The campaign lays out three easy tips for dads who want to have the conversation

Our teenage years can be bloody difficult. And starting your period is a big moment. But as your body go through immense changes, and you try to navigate this new era in your life, everything gets a little bit easier with guidance from the people who love and care for you.

Feeling as though you have someone to turn to when things get tough is vital. Open attitudes at home can ease embarrassment and anxiety, and cut back on period shame that, really, has no place in the 21st century.

That said, a survey by the social enterprise Hey Girls found that just 41% of men feel comfortable talking to their children about their periods, and a further one in three believe that they are unprepared to have the conversation.

It’s not a surprising statistic. Conversations around periods are still shrouded in mystery, and most dads will have limited experience with them.

Recognising this gap, organic cotton feminine care company Organ(y)c has launched a campaign to support dads with the talk. Reflecting on the need to get dads opening up, Chloe Case from Organ(y)c believes its more important now than ever.

“The notion of ‘family’ has changed so much in the last 100 years,” she says. “Gone are the days of every family being made up of mum, dad and kids all living under the same roof, when it would have always been left to mum to have that chat. Talking shouldn’t be something to worry about and shouldn’t be complicated, which is why we’ve launched our Simple as ABC Campaign.”

Just 41% of men feel comfortable talking about periods

Hoping to make the conversation less intimidating, Organ(y)c breaks it down into three easy steps:

A | Answer the question

How long will it last? How often do I need to change? And why do I feel like crying all the time?

Periods are complicated things, and raging hormones don’t help. Young people are going to have questions, and they should be able to turn to the parents for answers. So make sure that you’re informed. Do the research, stay on top of things, and if you get asked something you don’t know the answer to, look into it together.

B | Be proactive

Get ahead of the game. Different people will start their periods at different ages, with some as early as nine years old. So make sure that you’re prepared to have the conversation before it starts, so that they are aware of what may happen and don’t come up against any unwelcome surprises. Organ(y)c points out that this doesn’t have to be a big conversation, instead it could be about having open talks about periods when they come up naturally.

C | Call it normal

Normalisation is key, but it takes time and awareness to create a healthy environment. This happens when everyone in the family is confident, approachable, and knowledgeable about periods. And when there’s already a healthy, open atmosphere at home, it’s so much easier to shed the shame that comes from outside.

It really is that easy. And to top it off, Oran(y)c is offering free sample packs to dads, so that they can learn about the products for themselves. To claim yours, email hello@organyc.co.uk

It’s about time that dads learn to go with the flow, and with these tips, a more open, comfortable, and caring attitude around periods is well within reach.