This American Mom Has Taught Her Teenage Sons To Carry Emergency Sanitary Supplies

'Aunt Flo' to 'time of the month' to 'chums,' there are many convoluted terms that our society has coined to avoid the words 'period' and 'menstruation.' Talking about periods is almost taboo in cultures across the world.

MailOnline

While great strides have been made when it comes to breaking the silence around menstruation, young women continue to be shamed or are put made to follow oppressive religious practices that literally shun them for 'bleeding' every month.

To break this cycle of taboo, a mother in the US has come up with a unique idea to inculcate clear menstrual knowledge among her teen sons, one that mothers around the world need to follow.

Tara Ahrens hopes to break the stigma and taboo around menstruation by making it normal for her sons to carry tampons and sanitary pads.

"Most women and girls will tell you that merely talking about having your period in public is still pretty taboo. But as the mom of a 10 and a half-year-old daughter and two teen sons, I'm hoping to change that," Tara wrote on her blog.

Also Read: 'Period Room' Installed At A Public Toilet In Maharashtra's Thane For Women From Slum Areas

She explained to her boys Micah and Elijah that "bleed-throughs happen" and "they are mortifying and can be traumatising. Kindness and understanding from ANY friend go a long way. Be that person."

Tara said that the boys were initially reluctant, however, when they witnessed what their mum was talking about after one of Elijah's friend had bleed-through, the boys ensured that they had pads in their backpacks.

MailOnline

"Micah let all his close female friends know that he always keeps a sweatshirt in his locker and a tampon in his backpack," Tara said. He told them, "You know, in case you have an emergency. My mom wanted you to be covered." His female friends seemed a little embarrassed initially but eventually accepted it.

Also Read: England Joins The Fight To End Period Poverty, Abolishes 'Tampon Tax'

She previously posted pictures of the boys helping her shop at Target for their little sister's first bras.

"My teenage boys helped me shop today, which included buying their little sister's first bras because breasts happen," she wrote on a Facebook page called Pantsuit Nation.

Also Read: Scotland Becomes First Country In The World To Make Period Products Free Of Cost For All

Tara added in her post that she simply hopes to normalise things that were previously undiscussed with the opposite gender.

"As you normalise these things in your own family by regularly discussing them, they become normal to your kids, too," she said.

"It's my hope that kids of all genders, including transgender kids, know that my boys are a safe place to get period supplies, should they ever need them.