Does your son know what a period is?

TheSippyCupSociety · 2025-03-09T13:55:10+00:00

hey all just curious here (no judgement either side) but I was never told when I was growing up to expect a period and the same happened to my mum when she was little. So it came as a surprise and I learnt about it and dealt with it myself. I also never had the conversation with my dad. I am now raising two girls and a son and it’s made me wonder how many people don’t talk to their children about it and how many do - but particularly sons (my son is the eldest so around the time we’d have these conversations where as my girls are toddlers). if your son was with his friends say at the park and one of the girls started her period and was upset or worried, would your son understand enough to be able to support her? Even if it’s just giving her a jumper to tie round her waist if she has leaked? also if you have a son and didn’t want to talk to him about it I’d love to know why? as I said absolutely no judgment here either side!

Morello339 · 09/03/2025 13:58

Yes, has known about it in some way since he was old enough to ask 'what are these things in the bathroom?'. So probably 3/4, obviously in greater detail as he grew up.

He's a teenager now, though, so obviously knows all about it.

MigGril · 09/03/2025 13:59

It would be better for you to explain but if your in the UK then reproduction is on the science circulum and they all get taught the facts in Year 7.

Although it maybe be a bit of a supprise if you haven't spoken to them about it before then.

Amicompletelyinsane · 09/03/2025 14:00

I've always talked openly about everything to do with the body. So all my children have the understanding. I think it's just as important my son understands as my daughter does

Snorlaxo · 09/03/2025 14:00

I spoke to my sons when they noticed tampons and towels in the bathroom. Plus if I was out and about and had take my child into a stall, they would have noticed the sanitary towel bin and the fact that I was changing my towel or tampon. (If I hadn’t explained then they would have turned around and expected to see crisps or sweets) They were told that periods don’t hurt so yeh sight of blood didn’t worry them. (Blood = pain for young kids)

I would expect sex education in year 5 ish to cover periods for boys and girls (schools teach them separately for sex education ) I think it’s unusual not to discuss periods with a boy. They might not know details like how many towels a girl uses a day but they’d know the basics like its monthly, there’s blood, lasts a few days and a sign that a girl is not pregnant at that point in time.

NotTheDebtDoctorWithTheHungryScalpel · 09/03/2025 14:00

My sons have 4 sisters, they know everything, my oldest lives with another guy his age and they keep a range of period products in their bathroom for their girlfriends and friends to be confortable there.

CustardySergeant · 09/03/2025 14:03

I only have a daughter so can't answer your question, but I'm baffled that your mother didn't tell you about periods, having been kept in the dark when she was a child. Why? Surely you have asked her.

Snorlaxo · 09/03/2025 14:06

Have you ever seen Carrie? The start of the movie when she has her first period and she panics because she doesn’t know what’s happening is heartbreaking.

HaddyAbrams · 09/03/2025 14:09

Yes. But they are 18 and 20 so I'd be really concerned if they didn't. And yes they'd know how to support a friend if needed.

Speckyfourfries · 09/03/2025 14:11

Yes I have 2 sons age 10 and 15, they know. They might have daughters and a wife one day, we are quite an open family.

KrisAkabusi · 09/03/2025 14:11

What age are you talking about? Because it's something all children learn about in school now. They should all know the basics about periods from about 10 years old, at least.

BeaAndBen · 09/03/2025 14:13

Of course they do.

They also know when to beat a tactical retreat (while throwing chocolate at me or their sister) in cases of extreme hormonal reactions, and to offer tea and painkillers.

iggleoggle · 09/03/2025 14:13

Yes, that they exist from age 3-4 and what’s causing them in increasing detail from junior school onwards (so for example my 8 year old knows that I was expecting to have a period and because it didn’t arrive, that’s when I thought I might be pregnant, and I’d expect to build on that knowledge as he gets older).

normalising it means there’s none of the drama of “the talk” my mum had with me about age 8/9.

Octonopes · 09/03/2025 14:14

2 DS 3 and 5 and yes they know. The whole "follow me everywhere even into the toilet" phase saw to that. I now call things by the correct name after one DS improvised and called across a busy shop "mummy do you need more blood nappies today"

Season0fthesticks · 09/03/2025 14:15

CustardySergeant · 09/03/2025 14:03

I only have a daughter so can't answer your question, but I'm baffled that your mother didn't tell you about periods, having been kept in the dark when she was a child. Why? Surely you have asked her.

