When our daughter got her first period, my husband wanted her to hide it from her brothers. When they found a used pad in the trash, they avoided her, and our youngest even called her “gross.” What hurt most was my husband’s silence, which made our daughter feel ashamed of something completely natural.
I spoke up and made it clear at the breakfast table that periods are normal and not something to hide. The real breaking point came when our daughter was humiliated during a school trip after starting her period unexpectedly. That moment pushed me to act beyond our home.
I spoke at a PTA meeting about period stigma and silence, which led to menstrual supply kits at school and more open conversations at home. Slowly, attitudes changed. My husband stepped up, talked to our sons, and helped normalize periods in our family.
What started as an uncomfortable moment became a lesson in empathy, parenting, and breaking generational shame. This was never about menstruation. It was about protecting our daughter and teaching all our children that silence causes harm.
