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“Did You Want A Picture?”: Mom Struggles To Contain Her Rage After Teacher Ignores Her Daughter’s Emergency
Being a teenager in high school is awkward enough. Between exhausting classes, friendship drama, and all the physical changes that come with growing up, most teens are just trying to make it through the day.
But one 14-year-old found herself in a nightmare scenario when she told her teacher she urgently needed the bathroom due to a period emergency, and was met with a response that turned an already uncomfortable moment into something humiliating.
According to her mom, the teacher didn’t believe her, refused to let her go, and even demanded “proof” from home while threatening disciplinary action over something completely normal.
Once the mom found out, she was furious and took to Reddit to share what happened. Read the full story below.
RELATED:
The teen girl asked to use the bathroom because of a period emergency, but her teacher didn’t believe her and embarrassed her instead
Image credits: Wavebreakmedia/Envato (not the actual photo)
When her mom found out, she was absolutely furious
Image credits: LightFieldStudios/Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Common_Piglet7437
Strict teachers may think they’re more effective, but they often end up doing more harm than good
Going to the bathroom seems like one of those things that should just be simple. At home or at work, when nature calls, you go. No explanations needed, no permission required. Yet in schools, this basic human need has become a battleground between teachers trying to maintain control and students who just need to use the restroom.
Many teachers worry that bathroom breaks are being used as excuses to skip class or get out of lessons. While that might be true for some students, it raises an important question: should every child be treated with suspicion? Should teachers default to being strict regardless of the situation?
Image credits: gpointstudio/Freepik (not the actual photo)
There’s a common belief that strict teachers are more effective and better for students, but research suggests otherwise. A study from the University of Essex found that students with strict teachers were more likely to rebel and experienced negative effects on their wellbeing. They were also less likely to open up about serious problems like bullying.
When teachers used controlling tones, children’s self-esteem dropped and they saw those teachers as less trustworthy. The study showed that supportive voices were far more effective at gaining cooperation than strict, controlling ones.
It feels like strict discipline is often used as a quick fix because it’s great at getting immediate compliance. If you scare a kid, they’ll probably follow the rules in the moment. But what’s the point of making them operate out of fear when they’re supposed to be learning? In the long run, this mindset simply doesn’t work.
For girls dealing with periods, an unnecessarily harsh reaction can make an already stressful moment even worse
This is especially true when it comes to bathroom policies for teenage girls dealing with menstruation. After all, what does restricting them from using the bathroom even teach them? The act of asking for permission alone already adds another layer of anxiety to an already uncomfortable situation.
Research suggests many girls feel uneasy about asking to use the restroom at school, particularly when it means revealing they’re on their period in front of classmates. Some describe feeling exposed when teachers couldn’t hear their whispered requests and they had to repeat themselves louder.
Image credits: rawpixel.com/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Studies have also found that between two-thirds to three-quarters of menstruating girls regularly worry about pain, getting their period unexpectedly, bloodstains, and using school toilets. These are real concerns many girls deal with every month, and in some cases, it leads them to avoid the bathroom entirely, even when they need to change menstrual products.
A natural biological process doesn’t need extra embarrassment piled on top of it. Teachers need to understand that.
Perhaps the answer lies in recognizing that being a good teacher means more than following strict policies. It means understanding that students are human beings with real needs, both physical and emotional. It means creating an environment where students feel safe asking for help rather than fearing punishment.
Kindness and trust shouldn’t be seen as weaknesses in classroom management but rather as essential tools for building the kind of relationships that actually help students learn and grow.
The mom shared more details in the comments
Many readers said her reaction was completely justified given the situation
Others, however, felt she took it too far and overreacted
The woman later returned with an update, saying the vice principal backed her up and was horrified by what happened
Image credits: LightFieldStudios/Envato (not the actual photo)
But it didn’t end there, because the teacher refused to let it go
Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)
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What do you think ?
KatSaidThat 4 hours ago
Dear Teacher, please come with me to the bathroom and stand in the stall while I change my tampon right in front of you to prove that you are a f*****g twatbag and that I am in fact having a period. Mad as hell on her behalf.
Crystalwitch60 4 hours ago
No idea why you got a downvote but your totally right , like she’s bleeding ffs how else is she meant to prove it , sound disgusting YES COS IT IS ,n it’s the only way the poor less couldn’t have proved it isn’t it , boy I’m so glad my daughter never had to go thru this at all , I’d have been doing time if she had x
Load More Replies...
