One Mother's Boys Carry 'Emergency' Period Supplies In Their Backpacks And Will Be Better Men For It, She Says

Jul 28, 2021 by apost team

The typical day-to-day routine can be a bit more challenging and even frustrating during a particular time of the month, and a lack of knowledge around the subject can make the entire ordeal that much more difficult. To help battle the stigmatization of periods, a mom is encouraging her sons to carry period products with them to better assist their peers in need.

Anyone who menstruates knows how much of a struggle it can be to keep up with the financial burden of period products, as well as the societal embarrassment from having to ask for a pad or tampon while out in public. There are plenty of issues that can come with having a period, including both medical and financial, as well as the way society has acted toward people who menstruate. Sometimes people miss school because their cramps are so bad, or they might feel ashamed if they ever bleed through their bottoms and have no change of clothes or products to help remedy the situation.

Tara Epple Ahrens is a mother of two sons, and she has made it her mission to better educate her children about periods and how to better assist their friends and family during their time of the month. At first, her sons Elijah and Micah hadn't paid too much attention to what their mother had told them to do, but they soon changed their minds once they realized just how much they could help other people. 

With the hopes of getting more men involved in learning about menstruation and breaking the stigma around periods, Ahrens has encouraged her sons to carry period supplies with them to better be there for their peers.

Educating Her Sons

Ahrens has been working hard at battling gender roles and the stigma around periods. After realizing that many young boys did not feel the need to learn about menstruation, Ahrens decided she wanted to do something about that, and posted an article expressing her views. "One thing is clear: Menstruation is still a major gender taboo that we have not let go of, but I'm doing my best to raise men who see past it," she wrote, as per Scoop Upworthy. 

She went on to explain how she taught her sons that "kindness and understanding from any person" can go a long way, expressing why it's a good idea for them to carry period supplies. "As I was driving in my car one day, I looked at my boys in the rearview mirror and nonchalantly told them that they should probably put a tampon in their backpacks in case any of their friends had an emergency," Ahrens explained. 

After an incident at the boys' school with a girl bleeding through her pants, the sons realized that they should carry period products with them, as per Scoop Upworthy. Since the incident, Elijah and Micah, have been carrying pads and tampons in their school backpacks in case someone needs them.

"As you normalize these things in your own family by regularly discussing them, they become normal to your kids, too," Ahrens said. "It's my hope that kids of all genders, including transgender kids, know that my boys are a safe place to get period supplies, should they ever need them." Ahrens concluded her thoughts, and said, "But it is an even bigger hope of mine that these small actions change the way kids in our high school handle and view the whole subject."

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What do you think about this mom's parenting style? Do you agree that more men should carry period supplies? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your friends and family, too.