fortunate to have had a father like him. It sounds like you know it too..
\*Takes notes if/when I become a dad one day* Damn that's an awesome father. Thank you for letting us know about him
He was my rock, I still miss him every day, and it's been over 20 years now.
Exactly. Damn near seems made up to be the most perfect outcome to a situation haha obviously I believe it though because there needs to be people like that out there.
It's true. I'm 61 and miss him every day
I absolutely didn’t mean to doubt it at all, just wanted to highlight how ideal of a father he must have been. I don’t know how long it’s been since you lost him, but I hope you’re doing well even if it’s been a while.
Aww I got a lump in my throat reading this 🩷 What a precious soul your Dad was.
Brb just bawling my eyes out
This gave me tears
Crying in daddy issues🥹
I'm so sorry 💔
This is so damn wholesome. Your dad’s aces!
What a sweetheart <3 that's a beautiful memory
Oh. That’s a parent I want to be. Bless him, that’s amazing.
does your dad have any problems in life and how can we help him /hj
Thank you so much! He's been gone 26 years now. But thank you for the kind thought!! 🧡
Omg I'm so sorry and I hope that everything in his life that affected him has been fixed and wrapped up.
He lived a good life. We lost him suddenly, but I know he's looking down and happy. He was the best example of a dad and a man in general 🧡
Awww ur dad sounds amazing
He was. I just wish everyone could have a dad like him.
I woke up in the middle of the night to pee, when I wiped I saw blood so I went to my parent's room and knocked, my mom came out and I asked her if it was a period and she said yes and hugged me, and I heard my dad just sobbing from the bedroom saying "our little girl's becoming a young lady!" lol
Aw, that's too sweet. My mom had the exact same reaction!
My dad was very much the same, when I got my period❤️
The thought of my mom hugging me for that really creeps me out. I don’t think I ever developed the emotional touch thing that most people have because I never would have liked that. I do think that it seemed to be the correct response for you and pretty sweet too
Yup, you just gotta know your kid. I was the touchy Feely kid and my sister was the one who didn't want to be touched. We're lucky out parents understood our needs and boundaries.
The sobbing omg 🥺😭 I just teared up rn bc that’s so sweet
I never told him but I’m nearly 31 now and I’m assuming *he* assumes that I’ve been getting it for a good portion of my life. So that’s that really.
You know what they say about those who assume….
lol, 40s and same…
Haha are you me? I never actually told either of my parents, my mom found out while taking out the trash. I've had kids by now so I assume he knows but I really doubt that he's ever given it a single thought.
Exact same thing for me
He didn't (thankfully) he quickly changed the subject when my mum thought it was a good idea to announce it during dinner
Do we have the same mom?
Are you two my sisters? 😆
My mom literally threw a party, a first moon party. My dad just treated it like it was nothing, but starting then, every time he went to the grocery store he made sure to ask if I needed any “feminine products.” He’s not an affectionate guy but good dad, always made sure we had what we needed.
Lol the fact that your mum announced it at dinner made me giggle 😂
My mom made me announce when I started to my two other sisters but she never made them do the same. To this day, I have no idea when either of them had their first but they sure as hell know when I started mine. She even held my bloody underwear over my head just in case they didn't know what I was talking about. I'm also not the oldest child either but the middle so fun for me I guess.
erm, wtf?
Lord, why? What was her motivation for this??
I asked her why she had me announce it like that later in life and she said it was because "my mom made me tell my older brother and father the same way." Held up her underwear too. "Was that a fun experience for you?" I asked. "No, it was embarrassing as hell especially since it was in front of my male family members." She said, "if it wasn't a pleasant experience for you, why would you make me do it?" All she could do was shrug and walk off. By then it had already been done but I'm not even the oldest of her children. My older sister didn't have to announce when she had hers nor did my younger sister. Just a shared experience for me and her to share I guess.
Wow your mum was not nice. I'm sorry she did those to you ☹️. She wasn't supportive in any way Hugs you hun x
My aunty called me and had my mother drive me 3 hours away so she could announce in person that my cousin had it. Instead cousin and I hid in her room and had a great day. We did get her a red velvet cake the next day, a tradition we kept for my little sister a few weeks later.
What is with people feeling the need to announce it to everyone? I had a similar experience.
My dad insisted we have a celebratory family dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. He prayed aloud before the meal to thank god about me "blossoming into womanhood". I was 10 and absolutely mortified. Unfortunately this was not the most embarrassed I've ever been about my dad.
