Dad Doesn’t Know What A Menstrual Cup Is, Lets Son Take It To School For Show And Tell
Ah, show and tell, probably the best part of school (apart from recess and lunchtime on Pizza Friday, of course). There’s potential to show off many incredible things to your classmates, like your homework-eating-dog, your pet rock, and your newest LEGO set.
One father got into an incredibly embarrassing situation when his son brought his wife’s silicone menstrual cup into school for show and tell. Both father and son thought it was a cool toy, and it took the kid’s teacher to explain to the grown-up exactly what it was his child showed to his classmates. Fact is stranger than fiction, and this is one of those stories that proves that this adage is correct.
A dad and his son thought that this was a ‘cool toy’…
Image credits: igorbondarenko (not the actual photo)
When Reddit user Sothishappened2 posted the story online, it went viral, with over 58,500 upvotes, and 2,200 comments. What’s more, Redditors gave the oblivious dad 2 Platinum Awards, 4 Gold Awards, 5 Silver Awards (and even a Poop Award) for his honest and funny tale.
…when in fact it was mom’s menstrual cup
The son brought it to school for show and tell
His dad had a very embarrassing conversation with his teacher about what happened at school
What makes Sothishappened2’s story so hilarious is how innocent both parent and child were while playing with the menstrual cup all weekend, thinking it was an awesomely versatile toy that “kinda looked like a tulip.” Luckily for the dad, his wife thought the entire situation was very funny.
Sothishappened2 clarified online that he knows “all about the cycle.” He also said that he grew up with four sisters and the only devices he was previously aware of for periods “were to absorb the blood — not collect it.”
There are plenty of things that guys want to learn about periods, but some of them are too embarrassed to ask. Cosmopolitan has a list of some of these questions. For example, some guys want to know how much of a warning women get before their periods begin. According to Cosmo, women’s bodies “tend to give a few warning signs — greasier hair, changes in mood, and cramps all tend to make their presence known before the actual blood.”
Bleeding during periods usually lasts from 5 to 7 days; however, there may be some small amounts of bleeding for a couple of days on either side of this window.
While period pain is different for every woman, Cosmopolitan writes that guys should imagine this for comparison: “Your gut is totally swollen, sore and bruised – boxer’s face at the end of a fist fight kinda level. Then imagine someone has come and grabbed it, twisted it, and will continue to do so on and off for a number of days, every month, for 30+ years of your life. Whilst this happens, you’ll also be bleeding profusely from your most intimate area, experiencing head and back aches, nausea, bloating, sore boobs and mood swings, and you’ll either need the bathroom twice as often, or not be able to go at all.”
Redditors thought the story was hilarious and shared their own peculiar tales
I know this isn’t the point, but this is why we need real sexual education for both genders and not to keep them separated. We all need at least basic knowledge regardless of gender.
To be fair, as a woman, I did not hear from the existence of menstrual cups until well in my 20s. They are fairly uncommon here in the Netherlands and not included into most women's menstruation education (or just considered gross and are not seen as a valid option), let alone for men's education.... Which is ridiculous if you find out that they are so much better for your body as well as for the environment.
Load More Replies...
I do believe it's definitely made more of an appearance within the last few years though
Load More Replies...
From reddit: “I was also confused by it “fitting” because, like I said, this device helped save a Chickoletta over the weekend. I’ve seen a tampon- they’re much slimmer than this cup is. My wife assures me it fits just fine and she doesn’t even feel it’s presence after it’s im position.“ I wonder how he got her pregnant in the first place without putting something in there that is bigger than a tampon.
Behold: the product of the sex ed system who also wonder if tampons turn women on... It's a smooth muscle, Gents! Unless the clitoris is engorged with blood, you feel nothing in the vaginal canal any more than you feel food moving through your intestines (normally. I'm not talking about sensitivity with medical issues).
Load More Replies...
I've never seen one of those before. I certainly wouldn't have known what it was.
I love that they continued to let him play with his new "toy" afterwards despite dad now knowing what it actually is. Also, while I am familiar with pads and tampons, I never really knew that menstrual cups existed until about a few years ago.
I love it too! Above all, it’s just a silicone object :) (And anyway, why should we be embarrassed about a -clean- hygiene product?)