Trillian 5 hours ago
My daughter doesn't have to give specifics of her bathroom needs to her teacher. If she has to go, she has to go. It is not for the teacher to decide how urgent something is. And yes, I will be very happy to come to school and talk to the teacher, the headmaster and god if need be.
Tabitha 4 hours ago (edited)
I would also go to the school board to see if they could enforce a rule that no teacher can arbitrarily decide to grill a student about why they need an emergency bathroom break (I would also go to the state to have the law about no cellphones scrapped, because what about in an emergency? I understand about cheating on tests and overuse of cellphones by teenagers—-as well as adults—-but if there’s a legit emergency like an active shooter, I want my kids to be able to call both 911 and me, ffs). I like the one high school teacher commenter who said they tell their students to say, or hand them a note (if they’re shy about blurting it out in class) saying, “Emergency” if they need to go to the bathroom all of a sudden, and they let them go. Simple procedure for an easily solved problem. I am 65 now, and periods are in my past, but I still very clearly remember accidents and emergencies back when I was still getting accustomed to my monthly period needs. I remember the ruined clothing and underwear that required a load of soaking, without a guarantee that the stain would come out completely (we’re talking the 1970s here, when clothes weren’t all stain resistant and they hadn’t invented laundry pre-treatments yet). I also remember carrying a sweater or light jacket that could be tied around the waist, just in case, for that particular week of the month. That was something all us girls did, because we all had—-and lived in fear of—-that kind of accident. I also do not remember ANY of the female teachers having any kind of problem with letting us go to the bathroom if we had that issue. Maybe some of the male teachers wouldn’t understand, especially if they were new to teaching, but the more experienced ones who had teenage daughters, or just open eyes in their heads, pretty much got it. The women, and the experienced men, could tell right away—-from our eyes and the expression on our faces—-that it was a legitimate, and embarrassing to say out loud—-emergency, and let us grab our purses and tend to it. I even remember some of the women asking if we “needed anything”, which was code for “Do you have a pad/tampon in your purse?”, because they were the ones who kept a box or two of those supplies in their desks (always smart to be prepared, for students, other female teachers, and themselves). And believe me, even though I didn’t have the greatest set of parents, my mother STILL would have marched right over to my school and torn the teacher and the administrators new a******s, because she would have been so incredibly livid if anyone tried this kind of c**p with me. Even bad parents have their limits of what kind of treatment they’ll let others give their kids. I woukd do the exact same thing if it happened to my child—-or to any kid I knew, whether they’re mine or not! Regardless, if schools could be THAT understanding of the issue more than 50 f*****g years ago, I just don’t understand why they can’t be that way now. I swear it seems like we were MORE civilized and forward-thinking in so many ways over half a d****d century ago than we are now.
GenuineJen 1 hour ago (edited)
I'm only here to say that is the longest comment I've ever seen on BP! Wow!
Load More Replies...
Emilu 4 hours ago
How TF is OP meant to prove that her daughter is on her period, if not for whipping out a bloody pad/tampon and being all "SEE?!" Seriously. This is one thing I'd take the kid's word for (unless they do it regularly, then one could make the argument of poor planning) because to let a girl -- particularly a teen, who's coming into herself and getting comfortable with her body and going through all sorts of hormonal rubbish, etc -- bleed through her uniform is a massive jerk move. I remember being a teen and not allowed to go to the bathroom on my period when I really had to. Without going into details, when I could finally go I cried in the bathroom because I was so embarrassed at what had happened. Please, teachers; don't make teenage girls feel that way -- it's just cruel.
Alex Martin 3 hours ago (edited)
If the kid had the courage to tell you it was period related and you still denied her the bathroom you're just an idiot and a sadist. I was a baby teacher half a lifetime ago. I made this mistake once. Administration came hard down on teachers letting kids out of class and instituted a no pass policy. I was covering a colleague's class and a young lady asked to go to the bathroom just as the bell rang. I was an idiot, followed policy, and said no. She never said anything else to me. She had some type of period accident. Mom came into class after school and roasted me. Mom went to the same mf'ing assistant principal who threatened us if we issue passes and he roasted me the next day. That prince of asses was happy to pass the blame along and would not take accountability for his decision. I freely issued passes after that, no questions asked.
Min 3 hours ago
My mom wet herself in class when she was a kid because a teacher wouldn't let her go to the bathroom even after she said multiple times that it was an emergency. Because of this, she told me from my first day of school that I absolutely had her permission to ignore a teacher who said I couldn't go to the bathroom and she would always back me up if I ever got in trouble. Luckily, I had sane teachers and never had to take her up on that offer.