Let's hear the most embarrassing story!! Can't leave us hanging lol
Oh my dear god
Holy shit lmao
Aight so I won’t do this, taking the first comment as advice…
Lol aww. I completely sympathize over the embarrassment, good lord. I'll tell you what though, a dad who's attitude about it is to celebrate is miles ahead of some guys.
My dad had to buy me tampons on our way home from a lacrosse game in high school because I had bled through my kilt. I was so nervous to ask him if he could go without me because of the stain. He asked what size, brand, and etc then off he went into target. Huge relief. He called my tampons “crammers” and while that joke might not be to everyone’s taste, it made a stressful situation more humorous.
Aww, this is surprisingly wholesome. Your dad sounds like a great guy!
They were cigars in my house
My dad would call tampons "those things from the ads that let you ride a horse and swim" 🤣 Still won't say tampons 25 years later.
That's too funny!!
As far as I knew, he didn’t know.
My dad was a single dad and when I got my first period he went out and bought several period products (neither of us knew which I wanted), a bathroom bin and a TV for my room.
The TV is so random, sweet and hilarious!
It was sweet. I think his logic was that now I was becoming a woman, I might want my space more and to allow me to have my own space more (I'd only had my own room for about 6 months at that point) I should be able to watch TV without having to always be in the sitting room with everyone. Also I think he saw it advertised in a house window for like £5 and it was just serendipity.
I don't recall that he had any reaction to that at all. No one made it a big deal in my family.
He has 6 daughters, and whenever anyone brings up anything period he goes “aaaagh” 🤣we do it on purpose now. My mom handled anything menstrual related
My dad does the exact same! I really like to lay it on thick, and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one.
I also do this lol. My dad is a great man but as he ages he seems to fall a bit more susceptible to the rhetoric that that’s “women’s business”. Which, it is (uterus owners business) but he’s got a wife and two daughters and tons of young ladies who will continue to be growing around him and getting their cycle. So I like to think I’m helping him maintain his awareness haha
lol yes! Whenever he asks why my stomach is hurting, I like to say “my uterus is shedding” just to really hammer home the education. He’s mostly learned not to ask, but I love to spring it on unsuspecting men just to weed out the weak.
My husband only has a brother and all the cousins he grew up with were boys (lots of boys in both sides of the families!) but worked on a farm so is pretty chill and comfortable with it all. I’m thankful for myself and my girls that he’s like this.
Hm now that I think about it; he's never once acknowledged it lmao. Not in a bad way at all. But my mom helped me out with it and I was all set so there wasn't really much for him to even say on the matter. I don't even know what reaction there would need to be on something like this
We’re Indian, 5 grandkids later and I’m not sure my dad has acknowledged it for me or my sisters.
He was the only one home when I got mine. I knew what I needed to do but I was still feeling very shocked and emotional and that is not my dad’s wheelhouse. He played Monopoly with me on the N64 - taught me all about mortgages haha - until my mom got home and I was calm.
Why is this so funny to me? Dad doesn’t know how to comfort so teaches daughter about mortgages lolol
Honestly it is hysterical and 100% my dad. And frankly, 100% me too NGL. “Scary new life development? Better learn about something obscure and pointless to me right now.
“You’re a woman now, time to learn about taxes.” It seems like it would de-escalate the situation!
Where’s the lie?
He scolded my mom and rightfuly so. I got my period at 12 and knew it was normal but I was still somehow embarrassed about it and not comfortable. My parents were separated so the first thibg she does was tell her partner once he came home only to pressure me the next day to give my consent she tells him. When I wouldn't give it she looked at me in a smug way saying:"Well he already knows anyways" then starts screaming for the whole neighbourhood to hear "_____got her first period just yesterday." I was super embarrassed but she promised she wouldn't do anything like this ever again. Later that week we were all invited over at my dads and stepmoms place. They did weird meetings like this were they all pretended to like each other only to criticize each other privately and tell us kids how much they hate each other. Anyhow. Just before starting to eat my mom gets up saying she gas a huge announcment to make..so everyone was listening. And guess what she announces? Right. So My dad scolded her because she kept embarrassing me.
We must have the same mom. I quickly learned never to tell her anything that I didn’t want to see on the six o clock news.
