Is san pro appeal offensive?

[DrSeuss]

I work in a secondary school in the London area. I am currently running an appeal for Red Box, an organisation which provides sanitary towels and other toiletries for those in need. (Please check out their website and maybe start your own appeal). I made posters today and put one in every department office, then tried to put one in the main school office where about six women work. I was told that this was not possible as a member of the public might see the poster there. I pointed out that fifty per cent of the public use san pro but the answer is still no. AIBU in finding this reasoning odd?

Oh Calf. You really are the gift that keeps on giving.

My girls have always known that my body gets ready to have a baby each month, by making a lovely cushion for the fertilised egg, and then, when it realises I don't want to have a baby, it gets rid of the nice cushion by having a period. They've also always seen that I deal with that by using either a tampon or a pad to soak up the blood.

It's never been a secret, and it's always been something they knew, as soon as they could know it, because we teach children about bodies, starting with touching their noses and blowing kisses, then singing 'head, shoulders knees and toes', then answering questions as they ask them. It's called parenting.

Your stance on this is ridiculous Calf

Have a stern word with yourself.

Also, as for not talking to boys about these things, those boys grow into men. My DH was hideously prudish when I met him. He had never seen his DM naked, or talked about stuff. When I made it clear that if I was in pain and I needed an emergency supply of tampons, I expected him to put it in his shopping basket and not expect me to go to the shop separately for it, he was stunned! Literally pale. Now, he just chucks it all into the basket and thinks nothing of it.

Calf you do realise that the issue will be raised in school as soon as they hit year 3 or year 4? Girls in year 5 and year 6 get their period and one of the key issues which schools address is the need to remove the crippling embarrassment which some people still face, creating a reluctance to discuss a normal bodily function.

Back to the flushable wipes, they just need to change the wording to moist wipes, but the manufacturers continue to refer to them as flushable. I stand by my point that girls need to freshen up if they've been caught out unexpectedly and in a 5 minute gap between lessons, after a quick dash to reception to raid the Red Box, they don't have much chance to clean up in the way they could at home. Pee, poo & paper signs are needed in the toilets for the girls to ignore!

calf so just say ‘let’s talk about it later, I don’t have time right now’ and then make sure you do it.

NBD.

I am astounded at some of the archaic attitudes on this thread. Women have periods. It's not a dirty secret.

The appeal sounds fantastic. A friend works at the local foodbank and they had a surplus of sanpro, she took it to local schools and the local sixth form college. The people in the offices were very grateful so they are making it a regular thing.

Calf would argue black is white and up is down.
He/she, as witnessed on many threads, is the epitome of contrariness.

Jeez....I am the wrong side of 50 , and don't see the FUSS.
If a child starts asking questions at the "wrong" moment , you just tell them you will explain later. Boys grow into men, they will have mothers/sisters/ girlfriends/ wives that have periods.

There are no such things as flushable toilet tissue. That would be my only concern.

I am wondering how your school helps their students who are in period poverty? My school does not really do anything about this.

Surprise surprise CalF doesn't agree.

I think it's a great idea. Women have periods. People need to get the fuck over it.

@QueenArseClangers

Not true- I agree with the OP on the vast majority of threads.

No you bloody don't you're contrary and goady as fuck

@ElMarineroBaila

Being contrary isn't a bad thing if you agree with what you're arguing.

I don't think you do agree, I think you just like to argue.

My dd is so anti anyone who finds periods a shameful secretive problem, that she'd probably go in with a nail gun and wallpaper the entire office with multiple posters.

She's a bit of a nightmare remembering to put the simple word pads on the shopping list so my husband has had to do emergency 7am runs to the coop to get supplies. Fortunately he understands that this is a normal part of life.

CalF123

"You wouldn't go and browse the tampon range in Boots while with your 5 year old DS because they'd start asking all sorts of questions"

I am surprised that you would think that way in this day and age! When my DS and DD were little (35 years ago) I used to let them see me changing my tampons and explained (in very simple terms, of course) that this is what all grown up women have to do. My DCs also were aware, from the age of about 3, of how babies are made, so they understood the connection between periods and pregnancies and that mummy wasn't hurt and wasn't bleeding as if from a cut, but her body was just discarding an egg that hadn't been used.

My mother never told me about periods until mine actually started and it was a horrible shock. I had no idea about how long it lasted and why it was happening. I was 14. From that day, I promised myself that no child of mine, male or female, would be so ignorant of the human body and its natural processes.

@80sMum

I agree that we should explain to them about tampons etc and I did do so with both my DC. But I would rather do it at a time of my choosing, and certainly not in the middle of Boots or a school office.

No wonder there is so much stigma attached to periods. Seriously I can't believe someone is stating it's inappropriate to let you child see you buy sanitary products. Mine must be scared for life, my lot think it's hilarious to play with them and pop them out (applicators) like party poppers. I obviously try and remember to keep them hidden but only because of that reason. It's part of life. That's like being embarrassed to buy toilet paper!

Some of these ‘it’s offensive’ attitudes seem antediluvian to me and I’m 60.

So Calf, you believe that this theoretical 5 year old has to be in a secondary school office, look at a boring poster on the wall, see and read the word tampon, and then demand to know what it means. What a set of circumstances.
And because of this theoretical 5 year old all the girls who could be helped can’t have a poster in a school office.

I imagine a lot of parents certainly wouldn't be impressed if they have younger DC for example.

Quite right. We don’t want KS3 pupils being conversant with basic biology after all, do we? Not in school.

You wouldn't go and browse the tampon range in Boots while with your 5 year old DS because they'd start asking all sorts of questions

Oh sweet Jesus, we have a Victorian prude on the loose.

Yes I would do that, did do that, will doubtless do it again.

I think you need to consider what’s damaged you to cause such extensive inhibition about perfectly normal daily tasks and aspects of parenting.

But it's a plain poster with words on? What small child is going to be craning their necks to read it, and then questioning what sanitary towels are??

Why would there be young children at a secondary school?

Good for you OP. Clearly there isn't anything offensive about your poster.