#MomLife. Periods and boys.

If you're a parent, you learn privacy is a myth like, "enough sleep" and "hot beverages". You can barricade the door and the kids will still get in and ask you a thousand questions. This is something I'm working with the boys on. I want them to respect boundaries and understand personal space. Some days are better than others.

A few months ago I was in the bathroom when my youngest barged in screaming about something. I think his brother took a toy he played with once, or it could have been to tell me I'm mean because I wouldn't let him eat ice cream for breakfast. Honest, I can't remember. My period had started, and I felt like a baby T-Rex was trying to claw its way out of my body. My youngest saw the blood and panicked forgetting whatever drove him into the bathroom.

"Mommy! You're bleeding!" He shouted at his brother and told him I was bleeding. My oldest ran into check on me. The boys were both worried I was dying or something so instead of reminding them that the bathroom is a private space I grabbed the bath towel from the rack next to me and draped it across my lap. So I'm now sitting covered up, with a little blood, or not a little blood, it looked like a crime scene, and the Baby T-Rex still trying to crawl out of my insides.

I smiled, and put on my calm mom voice, "I'm a girl this happens once a month."

My youngest shook his head, "No, blood doesn't happen, you're hurt!"

"For girls once a month we bleed, sometimes it can hurt, and sometimes we can get grumpy." I realized that I explained periods to my boys. The conversation's that simple.

"Does the blood happen to boys?!" my youngest asked.

"No, periods are a girl thing," I assured him.

My oldest shook his head, "I don't want to be a girl, I'll stay a boy."

"You can be whatever you want to be." Because they can, as long as they don't turn into Douchy Bro's with popped collars that say things like, "White lives Matter," and "But Not All Men!" we're solid. They can be gay or straight, cis or trans, doctors or construction workers. I want my kids to be happy, healthy, and good people. The rest are just details. 

So the boys are not on the verge of tears anymore, they leave me alone long enough to clean up the "crime" scene, and I go back out to go about our day, (and take as much ibuprofen as a person can without melting their insides or whatever). My oldest is eating, and he has a little light bulb turn on, "Mom is your girl blood why you were so grouchy last night?"

"That and I don't appreciate when you and your brother fight, it isn't okay to throw rocks at each other."

Now when my period comes I say, "Boy's I'm sorry, I may be grouchy and not a lot of fun the next couple days because I have my period."

My youngest always responds the same way, "Ugh, again! Why does periods happen all the time?"

To which I say something like, "I'm not sure buddy but it'd be awesome if they didn't."

When they grow up if they date women they will not be baffled by the tampon aisle, or why their partner's are crying at a yogurt commercial, or irrationally angry at the toaster.