Load More Replies... It's sad people don't know so many things about other genders. He asked a woman if she's sure it would fit inside vagina and he said he doesn't think it would. Well sir, vaginas seem not to care what men think about them bcos men think so many idiotic things about womens bodies... -_- Also, when i bought menstrual cup i told my partner about it, also he always was able to buy me pads without being ashamed or anything. Get smart partner who isn't scared of 'lady stuff' and if there's need - educate them to not be that dumb as guy in the story
You live with your wife, mother of your child (so, quite some time) and you don't know what she uses during her period? Come on, man.
It's 2019. How can you 1) not know what a menstrual cup is and 2) not know what your wife uses. I bring home tampons all the time and always the correct kind. Yes sir I'm a good husband I am!
I can see not knowing what it is, but his wife uses it. do you not talk? do you not share a bathroom?
Load More Replies...
"My wife laughed hysterically" "…my son is having a tea party with the cup right now" ///// I hope you know how awesome your family is.
Best invention ever when it comes to menstruation , environment friendly, no risk of toxic syndrome and your vagina. Just rinse and reuse during your periods, year after years to come.
I've never seen one in use before, so I asked my (new-ish) partner about hers. She explained it to me, I learned new stuff. Nothing uncomfortable here. It's nothing alien, all women have that time of the month, so wtf is there to be ashamed about. Could we maybe stop shaming this topic and talk as naturally about it as it is?
Wait, he let the son use it for a tea party after he found out what it was?
This reminds me of when I was in preschool, it was show and tell! And it was blue day. I had some spare blue underwear in my backpack, and forgot that it was show and tell, so my like 5 year old self, thought it was perfect for showand tell! I still hear about this story from my preschool teacher....
5 year old you was simply being creative and improvised.
Load More Replies...
Actually, I'm 54, a woman, college degree, well-traveled, and never heard of a menstrual cup. I will say, though, that I'd encourage my child to take something different for show-n-tell.
Im 34, so my schooltime is way past now. But even so, our Sex ed was quite good. Boys and girls were together while learning about Sex, how to use kondoms, how menstruation and even how tampons work. And of course how babys grow and are born.
I was off school sick - primary school this is so under 11 - and watched a tv programme showing a baby being born. Nothing hidden. My mother asked me what I'd been watching so I told her and when my father came home she told me to tell him. He didn't say a word. I have no idea to this day what either of them thought. After that sex education in school was rather disappointing.
Load More Replies...
In high school a teacher told us how he found something in his home bathroom that looked like the dynamite in cartoons. He took one to school, stood up on his desk, held it over his head with a lighter to the string and shouted that if everyone didn’t freeze and do what he said, he’d blow them all up. His teacher turned red with anger, yanked him down and dragged him to the principals office. Thing is he told the story so skillfully I was seriously thinking how was the teacher so brave, how’d she know he wouldn’t set it off? He explained that he later learned he’d threatened the class with a tampon of course.
Sorry, I'm not explaining to a client what a menstrual cup is. Sir, it's a menstrual ..end of story... ask your wife... I'm not educating you on your wife's hygiene habits.
I must admit I thought that was odd - why not say to him that this isn't a toy and is probably something your wife uses on a monthly basis and leave him to toddle on home and discuss it with her!
Load More Replies... 
not saying I'd recommend it as a regular toy XD... but it is nice at least that the child has enough creativity to not need any of the most expensive and flashy new toys
I have not seen anything like that in my entire life. Just how many thing do women have for menstruation?
This reminds me of when my nephew and his friend were "shooting rockets" out in the front yard. My sister arrived home to a lawn full of tampons. She was so thankful that the sprinkler system hadn't come on and she didn't have a lawn full of white slugs. . Needless to say he had to use his own money and go to the store to buy his sister a new box of rockets.
Ok, these things have not been on the market for very long. But how does a man whose wife is using this not know what this is?? It must lie around in the bathroom to dry - why does he not ask?? When I tried it, I was single but I hated it and had I had a partner at the time, he would have certainly heard me bitching about it.
FFS - a simple google search will tell anyone that they were invented 90 years ago!! I've been using them for over 10 years.
Load More Replies...
