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AIBU?

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Original poster

Unopened sanitary towel

303 replies

Numberblocks10 · 10/10/2025 08:13

Currently got my period. When I got home from work yesterday I dropped my bag by mistake and everything fell out. I put everything back (or so I thought) but then around half an hour later 9yo DS found one of my sanitary towels on the floor, picked it up and asked what it was. Just to clarify, it was unused (obviously) and still in the packet. I must have missed it when I was picking up things from my bag.

DH then shouted at DS to put it down (literally shouted at him) and then shouted at me asking why it was there. I explained to him what happened and he said it’s weird to be leaving things like that lying around.

I asked him to explain why it was “weird” but he couldn’t answer me.

AIBU to feel hurt by this? I don’t understand his reaction.

OP posts:
myheadsjustmush · 10/10/2025 10:07

Yeah, your DH is really weird - what a ridiculous reaction to have about a sanitary towel!

YANBU

SpiralSister · 10/10/2025 10:07

Imagine being an adult male in 2025 and acting like this. How does he function in the world?

What are you going to do, OP? As it sounds like it’s rather too late to throw this strange, unformed specimen back..

CrystalShoe · 10/10/2025 10:08

AgDulAmach · 10/10/2025 09:16

A few years ago I was going through my DH's backpack (he always carries a backpack, he likes to be prepared for anything!) and I found a pad. I asked him why it was there and he said 'I always carry one in case you need it.' I was so touched I may have cried a little. For years and years he had always made sure to have a pad in case I might get caught short and I never knew. That's what a real DH looks like.

Omg, despite the thread's subject, I wondered why you would need a pad. "Can't she just write things down on her phone? Why would anyone need a pad? Does he think she's going to be struck with inspiration for the next Gone With the Wind?"

I am pre-breakfast and pre-caffeine. I shall fix that right now!

Sez1990 · 10/10/2025 10:08

I don’t see how it’s much different to toilet roll, you use it in private but before that it’s clean and not something to be secretive about. I leave period products out in the bathroom because I think that’s normal. But I got told off for it by my dad as a teenager in case a guest saw 🤨

I think it’s good for boys to know about periods. I was recently holding a fresh panty liner and talking to my boyfriend on the way to the loo. He said “What are they? Those… stickers?” He knows a lot about periods so I found it quite weird that he didn’t know.

It all goes back to a time not that long ago when periods were secret, dirty, hidden, embarrassing. Adverts showed women roller blading and you never saw the actual product on TV/in a magazine. All very misogynistic but we are leaving that time behind

Flipitnreverseit · 10/10/2025 10:09

DH sounds like he used his blue job to put pink tax on our sanitary products, the tax of shame.

make sure his dinner is on the table hot and not a minute late OP🤡

Edenmum2 · 10/10/2025 10:10

How has your 9yo not seen one before? MY DD3 has watched me put them in all her life. I can’t see it being any different if I had a boy. I would explain to your son exactly what they are and honestly would be furious with your DH for instilling such a negative attitude about them.

Thegreyhound · 10/10/2025 10:11

This is a DH problem. What is his issue? Is he always this odd about women’s/bodily things?

OchreRaven · 10/10/2025 10:12

My 9 year old boy accidentally walked in on me changing my sanitary towel yesterday. He looked completely shocked. I talked to him about it and while grossed out we ended up laughing about it. Told my DH and guess what his reaction was — he laughed and told my son it wasn’t gross it was just a part of life (even though he is so squeamish and he is grossed out by it!). But he knows it’s a ‘’him’ issue and didn’t want to put that onto his son.

I would be livid if my DH had tried to shame me for having a period and considered it something I needed to hide from my children.

MorningCoffeeInBed · 10/10/2025 10:15

Strange reaction from your DH. My DH has bought them for me in the shop and my young adults sons would have no problem doing the same. My DH has one in his bag in case our one of our teen DD's gets caught out one day when he's with them. It's part of life and they need to know about it too. They have sisters and may one day have wives and daughters. Hopefully you can raise your son with a much better attitude than your DH has.

thepariscrimefiles · 10/10/2025 10:16

Your DH is a twat. His behaviour clearly reveals that he thinks that sanitary products are embarrassing and revolting and that his son should be shielded from coming into contact with such disgusting items.

