How To Be a Better Dad: Period Talk

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How To Be a Better Dad is the Fatherhood and co-parenting section on SingleDad. This month, learn about how to talk to your daughter about her menstrual cycle.The PERIOD TALK… Read more.

How To Be a Better Dad: "Period Talk"

How To Be a Better Dad is the Fatherhood and co-parenting
section on SingleDad. This month, learn about how to talk to your daughter
about her menstrual cycle… Read more.

Not Your Average Conversation

Blood
isn’t something us men usually get squeamish about, as gore and guts is
something we watch with eager eyes, but there is one bloody case that always
seems to unsettle a man no matter what: a female’s period. Let’s face it – it’s something our
gender will probably never come to fully wrap our meaty heads around. A topic of jest and disgust and
confusion, periods are simply something that a man will never completely
comprehend – and many of us don’t desire to in the first place, ignoring that monthly
occurrence as if it were the plague – in thought, speech, as well as in
person. But what is a single dad
to do when his little girl becomes a woman? As frightening and embarrassing as the situation may be for
the both of you, it doesn’t have to be messy – hopefully, for the both of your
sakes, it is not. Here are a few
tips I have found to be helpful in dealing with a situation as colorful as
this.

Period

The
first thing you need to remember is that this is an extremely big life event
for your daughter. It is a marker
of maturity as she grows from the child you have raised to the woman she is
made to become, and it marks a very confusing period in her young life as she
begins to make that adolescent transition. A lot of young girls, especially those who mature early or
those without a female parent to talk to them about certain things like
personal feminine hygiene, don’t know what’s happening with their body as it
begins to change and do new things.
So, single dad, the first thing you should do is talk to your daughter –
and be informative! Knowledge is
power, and with it she will be able to fight away fear and react with
confidence when Mother Nature first gives her the gift of Womanhood.

Dads and Periods

In
addition to needing to be well informed, your daughter is going to need your
understanding and support more than anything. Since you’re obviously not of the female gender, you’re
already placed at a distance from the whole situation, as girls will become
embarrassed around boys and boys become grossed out. It is your duty to show your daughter that she doesn’t gross
you out and to make her feel comfortable in her skin again. Tell her that it’s a normal biological
function of the human body, and that she should be somewhat proud of herself as
it is a big deal. Not that it
needs to be paraded around and broadcasted out to the world, but it might be a
good idea to treat her out to ice cream or something small and sweet as a way
to help her recover from the shock and fear from earlier, and in celebration of
entering a new stage in her life.
Conversely, sometimes it’s best to offer your support in silence. Let her know you’re there for her,
provide her with the proper feminine products (pads and tampons!), and then
leave the situation be. Remember,
however uncomfortable this all may be for you – it is exponentially more
uncomfortable for your daughter.

Talking to dad

So,
when your little girl finally begins to make the transition into adulthood –
stay calm, breathe, and be there to support her in whatever ways she needs
personally. Be understanding and
supportive; give her reassurance and confidence. And while this is an uncomfortable situation for everyone –
just be thankful you don’t have to spontaneously bleed for a week every month.

Got Kids? Need Fatherhood or Single
Parent Advice?

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Richard JaramilloRichard “RJ” Jaramillo, is the Founder of SingleDad.com,
a website and social media resource dedicated to single parenting and specifically for the newly divorced, re-married, widowed and single Father with children.
RJ is self employed, entrepreneur living in San Diego and a father of three children. The mission of SingleDad is to help the community of Single Parents
“Make Life Happen…Again!”

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Richard “RJ” Jaramillo, is the Founder of SingleDad.com, a website and social media resource dedicated to single parenting and specifically for the newly divorced, re-married, widowed and single Father with children. RJ is self employed, entrepreneur living in San Diego and a father of three children. The mission of SingleDad is to help the community of Single Parents “Make Life Happen…Again!”