Does your son know what a period is?

It came up when they were younger but I can't remember it coming up recently and they haven't asked me about them.

I'm happy to talk about them but I haven't sat down and had an in depth conversation about it.

To be honest, he didn't like the idea of it and declared he was happy to be a boy which made me laugh, but he asked me what a sanitary towel was initially which is what prompted the conversation and me unwrapping one and showing him.

I reiterated that it just happens to adult ladies and doesn't hurt, I know that both of those things aren't strictly true but I'll develop the explanation as he gets older and eventually connect the dots with having babies. That conversation was just the first step.

My 4yo doesn't. It's never come up. I use a cup rather than products so he doesn't really see anything related to it. I'm pretty open so will explain it to him by around 7 or 8.

@TheSippyCupSociety "just curious here (no judgement either side)"

Actually-this is one of those situations where I am more than happy to judge!

My son is 7 with 2 sisters. His understanding so far is that mum uses pads once a month, that women bleed and that it coincideds with me usually having a sore tummy. He will often ask if i want a hot water bottle or freddo to help/make me feel better. As he gets older I will explain more about how it works. We were in a pharmacy queue once and he asked out loud whether I needed any as he recognised rhe brand I used.

My dh doesn't have a sister and only realised about periods at high school. He used to find it weird when I asked him to get me pads as he thought that I would take care of stuff like that as his mum did. He got over any weirdness about it as I speak openly about mine.I add them to the supermarket shop. I'm open about them, talk about them and dd aged 8 is aware that she will get them one day too. His mum dealt with her own periods discreetly though. I'm different in that pads aren't a big deal to me whilst stored in a bathroom cupboard upstairs , I have some in my downstairs bathroom too on a stand so visiting guests can help themselves.

My own mum thought she was dying when her period started as her mum never told her and neither did her 3 much older sisters. She always made a point of being open about it with us which was great because mine started at primary school and I knew to tell the teacher and ask for what I needed. I have 1 brother who knew from an early age and my dad would always buy us pads, know when we were on our periods and show empathy.

Yes, since they were old enough to understand. There is no period shame in our house. 3 male, 2 female.

Yes 3 sons and 2 daughters,my sons are the oldest and they've always known about periods and they've all been really lovely when any of us were on our periods offering to make a hot water bottle,grabbing a chocolate bar for who ever needed it.

They've all been the same as they've got older with girls that were friends and with their girlfriends and they've all learnt from their Dad and from their Grandad my Dad because despite my Dad being born in the 40s he was always brilliant with me and my mum when we had our periods and I was growing up and from their Dad because he knows that periods suck and has often said he could never imagine a man dealing with them and he's extra thoughtful when any of us are on.

I've explained to DS5, when he's asked, that every month a woman's body makes sort of a comfortable cushion in her womb in case a baby will be growing there soon. It uses a bit of extra blood to make the cushion with, to share with the baby until the baby can make their own blood. But if the month passes and no baby grows in her womb, her body lets that blood go, and then starts the cycle again. I put a pad in my underwear so that the pad can catch the blood instead of it staining my clothes.
@Dogsaresomucheasier makes a good point about explaining that we can't control the flow like with urine - I'll add that in next time it comes up.

My DS7 knows more about it than I did at 7! I introduced it as soon as he asked about the "nappies" in the bathroom. Its discussed as openly as other bodily functions and personal care issues. He knows that he wont experience it personally but that its a normal, healthy part of being a girl/women.

Yes, I informed both my sons in matter of fact ways as they were growing up.
DS2's GF's mum mentioned to me that he was lovely to GF when she had bad period pains and that he was the sort of boy she wanted for her DD. That was good to hear.
They both know I've passed menopause.

My sons are very aware. I've always been open and honest with them, they have sisters. I have difficult periods sometimes, so they know I'm feeling bad because it's that time. It's important that they know. They might one day have wives, daughters, etc. It's a basic and natural thing.

Going back to the 1980's Scotland in my school,Primary 6 (10/11 years old). We were split into boys/girls and watched the relevant puberty video. We then as a whole group, watched both videos together.

I remember the boys were so mature and fascinated by the period video but we were all roflmao at the cartoon penis getting an erection on the boys video.

At the Q&A session where obviously no normal 80's kid would dare ask anything, l remember wee Gary saying "But Mrs Brown, you won't have periods as you are too old now aren't you?". Thinking back Mrs Brown was probably on 30 then 🤣.

Made sure our kids were just gradually made aware from very small. It was never a secret plus our boy had two older sisters. Why would your children of either sex not be aware of this from the start? Periods aren't dirty or shameful.

I knew a trainee nurse that only found out in her second year!

Four year old boy yes, one year old no 😂 my mum was such a prude and never discussed them with her girls never mind her boy, determined to not make my children ashamed of bodily functions or unable to cope with their wife/gf/friend etc having them

Far too late when many little girls have started already.