Single Dad Genuinely Wants to Know: “Should We Be Talking to Our Boys About Periods?”

The amount of information I know about my period now vs. what I knew when I was age 13 is substantial. I have learned so much new vital information, which was never taught in middle school or high school. "And as someone who menstruates, I can confidently say I know a lot, but there’s always more to learn.

I can also confidently say that in my experience, many grown men know next to nothing about a woman’s period. Literally bupkis. Take it from this man, who accidentally let his son take his wife's menstrual cup to school for show and tell. And then there's this man, who asked his wife to hide her menstrual pads to avoid making his friend feel uncomfortable.

That said, one dad on TikTok raising both sons and daughters asked a very important question: “Should we be talking to our boys about periods?” An overwhelming majority believed we should be educating young boys about menstrual cycles.

Popular parenting content creator, Jose Rolon (@nycgaydad), is a single gay father of three living in New York City. He has two daughters, Lilah and London, and one son, Avery. Having three kids is always a handful, especially as a single father. Jose has gained a cult-like following online for his hilariously relatable videos on parenting.

But recently, he took to TikTok to ask an important question after accompanying his two 9-year-old daughters to their physical.

“I genuinely have a serious question for all women and parents out there," he said in his video. “Should we be talking to our boys about periods?” he asked.

During that visit to the girls' doctor, Jose explained that he learned a lot about the future changes they will experience as puberty begins. “Nothing has happened yet, but it’s clear that soon things are coming down the pipeline, and it’s good I’ve got all hands on deck," he claimed.

Recalling their conversation with their doctor, Jose said he "loved" her straightforward explanation about periods to the girls. "It’s your vagina’s way of cleaning itself out. Don’t be scared. It’s nothing to freak out about," he recounted.

"It never even occurred that that’s actually what’s happening," he said into the camera, making him wonder if he should also be relaying some of this information to his young son.

Jose continued: “After hearing the doctor’s explanation I thought well shouldn’t I also be educating my son on this? Because I would kill him if he ever made fun of a girl if she had an accident in public."

In the comment section, users believed that Jose educating his son on women's periods was the right thing to do. "Absolutely boys should know about it. Knowledge is the key. I think both genders should know important things about the other," wrote one user.

A second said "Yes. Yes. Yes! Boys need to know too, it's so important for empathy and overall understanding as they grow up."

In fact, many users shed light on how they taught their sons about menstruation, encouraging positive behaviors like offering a sweater or carrying extra supplies.

A third commenter wrote: "I only have sons and taught them. [I] also told them they will not be in trouble if they lose a shirt/hoodie to a girl who needed to tie it around her waist."

"Yes, talk to your son. My son carries extra supplies for his girlfriend, just in case, in his car," wrote one mom.

Basically, everyone agreed that talking openly about periods to their kids and helping them learn about each other will overall help them get along better and promote kindness.