I only know what these are because I read jezebel.com and they're pretty popular with the commenters there.
I can see this cup being an up and coming thing. It would reduce the amount of tampons and pads going into the trash. Funny note though. One of my bosses brought her son to work one say. She was running around from department to department getting things sorted before leaving again. She left her son..in her office..with crayons and paper..unattended. She came back to find out he'd gotten into her purse and found these neat stickers that made instant clouds on his drawings (Pantyliners.)
I dont really believe this happened, not because he didnt know what it was, but because he let his son bring what he believes to be a small piece of nondescript plastic to show and tell. What did his dad think he would say about it, hey look I found this plastic thing, dunno what it is. Kinda misses the whole point of the telling part.
I do. The random pieces of plastic I have found from toy sets, which kids become hyperfocused on in different scenarios, leads to a lot of storytelling. Additionally, the dad lists the various things they used it for.
Load More Replies...
I have a bag of pads and a box of tampons sitting on the counter of my bathroom. The same bathroom that I share with my nephews (aged 4 & 7). I don't feel the need to hide my menstrual products as if they are a shameful, dirty secret. When the week is over, they get put away. But I'm not making my bathroom time any longer or more complicated because someone, somewhere, will freak out if a male knows she bleeds from her uterus for a week and has products to help with that. It's 2019, not 1819. Women are allowed to be real people 🙄
Load More Replies...
I know this isn’t the point, but this is why we need real sexual education for both genders and not to keep them separated. We all need at least basic knowledge regardless of gender.
To be fair, as a woman, I did not hear from the existence of menstrual cups until well in my 20s. They are fairly uncommon here in the Netherlands and not included into most women's menstruation education (or just considered gross and are not seen as a valid option), let alone for men's education.... Which is ridiculous if you find out that they are so much better for your body as well as for the environment.
Load More Replies... I do believe it's definitely made more of an appearance within the last few years though
Load More Replies... From reddit: “I was also confused by it “fitting” because, like I said, this device helped save a Chickoletta over the weekend. I’ve seen a tampon- they’re much slimmer than this cup is. My wife assures me it fits just fine and she doesn’t even feel it’s presence after it’s im position.“ I wonder how he got her pregnant in the first place without putting something in there that is bigger than a tampon.
Behold: the product of the sex ed system who also wonder if tampons turn women on... It's a smooth muscle, Gents! Unless the clitoris is engorged with blood, you feel nothing in the vaginal canal any more than you feel food moving through your intestines (normally. I'm not talking about sensitivity with medical issues).
Load More Replies... I've never seen one of those before. I certainly wouldn't have known what it was.
I love that they continued to let him play with his new "toy" afterwards despite dad now knowing what it actually is. Also, while I am familiar with pads and tampons, I never really knew that menstrual cups existed until about a few years ago.
I love it too! Above all, it’s just a silicone object :) (And anyway, why should we be embarrassed about a -clean- hygiene product?)
Load More Replies... It's sad people don't know so many things about other genders. He asked a woman if she's sure it would fit inside vagina and he said he doesn't think it would. Well sir, vaginas seem not to care what men think about them bcos men think so many idiotic things about womens bodies... -_- Also, when i bought menstrual cup i told my partner about it, also he always was able to buy me pads without being ashamed or anything. Get smart partner who isn't scared of 'lady stuff' and if there's need - educate them to not be that dumb as guy in the story
You live with your wife, mother of your child (so, quite some time) and you don't know what she uses during her period? Come on, man.
It's 2019. How can you 1) not know what a menstrual cup is and 2) not know what your wife uses. I bring home tampons all the time and always the correct kind. Yes sir I'm a good husband I am!
I can see not knowing what it is, but his wife uses it. do you not talk? do you not share a bathroom?
Load More Replies... "My wife laughed hysterically" "…my son is having a tea party with the cup right now" ///// I hope you know how awesome your family is.
Best invention ever when it comes to menstruation , environment friendly, no risk of toxic syndrome and your vagina. Just rinse and reuse during your periods, year after years to come.
I've never seen one in use before, so I asked my (new-ish) partner about hers. She explained it to me, I learned new stuff. Nothing uncomfortable here. It's nothing alien, all women have that time of the month, so wtf is there to be ashamed about. Could we maybe stop shaming this topic and talk as naturally about it as it is?