Some people don't have that type of relationship with their mothers.
I didn't know what a period was until I had my own one. (My mum refused to allow me to have sex education in school)
Even now my mum would use words like "down there" "your back down there"
Never in my 31 years has my mum used the words bum, ass, vagina etc
Trying to talk to her about periods and what was happening to me she would've shut me down and said it's not something we talk about

Wakeywake · 09/03/2025 14:15

Yes, of course he does. DD and I also talk openly about it in front of him, no issues there. Would he know what to do - I'm fairly sure he wouldn't do anything because he's not been exposed to any period related issues at home, plus he's a teenager and immature, but he would, eg go to buy tampons if asked.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 09/03/2025 14:15

if your son was with his friends say at the park and one of the girls started her period and was upset or worried, would your son understand enough to be able to support her? Even if it’s just giving her a jumper to tie round her waist if she has leaked?

I seriously doubt that a girl would look to a boy for support for this, and I doubt a boy of that age would feel comfortable or confident to offer support in this scenario even if he knew about periods (which he would, because it's taught in school).

Anyone else getting odd vibes from this thread and wondering if it's the same OP from the periods thread about leaking that just got deleted?

Season0fthesticks · 09/03/2025 14:17

Having just asked my 10 year old son if he knows what one is, he said he doesn't

So I fear I have taken the same route as much mum but in fairness I haven't had a period for the best part of a year

GreyCarpet · 09/03/2025 14:18

Yes.

My son was 18 when his sister started her first period when she was out for the day with him and her dad.

Her dad panicked and her brother took control, got her to Boots to get what she needed and reassured her.

Dad provided chocolate after the shock of his little girl becoming a woman had passed 🤣

My son has known since he was quite small.

Globules · 09/03/2025 14:19

He knew mummy's vagina bled each month from an early age. It was a conscious decision to normalise periods to my children.

I was happily surprised a few years back to hear that my 16 yr old son went to the supermarket to buy sanitary pads for my too embarrassed 14 yr old daughter.

It's a parents job to teach their children this stuff.

PuppiesProzacProsecco · 09/03/2025 14:19

My DS 11 knows way more about periods than I ever expected. That's because his female friends are hugely open about it with him. I sometimes think they forget he's a boy! It's great though that kids are more open than when I was that age.

Molly2008 · 09/03/2025 14:20

I knew my son didn't know what one was so at around 9/10 before they learnt about it at school I explained as part of our talk about how our bodies change and gave him a book about the body for children. I didn't want him to be the only one that didn't know in the lesson.

Dogsaresomucheasier · 09/03/2025 14:22

Science teacher here! Something that always seems to surprise boys is that the flow of menstrual blood cannot be controlled like urine can. (Lots of them are confused about 2 separate openings for them, too.) You need to explicitly tell them that the girls/women in their lives have not done something wrong to get a leak. They also need to be told that some variation/ irregularity is normal.

MrsWhites · 09/03/2025 14:23

Yes my son has known since he was around 7 ish when he asked what towels were for. He was very surprised when they had sex education in year 5/6 that most of the other boys didn’t know what they were.

I don’t really understand why you wouldn’t tell them.

Topseyt123 · 09/03/2025 14:30

Dogsaresomucheasier · 09/03/2025 14:22

Science teacher here! Something that always seems to surprise boys is that the flow of menstrual blood cannot be controlled like urine can. (Lots of them are confused about 2 separate openings for them, too.) You need to explicitly tell them that the girls/women in their lives have not done something wrong to get a leak. They also need to be told that some variation/ irregularity is normal.

This is a very good point.

I have to say though that I have seen historical threads on here with comments from some women who also didn't seem to know that there are in fact two separate orifices, not just one!! 😲

How could they not realise? The mind boggles!! 🙄

Bleachbum · 09/03/2025 14:31

PuppiesProzacProsecco · 09/03/2025 14:19

My DS 11 knows way more about periods than I ever expected. That's because his female friends are hugely open about it with him. I sometimes think they forget he's a boy! It's great though that kids are more open than when I was that age.

I agree, in my experience, teens are much more open about these things now. My 13 year old DS knows which of his female friends have started their periods and which ones haven’t yet. He also knows which ones suffer from bad period pains and which ones don’t. Because all the girls speak about it openly.

Likewise my older teen DD asked a male friend to grab her tampons from the shops once. The boy didn’t think anything of it and was happy to (as long as she paid him back for them 😂).