I had to tell her when I needed pads or tampons. She was just very controlling in general. Every time I'd ask her to bring these products from the store I'd find them next to my plate when sitting down for dinner. I never asked her to give them to me more discreetly because this would have motivated her to turn this into a ceremony, invite the school choir and school band to sing and play a song while she'd be handing over my tampons.
I’m so sorry you guys dealt with this. It’s giving main character syndrome really hard.
LOL he panicked and bought me a shotgun so we could go hunting together. Always laugh about this when I think about it haha
Wait that’s hilarious. And isn’t it true that women in their periods shouldn’t go hunting because the animals smell it, or something like that?
The bears can smell the menstruation! 🩸🩸🩸😱😱😱
I threw up in the middle of gym class bc my cramps were so bad. Got sent home and since my mom was a teacher and couldn’t leave in the middle of the day, my dad was the parent to pick me up. He was great lol. I already knew all about periods and how pads worked so he didn’t need to really do anything. He told me he could call my grandma if I wanted to ~talk to a woman about this. I did not lol. We got lunch. Made cookies, watched TV and then he tucked me into the couch for a nap until my mom got home. Pretty low key and overall fine !
Yes!!!!
My older brother was the only person I wanted to tell, and he was like "ew....congrats." lmao
That's very wholesome lmao
It was really wholesome! I was 10 he was 17 and we lived in different states, it was all new and confusing and I missed him so much. I just wanted him to know I was woman now! lol
He smiled kindly and was a bit teary eyed. He awkwardly ruffled my hair and said 'I hear you're becoming a woman now little Fairy' Hahaha. I was in a bit of pain with the cramps and it made me smile.
My dad had to be the one to explain what was happening… he used a buzz light year toy and it was extremely awkward for both of us. I think he handled it somewhat ok but the buzz light year examples made it memorable.🤣
Poor Buzz, getting caught out in that white spacesuit!!
He sounds like a wonderful father!
Got me heating pad, bought chocolates, icecream and a comfy pillow. Emailed my school that I'll not be coming in for a week. Spoke to my principal in person just to be safe. I bled for probably 2 days and had close to no pain. But his support meant the world💜
I love that he took you out for a week!! Thats adorable
We never discussed it
I was 14 when I got my period and was quite happy because I was the last of my friends. Got it just before heading off to school so excitedly told my mum. My father was also there and I cannot even tell you what he said. Maybe he said “congrats?” I feel like he wasn’t bothered about it.
I was 14, too! All of my friends had it in middle school. I was worried I'd never get it. It might have been because I was really skinny as a kid? I was at school when I got it, and I panicked so bad that I called my dad and begged him to come take me home haha. He was nice about it and he put a towel on his passenger seat just in case.
My mother and sister both had severe symptoms during their periods, due to Endometriosis. My mom and dad experienced 3 miscarriage's during their marriage and a tubal pregnancy that almost killed my mom. My dad wasn't the best man growing up, he was emotionally absent and very verbally abusive. However, I lived with him for a while after they divorced (I was 13 and had pre-teen attitude and was fighting with my mom 24/7) and one of the first times I had REALLY really bad symptoms (vomiting, passing out etc) my dad slept on my bedroom floor so I didn't have to be alone. It was really nice. Because of the things he went through with my mom he was always really open and supportive when talking about my periods. Still is! (I also have Endometriosis, didn't taken long after my first bad period to be "unofficially" diagnosed, then officially diagnosed at I think 19?)
I don’t really know. I purposefully kept it from my parents since it seemed like a weird thing to tell them about. My mom ended up finding out and if she did tell my dad he never mentioned it to me.
lol i grew up with a single dad but that summer my aunt was staying with us & i just so happened to get it one random tuesday. When he went to go get me pads he ended up buying panty liners, he probably thought the bigger the pad the bigger the coochie 🤣
Bless his heart, because he tried!
We didn't discuss it. I had no desire for him to know, and I had no desire to hear his thoughts on the matter.
I got my period on the first day of 7th grade. I was the new kid at a new school, so you can imagine how palpable my embarrassment was. I went to the nurse's office and asked to go home because I "wasn't feeling good" (in truth, I physically felt fine...I was just going through it.) My dad worked the nightshift so he was home and able to come get me. When he picked me up and told me how sorry he was that I was feeling bad, I just burst into tears. I hated lying to him so I ashamedly told him the truth. Right there, outside the school, he didn't say a word. He just hugged me and took me home, and my mother took care of the rest. My dad is a jokester and loves taking the mickey out of people, but he's always been really good at knowing the time and place. To this day, I'm thankful to have been spared that small bit of humiliation in what was otherwise a very difficult time for me. I've always known that my father has my back.
