Single dad takes asks the internet for advice to navigate daughter's first period

Getting periods for the first time can be a strange experience. When girls ask for support, mothers usually know what to do and help them with it. It is mostly because they speak from their own experience. However, dads cannot do the same, as menstruation remains a mystery to them. If you are a single dad of a daughter, you may need to go out of your way and learn more about the uterine milestone to help your daughter when the time comes. Similarly, one single dad, u/notafrenchspy, recently took to Reddit to seek help from the community after his daughter got her period for the very first time.

"I'm a single dad and my daughter (soon to be 13) has just started her first period. Luckily, she was at a friend's house and managed to get hold of a few pads, but we don't have anything at home," he writes in his post. "What do I need to be doing? Pads, tampons, or cups? Different things for different situations? Should I just buy different products with different levels of absorbency and let her figure out what's comfortable? Should I have specific pain relief on hand or just hot water bottles," he adds as he asks for help from the community.

Needless to say, the community delivered and shared their own experience to help the confused yet sincere dad. u/junglemice said, "Love that you're asking this and you've got sound advice already. Here's my take: Get her a little period care stash. Things I would have wanted are pads (medium + heavy OR medium + night-time). Baby wipes (fragrance-free. NOT makeup wipes). Ibuprofen or similar. Hot water bottle. If you want to go the extra mile I'd add a couple of bars of her favorite chocolate and maybe a new pack of basic underwear in case she's thrown out a pair or two."

"My dad got me a hot water bottle which looked like a stuffed toy puppy, I still have it and it's very special in my heart (I’m menopausal now). He also added “period chocolates” on the grocery list, I got that along with my stock every month. He was a firm believer that chocolate could fix almost everything," u/Faerie42 wrote. "I (m) was 16, home with my sister (12) while our parents were out of town for a funeral when my sister got her first period. I called a girl I knew at school for advice. She said she could come over in a few hours to talk with my sister. I went to the store to get her some pads. My sister knew what was going on, but still was happy with the emotional support from me and my friend. Edit: Now I'm 80," shared u/BobT21.

"Hey Dad, Dad here, if your daughter is in a lot of pain (i.e. 2 ibuprofen does absolutely nothing for her) take note and get medical advice because things like endometriosis could be an issue," added u/RogueWedge, to which u/DowntownRow3 agreed, "There are ... way too many people that don’t know the general rule: if your period pain interferes with your day to day activities it’s time to see a doctor. Everyone had the occasional bad period but you should be able to go about your day for the most part. Your period can cause other things too. Your mood might change a little bit, and maybe it's a bit more for others but some get severely depressed on their period because their hormones are out of balance."