It's truly fascinating how little most men know about periods. Every once in a while, a story comes into the spotlight that illustrates how that lack of knowledge is detrimental. The menstrual cycle is an intrinsic part of how humans come to be. Why, then, do so many men know so little about it, and even fear it?
This brings us to the story of one stepdad, who took to Reddit with a dilemma. He explained that he was a single dad to his three teen sons from very early on. He recently got married and has a stepdaughter who is almost 20. The dad asked his stepdaughter to hide evidence of her period from common spaces that she shares with her stepbrothers.
His adult stepdaughter went on to tell him the ask was ridiculous. She said her brothers needed to deal with it and she wasn't going to hide it. Stepdad pulled rank, saying his house, his rules. She dismissed him, and he went to his wife. He was surprised when she had her daughter's back. Between the internet and the women in his life, he quickly got educated on the matter.
A new stepdad quickly found himself in a sticky situation between his stepdaughter and his three teenage sons. He explained that he's been married for six months and the family is getting used to living together.
"I have been living with my new wife and stepdaughter for about 6 months now. She's 19, almost 20, and I have three sons aged 18, 16, and 15. She's a really good kid and she's a good influence on my sons, I really enjoy having her around," he wrote.
"My wife and her daughter moved into my house and sold theirs. My stepdaughter's father isn't present in her life, nor is my sons' mother. All four children share a bathroom."
He also gave context and explained his sons had never lived with a woman before.
"My sons have never lived for a long period of time with a woman, nor have any of them had long term girlfriends. They had short visitation periods when they were younger but never longer than an hour, so living with two women has been unusual for them," he explained.
It was the man's oldest son, an 18-year-old, who came forward on behalf of all three boys with a complaint about the arrangement.
"My eldest son, 18, came to me last week and told me that his stepsister disposes of her used sanitary products in the trash can they share, but doesn't use toilet roll or sandwich bags to disguise what they are, and it makes him uncomfortable which I think is reasonable," he said.
"My sons are teenage boys and don't want to see their stepsisters period products on full display."
He decided to take it up with his stepdaughter, who is nearly 20 and an adult, a few nights later.
"A few nights ago I went into the kitchen to grab a snack and she was there doing some work for university," he said.
"My wife had mentioned that she knew she was on her period so I took it as an opportunity to have a word with her. I told her my sons were uncomfortable and asked her if she'd mind putting her used products in diaper bags or flushing them down the toilet."
As you can imagine, his stepdaughter wasn't having it. "She laughed and told me it was rich coming from a man who 'sheds like a gorilla' and has produced 'three skid marking sons' which I thought was just an unnecessary attack," he explained.
"I've been nothing but nice to the girl and it's hardly a comparison. My sons shouldn't be subjected to her unhygienic products if it makes them uncomfortable.
"She went on to lecture me about how tampons can't be flushed and that it's bad for the environment if she uses diaper bags for every one which I think is just an excuse. I called her a scruff and told her that this was my house and that what I say goes."
Unsatisfied by how the conversation went, he tried talking to his wife about it. It didn't go a whole lot better, as she agreed with her daughter.
"I later asked my wife if she could have a word with her and she told me I was being ridiculous and that her daughter has had her period for ten years and knows what she's doing," he said.
"When I told her it was making my sons uncomfortable she said my sons needed to get a grip and turned over and went to sleep."
This guy went on to say that he was annoyed that his wife and stepdaughter were so dismissive.
"This is a genuine issue to me and she didn't care enough to have a discussion about it," he pointed out.
"I asked my stepdaughter again in the morning and she did the same as her mother, completely dismissed it. Both of them have told me to stop being so silly but I don't see how I'm being unreasonable when it makes my sons uncomfortable."
Commenters were quick to set the guy straight. "Sorry but what? I'm a guy and realize this is ridiculous. You need to help yourself and your sons become better men and accept that it's a natural process," one commenter said. "Are you uncomfortable with your wife's use of the same? I assume not so teach your sons to be better."
"No, it is not reasonable to be disturbed by period products that are in a trash can. It's not like she's finger painting on the wall with her period blood. She's just disposing of her menstrual products. Your sons need to grow up," said another commenter.
"I understand their discomfort because they're young and not used to living with women. But what on earth is your excuse? And why would you want to encourage your sons to remain immature and childish about this? You're also incredibly ignorant for suggesting that she should flush them. Menstrual products are never supposed to be flushed."
The original poster (OP) updated the post to explain to people that he realized the error of his ways.
"Not even two hours after I posted this, my wife and stepdaughter gathered my sons and I and gave us a full intensive 'periods for pricks' course, Powerpoint and all," he wrote.
"It was a hoot, they made an interactive quiz and everything. My sons and I learned a lot and apologized to my stepdaughter. Thank you for your input."
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