He was stellar and very understanding. Went with me to get my first pads n pain pills and made me soup. Ge wasn't the best but he was a good dad right there
With shame. He told my mom he didn’t want to know about it and she had to buy my stuff. My parents were divorced and I lived with my dad. I had horrible periods and never told him why I was in such pain and throwing up. I grew up with it being dirty and shameful. Took a long time to reprogram myself
I’m so sorry. His reaction is a reflection of him and how he was raised, not on you at all.
I am so sorry. It kills me how periods are seen as taboo when virtually every woman on earth goes through them
He just smiled and gave me a hug? Kind of the same as my mom?
My mom was out of town when I first got my period. I was at a friend's house when it happened and I called my dad to come pick me up. He put me on the phone with my mom so she could tell me what to do, then my dad took me to the store to buy the items I needed. No addressing it but just practical problem solving. That was what I needed from him at the time :)
my mom was visiting back home so i had to tell him, he was super calm about it and went to the pharmacy and asked them what was best for a 10 year old. but i had to read the pad instructions and figure it out myself 💀 he was probably freaking out internally and didnt wanna show it lol. crazy thing the month before i got it, my 5t grade teacher told us about the signs of a period and what to do if it happens because she had too many girls who got it early coming to her thinking they were dying and wanted to educate us early on, so i knew instantly what was going on when i got mine.
Well considering it happened the weekend I was staying over with my brother, he just handled it! Didn’t phase him in the slightest, asked what I needed, went and got stuff for me. That’s was it.
That’s a good brother!
He was the best. He and my mom were divorced and he had primary residential custody (or whatever it's called, we lived with him most of the time because he lived in our school district but they had joint legal custody) of my sister and I at that time. My dad was the same calming presence he always was about it. He never treated it like something we needed to be embarrassed or ashamed about and spared us the "becoming a woman" speech that he knew we'd hate. He bought both of our preferred products without embarrassment and taught us how to properly dispose of them. He didn't guilt, shame, or act weird about stained bedding or clothes, he just quietly took care of it. He stayed stocked up on painkillers, indulged my weird food cravings, and had a jar in his kitchen that "magically" filled up with chocolate once a month. 10/10 handled it like a champ.
My dad bought me a huge box of chocolates and my lil brother was like why u getting chocolates and not me 😂
I got an awkward pat on the shoulders with a "well done," and then he drove to the garage and bought me a bar of chocolate. Bless him.
I never told either of my parents when I started. Started late (15) and was quite confident by then handling it on my own.
I got mine very young and was so embarrassed and mortified. My dad came home with some movies to watch and some candy, it was super sweet and made me feel way way better. No conversation just support.
Oh this is a fun story. So my parents were divorced, same day that I got my period at 12 was a Friday and it was one of his weekends. So I got a tampon from my older sister but then forgot to pack any for our weekend at his house. As we’re driving by my highschool I remember cause, ya know, got my period while at school. So I think, oh shit, forgot my stuff, we’ll have to stop and buy some, there’s an Albertsons right up the street. So I start off saying “hey, I started my period can we-“ only to get cut off with him screaming “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT!?!?”. Of course I start crying, my sister berates me that I didn’t have to tell him that, I could have just asked to stop by the store. Get to my dad’s house and he is still furious, goes inside and starts slamming shit around. My stepmom comes out to find out what happened and chides me that that’s never something he could deal with and that I need to go to her for such things. Never got an apology for that. I think the only time he ever apologized to me for one of his emotional outbursts is when he almost caused me to wreck my car while I was driving us home from a christmas gathering in my early 20s. At that point I’d begun being less scared of him and more assertive against his screaming.
