Consider your own views of menstruation and reflect.

Patrick Keller

Help Received: Class Discussion, My own ramblings and experiences (thanks for putting up with them ;))

A little background first. So I grew up as the oldest of three boys which effectively meant I knew absolutely nothing about menstruation until I started dating girls in high school.  While I know my mom had them when I was little I really didn’t notice or more likely was completely oblivious to what it was. My first experience with menstruation was when I was a senior in high school and actually started dating. My first Girlfriend, who we’ll call “girlfriend 1”, and I did not have very good communication skills. So it came as a surprise to me when some days when I would try to talk to her at lunch she would be very rude and then randomly start crying and not talk the whole lunch. So after a while I would just stop hanging out with her if she was acting strange that day. It took one of her friends who saw what was going on to pull me aside and explain what was happening, she was on her period. I felt really dumb for not realizing that but I was also at a loss for what to do. For someone who grew up in a house full of boys this was a new one. I wasn’t sure if I should just give her space or if I should double down on the lovey dovey stuff. I ultimately opted for the first option which ended that relationship pretty quickly.

The second girl I dated who we’ll call “girlfriend 2” was a more interesting case as the second half of the relationship was long distance. While I was around during the summer while I knew she was on her period the only real sign is that she would fluctuate from being really quiet to being really cuddly. I would usually just get her some chocolates before I came over and then cuddle with her a lot that usually worked fine and we didn’t really have any other issues … Until I left, the whenever she would get on her period she was angry because I couldn’t be there for her and complained a whole bunch over the phone. This eventually led to her seeking out the attention of other guys as I was not there to satisfy here. Such is life though.

The third Girlfriend however was different entirely as she was on birth control. As a result I didn’t see any mood swings or behavior changes at all. That did not mean that we didn’t butt heads at all it was quite the opposite. So I would say that menstruation in all honesty does not bother me that much at all. although it makes it inconvenient for sex for a few days other than that you just have to understand where your girl is coming from and be patient with her. Just because they feel like they are being attacked from the inside doesn’t mean that they aren’t human. Ya gotta treat em right especially during this time and they will take care of you. During class it was noted that girls feel really embarrassed about tampons and such. I really don’t know why. I used them as a lifeguard and in the army as ways to stop bleeding. Its basically a big cotton ball so I don’t understand why they would freak out about it. Us guys do understand that girls have periods and it’s not a huge deal at all to us.

I think it would have been a lot nicer if my mom had mentioned some stuff about it when I was younger but I am oblivious to everything so I probably would not have realized it anyway. I don’t understand why people make buying tampons out to be like buying condoms. Its not secretive or naughty its a normal function of the human body. It’s basically toilet paper and should be seen as such, nobody gives me sideways looks when I buy toilet paper and it should be the same for tampons. that being said I’m always happy to go pick them up for someone I’m with. I think the expectation of girls to be “lady like” makes it embarrassing for them to acknowledge their menstruation which is dumb because while yes us guys like girls to be lady like we understand that you guys are human beings too and your body does things you can’t control.