It sounds quite unhealthy.

CrystalShoe · 10/10/2025 10:19

FirstCuppa · 10/10/2025 09:06

Fun fact about tampons, they only tested them with actual human blood in 2023. Yup, Barbie movie came out the same year.

Sometimes it really shows that men are in charge of the world.

To be fair, where would they get human menstrual blood from to do lab tests on absorbency? They probably did have testers wear them, which isn't the same as lab-testing absorbency. Since they're an established product, this testing you speak of is probably just testers wearing them, because again, where would you get human menstrual blood from for lab tests? The scientists probably made some composite liquid of the same density or whatever as menstrual blood.

Not everything is about men being evil! (Although I do think too many of them are thoroughly evil.)

CrystalShoe · 10/10/2025 10:22

Loloj · 10/10/2025 09:29

Your husband is a knob to have had that reaction.

Although this has reminded me of a time in Superdrug when my son was little (about 4 years old) - he grabbed a packet of sanitary towels off the shelf and shouted “Mummy do you need to buy some more of these to put in you knickers?!”

My point being that this was totallly normal for my 4 year old son and it shouldn’t be taboo in the slightest.

LMAO!

Iamtired123 · 10/10/2025 10:23

A nine year old boy with a mother at home should already know what a sanitary towel is and what periods are.

fruitfly3 · 10/10/2025 10:24

I’m strangely triggered by any taboo about periods. Nearly 50% of the population has them. Therefore I actively rally against this with my children - both of them know I have periods and bleed, both know what a towel and a tampon is. I would lose my shit if my husband had an issue with me sharing a normal part of my life with my children.

Wakeuplittlebunnies · 10/10/2025 10:25

Age 9 is a bit late to know what that is. My kids knew earlier on.

AlexisP90 · 10/10/2025 10:26

What?!
Its a clean sanitary towel. Your DS is going to and should know what they are eventually and how the hell does it hurt him knowing what they are now?!

Your DH is weird.
Thats weird.

fruitfly3 · 10/10/2025 10:26

@OchreRaven love this for your family and brilliant from your DH. TBH I’m a bit grossed out by it too but have to completely push that aside in my own dealings and with the children, for whom we have to make this totally normal.

Itsnotallaboutyoulikeyouthink · 10/10/2025 10:29

Because he more than likely grew up in a house where periods weren’t talked about. I remember my kids talking about periods and my uncle shushed them - it was my 13 year old boy who said “well what you going to do let your daughters grow up not knowing about them”. But this is a brother, whose mother never even told the daughters (me) about periods. You need to educate her husband I’m afraid he’s not necessarily an arse just a product of his upbringing.

CrostaDiPizza · 10/10/2025 10:33

whose mother never even told the daughters (me) about periods.
Same here.
How shit is that?
I had to figure out that I needed a bra too, and buy them.

itsnotagameshow · 10/10/2025 10:35

My husband was cycling to the chemist in the 60s with a note saying which pads his mother wanted as she was often laid up with heavy bleeding and unable to go herself. If he could do that then as a nine year old boy, your DH needs to get over himself!

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 10/10/2025 10:37

What would he have done if there was a toilet roll left lying about!?

Toadetta · 10/10/2025 10:40

Meanwhile my 9 year old son recently told me I could download an app called flo.

Conniebygaslight · 10/10/2025 10:40

Letsnotargue · 10/10/2025 08:42

My ex used to be embarrassed buying toilet roll, to the point where he’d make me buy it. I didn’t notice at first but then realised it was very weird. Oddly he didn’t really have an issue with period products (although he would not have bought them).

My dad was always strange about toilet rolls and would always hide them if having to carry them, I always found this odd. I since learned he’d been sexually abused as a young boy.

PaterPower · 10/10/2025 10:41

Bloody hell, what a weird reaction.
I’ve bought boxes of pads for my ex-partners, my wife and my DDs at various points in my life. I’ve never felt embarrassed.

I DID feel slightly ‘uneasy’ about buying condoms, back when I needed them, but if my kids had picked one up (or a pad or tampon) then I’d have just explained what it was in an age appropriate way.

Pedallleur · 10/10/2025 10:43

STEP AWAY FROM THE SANITARY TOWEL!! it's a special lady thing and you cannot go near it.