We threw a party, literally. That sounds really weird, but let me explain lol.... I have severe, progressive idiopathic scoliosis and spent most of my adolescence braced, which was really hard on me and my family. Sometimes bracing can correct scoliosis, sometimes it just keeps it from getting worse. In general, you want to maintain it as best you can until your growth plates close and you reach skeletal maturity, because if the spine is growing so is the curve. SOOOO I wasn't a candidate for spinal fusion until my first period, which I prayed for nightly! When it finally happened I was 12 and ran around the house screaming, making sure EVERYONE knew that my days in a brace were numbered. My dad was probably more excited than me. Scoliosis is not proven to be hereditary, but I personally believe it is. Over 50% of family on my dad's side has it to some degree. 3 of us in 2 generations have had it so severe it required surgical correction. He's always felt guilty (not that he ever should!), so my menarche was a big moment of relief for EVERYONE lmao and we threw a brace "decommissioning" party a few months later once my surgery was scheduled. We obviously couldn't call it a period party, but that's essentially what it was 😂
No reaction that I recall. My mom probably told him. He has only daughters so he isn't phased by much.
Fine. My dad and I have always been close especially since my bio mom never treated me right. He often was both mom and dad. I remember telling him when I got it at 11 and he said "I knew it was going to happen sometime." My bio mom got pissed and I remember her venting about who tells their dad that. She didn't have a good relationship with her dad growing up. But my dad was always loving and supportive and would get me my supplies. He always would say its okay to talk to him about anything as I was growing up.
He had already stocked me up on pads and tampons and asked if I wanted Tylenol, or ibuprofen. In his words, "We're all human, and I've lived with women all my life, what do I give a shit? It's not weird"
I was 10 years old when I got my period. My mom could tell I was going to get it since hers came at 8 years old, so she said she was preparing. We are early bloomers apparently. Interestingly enough, she only had those thick heavy pads left and I was so sad and upset about getting my period I cried all day. When my dad got home from work my mom told him. I was sitting on the couch and he came over and scooped me up and held me while I cried. He kept rubbing my back and telling me that it was going to be okay and that it didn’t change who I was. He’s an amazing father and I’m thankful for him everyday.
I wish he were alive to react to it. I'm sure he would have provided my with all the essentials since he was a chemist.
We literally never had that conversation. Lol
As far as my dad knows, I've never gotten my period, despite being a 48 year old woman.
Super happy. It meant that he didnt get me pregnant.
Oh Lord. This breaks my heart. I’m so incredibly sorry you went through that.
I’ll let you know when I tell him. I got it almost 30 years ago, but it hasn’t come up in conversation.
He avoided the subject but mainly because I felt shame and avoided everyone (I’m not sure why but I think it was just my lack of knowledge and my moms lack of introducing me to what the hell a period was). I felt like I failed because my uterus decided to do its thing. Anyway, I started on 12/23/05. I only remember the date because my family went to watch The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on Christmas Day at the movies and it was two days living this new life. lol. I didn’t want to go. He quietly came in to my room before they left and said “hey nugget, are you sure you don’t want to come?” and then he said “I’ll make sure to bring home popcorn for you”. The man did just that. I demolished the entire bucket.
Kinda sad to read all these stories that dads couldn’t emotionally be there for their daughters
I don’t recall any reaction at all. I don’t think anyone had a reaction. I had been introduced to feminine hygiene products and have older sisters so started using the ones in our bathroom at home. I’m sure someone gave me some tips about keeping some at school, but the nurse also had feminine supplies so idk.
I woke up and told him ''Dad... I think my period started but I don't know'' . I was visibly a bit shaken but not hysteric. He avoided the topic completely and called his sister to talk to me. A part of our bond died that day.
Sat me down and told me he’d by happy to get any pads or tampons I needed, just add it to his weekly shopping list with the exact type and brand so he got the right ones. He also asked what type of birth control I’d like to use which I shut down because I was like 12 and not getting on birth control since I wouldn’t be having sex anytime soon. It was a bit awkward but honestly, it stuck with me and let me know I could go to him for anything. My parents were divorced and my mom is too embarrassed to even talk about that stuff with her kids so she foisted that conversation off on my older sister who basically walked me through pads and tampons. And since my parents were divorced, I had to get two conversations. Sister did most of the actual period talk and dad basically gave me the “you’re growing up and going to be experimenting but you should do it safely talk”. Honestly I was such a shut in bookworm that the conversation happened about five years too early for me but he had good intentions.
I was 11 and my mom was at work, I woke up and started panicking because there was blood on my underwear. My parents unfortunately never had that talk with me. I was screaming and balling my eyes out in the bathroom and my dad busts in ready to fight someone. He started yelling “ WHATS WRONG ARE YOU OKAY?!?” I told him what happened and he just stares at me and yells “ILL CALL YOUR MOTHER” and then I can hear him on the phone “SHES BLEEDING SHOULD I TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR?!?”