Wait, he let the son use it for a tea party after he found out what it was?
This reminds me of when I was in preschool, it was show and tell! And it was blue day. I had some spare blue underwear in my backpack, and forgot that it was show and tell, so my like 5 year old self, thought it was perfect for showand tell! I still hear about this story from my preschool teacher....
5 year old you was simply being creative and improvised.
Load More Replies... Actually, I'm 54, a woman, college degree, well-traveled, and never heard of a menstrual cup. I will say, though, that I'd encourage my child to take something different for show-n-tell.
Im 34, so my schooltime is way past now. But even so, our Sex ed was quite good. Boys and girls were together while learning about Sex, how to use kondoms, how menstruation and even how tampons work. And of course how babys grow and are born.
I was off school sick - primary school this is so under 11 - and watched a tv programme showing a baby being born. Nothing hidden. My mother asked me what I'd been watching so I told her and when my father came home she told me to tell him. He didn't say a word. I have no idea to this day what either of them thought. After that sex education in school was rather disappointing.
Load More Replies... In high school a teacher told us how he found something in his home bathroom that looked like the dynamite in cartoons. He took one to school, stood up on his desk, held it over his head with a lighter to the string and shouted that if everyone didn’t freeze and do what he said, he’d blow them all up. His teacher turned red with anger, yanked him down and dragged him to the principals office. Thing is he told the story so skillfully I was seriously thinking how was the teacher so brave, how’d she know he wouldn’t set it off? He explained that he later learned he’d threatened the class with a tampon of course.
Sorry, I'm not explaining to a client what a menstrual cup is. Sir, it's a menstrual ..end of story... ask your wife... I'm not educating you on your wife's hygiene habits.
I must admit I thought that was odd - why not say to him that this isn't a toy and is probably something your wife uses on a monthly basis and leave him to toddle on home and discuss it with her!
Load More Replies... not saying I'd recommend it as a regular toy XD... but it is nice at least that the child has enough creativity to not need any of the most expensive and flashy new toys
I have not seen anything like that in my entire life. Just how many thing do women have for menstruation?
This reminds me of when my nephew and his friend were "shooting rockets" out in the front yard. My sister arrived home to a lawn full of tampons. She was so thankful that the sprinkler system hadn't come on and she didn't have a lawn full of white slugs. . Needless to say he had to use his own money and go to the store to buy his sister a new box of rockets.
Ok, these things have not been on the market for very long. But how does a man whose wife is using this not know what this is?? It must lie around in the bathroom to dry - why does he not ask?? When I tried it, I was single but I hated it and had I had a partner at the time, he would have certainly heard me bitching about it.
FFS - a simple google search will tell anyone that they were invented 90 years ago!! I've been using them for over 10 years.
Load More Replies... I only know what these are because I read jezebel.com and they're pretty popular with the commenters there.
I can see this cup being an up and coming thing. It would reduce the amount of tampons and pads going into the trash. Funny note though. One of my bosses brought her son to work one say. She was running around from department to department getting things sorted before leaving again. She left her son..in her office..with crayons and paper..unattended. She came back to find out he'd gotten into her purse and found these neat stickers that made instant clouds on his drawings (Pantyliners.)
I dont really believe this happened, not because he didnt know what it was, but because he let his son bring what he believes to be a small piece of nondescript plastic to show and tell. What did his dad think he would say about it, hey look I found this plastic thing, dunno what it is. Kinda misses the whole point of the telling part.
I do. The random pieces of plastic I have found from toy sets, which kids become hyperfocused on in different scenarios, leads to a lot of storytelling. Additionally, the dad lists the various things they used it for.
Load More Replies... I have a bag of pads and a box of tampons sitting on the counter of my bathroom. The same bathroom that I share with my nephews (aged 4 & 7). I don't feel the need to hide my menstrual products as if they are a shameful, dirty secret. When the week is over, they get put away. But I'm not making my bathroom time any longer or more complicated because someone, somewhere, will freak out if a male knows she bleeds from her uterus for a week and has products to help with that. It's 2019, not 1819. Women are allowed to be real people 🙄
Load More Replies... 
245
107