‘’Dad, I am on my periods.’’

" ‘’Dad, I am on my periods.’’"

‘’Dad, I am on my periods.’’ Meera, a bright and happy girl, had just stepped in her teenage. She is the only princess of her parents and was brought up by her dad. Being brought up by dad, she shared her every activity of a day to her dad from the start of the day, schooling, to the end of the day’s activities. That was how her days were passing by. On a certain day, she was sitting on a sofa watching television. Her lower abdomen suddenly started to ache, leaving her to pain and distress. She started screaming so loud, her dad came running and asked what happened. The girl knowing that it’s a sign for stepping into her first periods thought she couldn’t tell her dad about it. The girl who once shared every secret of each events happening to her to her dad, got silent that moment when she ought to tell him about it. The girl who never missed her mom, cried that moment remembering her for the first time with the thought that she could have gotten a chance to share her emotional pain she is going through right now rather than the physical pain if she had her mom around. Her mind was in the state of war between the thoughts of telling her dad about her periods or hiding it from him. Dad being unknown about the war going inside his daughter’s mind left the room giving her some medicines thinking it was only a minor stomach ache and asked her to take a bed rest. Soon after his departure, the room was filled with silence. No screaming, no pain, nothing but what about the inner Meera that was screaming for Help! In a loud voice that was unheard by her dad or say untold by her to her dad. Whose fault could it be? Was it that of a father not being able to understand her or comfort her to that level so that she could tell about her periods to him or was that fault of Meera herself that she had stigmatized her mind with the thoughts that menstruation is a thing needed to be told only to the mother or any female member. But isn’t it the thought of every teenage girl who face her menarche? How many of us had told about our first period to our dad or our brother or any male member of the family? Why is it that we are comfortable sharing this journey of ours with mom only or any female member or friend? Is it our fault that we are unable to express them to our dad, brother or male friends or is it the time that we are living at the present, where we are not being successful in creating an environment where girls like Meera can tell her daily routine of the day but not about her first period to her dad? Where girls like Meera can tell her brother with ease to bring her chocolates from grocery but can’t even utter a word when it’s a matter of buying her a pad in her periods. That very moment, Meera wanted to tell her dad with a loud voice, “Dad I am menstruating.’’ but even after knowing these facts, her answer was stomach pain when he asked her what happened? Like Meera every girl would want her first experience of being in periods to be shared with her dad with pride, ‘Dad I am on my periods.’ but question there remains when? Was it justifiable that girls had to face her first period in a name of stomach pain and even couldn’t beg help from anyone or was it justifiable to her dad where he even could not feel her daughter’s silence? Wouldn’t she be so much relieved if she could share what happened to her with her father? But these are the questions that will always remain unanswered. It’s the voice that is always unheard. It’s the experience that is always untold. Still, I have a dream that a girl will be able to tell her problems to her dad just like she can to her mom, I have a dream that no girl need to hide her periods in the name of stomach pain, I have a dream that each girl can proudly seek help from her male friends without the fear of being teased, I have a dream that girls do not have to sit on wet pants and leave the class at last just to avoid embarrassment from her friends and I have a dream that every girl, whenever they are on their periods, dad ,brother, male family member or male friends will be the first one they can seek help from.