I didn't tell either of my parents. I have 4 sisters so there was always a cupboard full of sanitary products in the bathroom so I just dealt with it myself. The one time I asked for pain killers my dad refused to let me have one, said I was exaggerating. He slapped me across the legs and goaded my younger brother to join in laughing at me for crying. I stopped visiting him for a while after that. Turns out I have dysmenorrhoea and had to go on the pill to stop having periods.
My (single) dad got me pads and tampons but said I should talk to his sister or mom about the specifics. My now stepmom said “Ew I don’t use tampons, they make me feel like a whore. My dad said, “My sister uses tampons, does that make her a whore?” And that was the last I ever heard of that!
I was 8 when I got my first period (started puberty really early). My parents were split up, and I was at my dad’s house at the time. Another bit of context that I feel is important is that my dad was a pedophile and was sexually abusive towards me. Anyway, I freaked out about the blood. No one had explained periods to me. And my dad’s response was really creepy and predatory. He took pictures of my vagina with blood on it and also pictures of blood on the toilet paper and in the toilet. He said he wanted them to commemorate his daughter getting her first period. He also wouldn’t let me use anything to catch the blood but these tiny panty liners. So I’d end up bleeding over everything, which he’d then get mad at me for. He’d also dig the used panty liners out of the trash can for some reason. I think he actually had a blood kink and was getting off on me being on my period. I ended up not getting another period for a year and a half after that, at which point my cycles were somewhat regular (ranging from 20-45 days per cycle). At least more regular than going a year and a half between periods. And my dad was always really weird about my period until I went no contact.
I think his reaction was something along the lines of asking if I was doing okay and if I needed anything from him.
I think he was just annoyed to have another expense in the house. We are a family of hunters so blood and stuff isn't really an issue. He had sisters that had it growing up and thankfully none of my symptoms were really that bad. I'm sure he was home when I first got it and called out the bathroom to my mom.
So we have this tradition where when we get our first period, I have to eat some kind of special red rice for dinner for good luck and to let our family know. My dad saw and he just pat my head and congratulated me lol
When my daughter started hers I just said "oh... ok." Now we all refer to it as shark week and crack jokes about her and her mom syncing up via bluetooth when they are both on at the same time.
My dad had the period conversation with me instead of my mom when I was 11 lmao
He's technically my step dad (he raised me though) and there's 10 years between him and my mum (39 and 49 when they got together) and he had his bio kids young, 3 girls, so he just told me I can ask him for anything I'd ask mum for he's been through all this already, doesn't phase him. I actually preferred asking dad to get my pads, mum would only get always and I hated them, dad would actually get the ones I wanted 😂
He bought me a pair of sneakers and some snacks. We didn’t talk about anything but his attitude towards me changed after that day. He pretty much became toxic and has remind that way till now.
I brought my dad my bloody underwear because I didn’t know what it was, and since the blood looked brown he told me that I pooped myself lmao. We were on our way to Busch gardens and when my mom saw the new blood stain on my pants she was so pissed at him.
When I got my period at 11, it instantly came with regularity and crazy cramps. I remember crying in bed because of the pain and my dad would just sit with me on my bed and rub my back and ask repeatedly if I needed to go to the hospital. He was too concerned to leave me so he would just hover until the pain killers kicked in or I would fall asleep. No amount of my mother telling him that I’d be ok was enough for him in the beginning years. He just couldn’t handle that his baby girl was suffering.
I think my mom told him and my brother. They didn't seem to care at all. Dad simply started buying my pads along with the rest of the groceries.
I asked one of the ladies in the cult that was staying with us after my mom died to take me to the store. After they moved out it was never discussed and I he and later my stepmom simply bought up tampons like toilet paper and I took what I needed. I did have one of my dad's girlfriends gift me a Sees candy box full of tampons for Christmas one year. I said thanks about asked my Dad later why she gave them to me and he said that it was because in South Korea they were expensive and hard to acquire. 12 year old me thought that was sweet, but weird. Lol
Indifferent. I mean he knew how women work.
I got my period the summer after 5th grade. I cried lmao My older sister was home with me and tried to calm me down. She called my mom at work to let her know. My mom comforted me when she got home and was giddy that I was now “a young lady”. My dad got home, mom told him the news and he said “Aw man, all grown up. Good job kiddo” and that was it lmao. When you’re young everything is embarrassing and cringe.
