By Bob Kisiki
At school, we used to have fi lm shows every Sunday night. It was the biggest highlight of the week. It began at 7:15pm.
One night, we had been watching a really exciting movie and, as was the practice, when it ended, the headteacher announced that boys should remain seated as the ‘young ladies’, as he always referred to the girls, left the hall.
So the girls left before the boys were allowed to stand up.
Then we saw it! A small stream of dark blood sloping towards the back of the hall!
Of course, all of us had learnt about Ps (menstruation, periods, red soldiers, Aunt Flo, etc), but some of us had never had the occasion to see it. It was clear what had happened, some girl had come for the show, and the period had ambushed her there!
Many boys grow up around women, mothers, sisters, classmates and playmates, but never get the opportunity to learn about that red occurrence every woman experiences each passing month.
However, both boys and girls should be told everything about the monthly period. And no, it is not meant to be one giant topic covered in one go; it should be parcelled out in such a way that the child learns snippets of it as they grow older.
Life will present you with every necessary avenue to use to raise the topic. When you pick up your son from school, on your way home, choose to pass by the supermarket, let him tag along. Then, as you pick sanitary towels off the shelves, turn to him and quip: “Know what these are?”
Depending on his response, you could affirm his correct answer or promise to talk about it when you get home.
There is also the age-old question about where babies come from.
If your child (boy or girl) asks this question, get them all together, including the boys, and, in as ‘soft and clean’ a manner as possible, talk about the monthly cycle.
Tell them about the uterus, where babies grow inside a mother and how each month, in a girl who is of age or in a grown woman, the uterus prepares itself to receive a baby, because ovulation (explain this too, in simple terms) happens every month.
So in months when fertilisation (and conception) does not happen, the uterine lining comes out in the form of blood, which is called a period.
Another opportunity to speak about Ps to your sons is when they witness the flow happen, like we did back in school.
When you see or even hear them react to the incident, grab the chance to talk about it. However, even when nothing like all the above scenarios has happened, please make the time and create the space to speak about the matter, especially with boys.
Why should we make it a point to talk to boys, you might ask. First off, they relate with girls, and sometimes make their lives hard by how they react to the Ps.
Besides the obvious reaction of laughter, some boys are shocked, which makes the girls feel like they are something of a spectacle.
They need to appreciate what having the period comes with, cramping, mood swings, excessive excitement for some girls (which some boys might consider exploiting) and so on.
So instead of taking advantage or laughing, they should support those girls.
The writer is a parenting counsellor and teacher
