Periods are something that women have been ‘having’ forever; but there’s still an element of shame associated with this monthly cycle, all around the world. It is all biological, isn’t it? We have all studied about how and why menstruation happens. But some people in this ‘modern era’ still feel disgusted by the topic of periods and pads. Talks about menstrual hygiene are generally not initiated by men in our society, whether from a Hindu, Muslim or even Christian background. The Indian mentality has made periods a taboo. And to break this taboo, I found a very heart-warming short film about a girl’s first period.
All of us have been through different circumstances while we got our first period, some of us might have been prepared by our mothers, sisters or even grand mothers, but never by our fathers or brothers. I think, in our society, fathers should also be as concerned about their daughters hitting puberty as mothers are. A father should be aware of what to do if his daughter is panicking about seeing blood in her pants for the first time. Fathers should stop hesitating and start talking to their daughters about their periods to make them feel at ease.
Indian dads, you should know that there’s an event in your daughter’s life that you can’t escape; that is, her period. Please don’t let your daughter feel uncomfortable in front of you because of a biological process that the whole world thinks is dirty. Talk it out, tell her you will always stand by her side. Tell her you care about helping her through her menstrual pain, and getting her plenty of chocolates while she feels low! Be there for your daughters, Indian dads, because periods are not a shameful topic.