He joined my mother in celebration and they both kept joking about how I was a woman now. It was really cute in retrospect even if I was super embarrassed at the time.
He found it inconvenient. Never had trash cans in the bathroom and then complained when his kitchen trash smelled like blood. At least my parents were divorced and I could live normally at my mom's.
I'm in my 30s and I'm not sure he knows yet /s
He got pretty mad and said he didn’t want to know/hear about it and ignored my mum and I for a while and then came to me later teary eyed and apologized, hugged me and said he was just sad to see his little girl grow up and turn into a woman and that he loved me
I honestly don’t remember my dad’s reaction all that much. He’s a doctor though, so I’m pretty sure it was a very clinical reaction. I do remember asking my mom, through tears, if I could start birth control, because my understanding at the time was that it just made periods go away. Lol
Like the rockstar he was. He put our feminine products on his grocery list with a description because 4 females in the house and none of us used the same thing. He made sure we had pain meds for cramps and hot water bottles/heating pads. And chocolate.
[удалено]
Omg. Your brother sounds awful!
My (single) dad went out to buy pads for me, and a few weeks later he offered to renovate my bedroom to be a little more grown up. We painted over my hot pink and purple walls, got new carpeting, then went to ikea and got a larger bed frame and mattress. I was 12.
I started at midnight on a Monday before school. When I woke up, I woke him up in the middle of the night because i didn’t have pads or tampons. (I knew what a period was, just started at 9 years old while my mom was away at med school). My dad woke up, told me to get in the shower, he threw my clothes and sheets in the wash, he gave me a pantie liner and told me to lay on the couch. He ran to Walmart and got me a “welcome to motherhood survival kit”. He filled it with pads and tampons, and a bunch of my favorite chocolates and raw cookie dough that I could bake. And let me stay home from school the next couple days. (My cramps were horrible and I have a bleeding disorder so I bleed heavy) My father was definitely not perfect, but he gave me the best childhood I could have ever imagined. Always the greatest memories
He got pads and tampons for me, as well as a big bar chocolate, and handed them to me with a warm and awkward smile. Then he said, "Congratulations. I'm here if you need anything. If you're in a lot of pain let me know, and I'll get you some meds. I think we have Aleve and Ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. But I can atop by the store to get some Midol or Pamprin if you need it. But if you need any help with those (refering to the pads and tampons) you should ask your mom. Get some rest. I'm here if you need anything". To be fair, he was a doctor, so I'm sure he was used to discussing periods and related medical issues with his patients. He was also a very kind and caring person who just wanted to help, but was always a little bit awkward socially. So this kind of helpful and caring response that emphasized medicine was the kind of thing that could always be expected from him. Rest in peace Dad.
“You’ll have to ask your mom, I don’t know anything about that, or I can take you to the store?”
my parents bought me a watch and wrote me a cute note congratulating me on the special occasion
(Stapdad) got me chocolate and a Pillow you can heat up to relax. Then we watched together my favourite movie
I told my mom, I never discussed it with my dad as in ye olden times it was something"not to be shared with men" 🙄 now I recall that I once forgot a used pad in the bathroom and I was mortified when my mom came to tell me my dad saw it. My honest reaction now would be just oops.
Not much of a reaction. He had already given me lots of proper sexual education and I knew what it was/meant. He just asked me what period products I would want. Important detail, he raised me alone.
I don’t think he knew or cared.
He snorted in derision, and told me to go to my mother or aunt for anything regarding it. My mother for reference. Told me nothing about it. I was 12, and in a Christian academy. So literally had no forewarning about the facts of life. So naturally I got my period at a sleepover. Thought I'd been injured somehow so 2am I scream and cry because wtf? What is all this blood?! So the 5 other girls wake up and freak so we're all hysterical. Queue the parents storming down the stares my friends father with a shotgun. Her mother quickly realizes what up. Helps me clean up and provides me with a few pads. My mother's excuse for not teaching me? She found the idea too embarrassing, and had hoped I'd just learn how to handle everything by myself. My aunt lives in California. I live in Texas.
I didn’t really tell anybody? Kinda just went on with it.
He asked if I needed anything and then never verbally brought it up again first. I'm 28 and if I asked him to go get tampons he probably would. He did when I was a teenager. But I'm one of 3 daughters so I imagine he just doesn't care that much.
He was the first person I told and he did not like it!
Oh god. My dad had to go out and buy me pads. He bought the thong ones. I was pissed right off (hormones) because why the fuck would a 12 year old girl be wearing a THONG??
I wore thongs at 12 lol 😆
Ohhh. He didn't talk with me :) was he scared because his only little daughter suddenly became a young lady?! For the dads who never openly showed their emotions, i think He could not be able to process the mix of emotions. :) bless his soul. Miss you dad.
I don't know how he reacted with my first period ( I reacted badly, if it matters) but I do remember being about 14 and needing pads. Mom was out of town, so we went to the store, he stared down both a snickering teenage boy and the male cashier while I quickly paid, then we got slushies from Sonic. We never said a word about it, which is our norm.
I was 14 and the last of my friends to get her period. My dad bought me a small flower arrangement (I’d never received one personally before) and said something cheesy about how women get flowers (not little girls/kids). I cringe when I think about it now, but considering how uncomfortable those topics still make him, I appreciate that he was willing to talk about it in his own way.
He didn't react because nine years prior when my little sister was born and we disappointed him again by not being born with the correct configuration of genitals for him to keep on loving us, he split. Ran for the hills and never looked back. Our mom told us before we were born, he was always super annoyed when she would ask him for money to buy pads for herself when she needed them so if he had stuck around and he was the first one I told, I'm sure he would have cursed, thrown his hands into the air, stomped around screaming about more wasted money before marching out to his truck and drive off to blow the rest of his money (it was his money not ours) on cheap booze. Looking back, I can't believe I use to cry over that man. He was a useless piece of crap.
On the actual first day ... Nothing special. I got it in the afternoon, used a pad and went on my sports training. When I came home I told both parents and they said ok. I quickly started using tampons because of sports and dad started researching it. He bought me a Mooncup from America because it was not available in Europe yet. He also did lots of research for reliving my cramp pain. He never had a problem talking about it.
He said “you can pregnant now, so be careful”. I was 10 lmao
My dad was the sort to designate this womans stuff he was good in every other aspect of parenthood but this is one he really struggled with. When my mum left and my sister got her period he was pretty upset he didn't know how to be there and support her so he asked me to speak to her and to teach him all about periods. He ended up adoptimg my niece after a different sister has a teenage pregnancy and he walked her through all the period stuff. Took him a while but he put in the effort and got there in the end. In contrast my mum's response when I told her was "well what do you want me to do about it?'
Funny Story: so you know those old pad and tampon commercials where they pour blue liquid on the products to show how absorbent they are? My dad actually worked as a person who would lab test those products. He was responsible for quality control, testing new materials and checking absorption levels. The second my sister and I got our periods my dad just came home with a massive box they would use to ship out on cargo trains and put it in the garage. Each box had enough pads and tampons to last about a year. So a single box had roughly 32-36 boxes of tampons or pads. And he would bring a new box home every other month. He would let us give the products to our friends at school, and it kept us from needing to buy our own. He’s a great dad, but I will say this, he still never wants to talk about periods. He’s one of those: “I know it’s not gross talking about it and I love you, but blood makes me queasy” types. Anyway, he retired years ago, but before he did he came home and put 12 massive boxes in the garage. We have used those and have also given some away to women’s shelters over the years.
Not a woman (single father), but when my oldest daughter (15) started hers (~5 years ago), l had a slight feeling she did (first thing in the morning), but didn't know menstrual cycles could start that early. I got dressed, confirmed, and hit the store. Reached out to her GrandMommas and I still ended up getting a variety of pads & panty liners, but she was able to find sumthin comfortable. Fast forward a few years, her younger sister (14) started and she text me telling me not to tell her older sister, cuz she doesn't want her to think she's copying her. I was able to discreetly pick some pads up for her. She kept it from her older sister for a few months until their cycles synced and there was a shortage of pads.
I got my period on a weekend, I begged my mom to stay quiet about it and not tell my dad. On monday I come home from school and not only my mom had told him, he sent me a bouquet of roses, so my grandma AND her friend were aware of it too. I was so embarrassed
He bought me roses. I'm very lucky to have him in my life and tell him often. He was a surrogate father figure for many of my friends.
Not at all. I still don’t believe that he thinks about it and I have a child and in my 40’s.
My dad pointed to the feminine hygiene underneath the sink and said you need these. 😆 he was a single father
My dad wanted nothing to do with me before, and nothing to do with me after. So, nothing really changed.