Helena 5 hours ago
Denying someone the bathroom is just a jerk move. i'm a grown adult and don't always think ahead until I'm doing a quick walk to the bathroom, and teens have almost no foresight, kind of a hallmark of the breed. If you notice someone abusing it, just record the number of in class bathroom breaks per student, and if it becomes a problem with one, send the records to the parents and let them deal with it.
M M 2 hours ago
There was no way when I was at school to go to the bathroom whenever. That's what the breaks were for and everyone knew that. Never heard of such a drama in my life. Emergency situation is different - you would say so, storm out, teacher would call the nurse and it would be taken from there. Stupid teacher here.
Load More Replies... Sarah Belt 3 hours ago
The "teachers" commenting at the top are bonkers. They all start from the belief that the child was lying in order to get away with something. What a miserable life to lead.
M M 2 hours ago
On the other hand, nobody makes up such assumptions out of nowhere. Their trust must have been betrayed at one point of their lives and this miserable way of living is just a result.
Load More Replies... Jonas Fisher 1 hour ago
I'm a teacher. I regularly deal with students wanting to leave the room at the worst possible times. They all say it's an emergency. Twenty years in, and not one single time have I had a kid lose control or seen a period bleed-through. We see stories like this one because -- even when true -- they're satisfying rage bait. If we were to read stories from every time kids make up b******t to leave the class, everyone angry at this teacher would at least have a much better sense of proportionality. Incidents like this one are vanishingly rare.
KrazyChiMama 21 minutes ago
Just about every woman I know in my personal life has had a period bleed through at school at one point in their life, so it can’t be that rare. I suspect you’ve never seen it because the young ladies it happens to are too embarrassed to tell you. I’m not denying that some kids do lie to get out of class for whatever reason, but girls especially should never be told no when they ask to use the bathroom. Ps holding your urine can cause problems in both men and women. It puts you at a higher risk of developing an infection or neurogenic disorders of the bladder.
Load More Replies... KatSaidThat 4 hours ago
Dear Teacher, please come with me to the bathroom and stand in the stall while I change my tampon right in front of you to prove that you are a f*****g twatbag and that I am in fact having a period. Mad as hell on her behalf.
Crystalwitch60 4 hours ago
No idea why you got a downvote but your totally right , like she’s bleeding ffs how else is she meant to prove it , sound disgusting YES COS IT IS ,n it’s the only way the poor less couldn’t have proved it isn’t it , boy I’m so glad my daughter never had to go thru this at all , I’d have been doing time if she had x
Load More Replies... Trillian 5 hours ago
My daughter doesn't have to give specifics of her bathroom needs to her teacher. If she has to go, she has to go. It is not for the teacher to decide how urgent something is. And yes, I will be very happy to come to school and talk to the teacher, the headmaster and god if need be.
Tabitha 4 hours ago (edited)
I would also go to the school board to see if they could enforce a rule that no teacher can arbitrarily decide to grill a student about why they need an emergency bathroom break (I would also go to the state to have the law about no cellphones scrapped, because what about in an emergency? I understand about cheating on tests and overuse of cellphones by teenagers—-as well as adults—-but if there’s a legit emergency like an active shooter, I want my kids to be able to call both 911 and me, ffs). I like the one high school teacher commenter who said they tell their students to say, or hand them a note (if they’re shy about blurting it out in class) saying, “Emergency” if they need to go to the bathroom all of a sudden, and they let them go. Simple procedure for an easily solved problem. I am 65 now, and periods are in my past, but I still very clearly remember accidents and emergencies back when I was still getting accustomed to my monthly period needs. I remember the ruined clothing and underwear that required a load of soaking, without a guarantee that the stain would come out completely (we’re talking the 1970s here, when clothes weren’t all stain resistant and they hadn’t invented laundry pre-treatments yet). I also remember carrying a sweater or light jacket that could be tied around the waist, just in case, for that particular week of the month. That was something all us girls did, because we all had—-and lived in fear of—-that kind of accident. I also do not remember ANY of the female teachers having any kind of problem with letting us go to the bathroom if we had that issue. Maybe some of the male teachers wouldn’t understand, especially if they were new to teaching, but the more experienced ones who had teenage daughters, or just open eyes in their heads, pretty much got it. The women, and the experienced men, could tell right away—-from our eyes and the expression on our faces—-that it was a legitimate, and embarrassing to say out loud—-emergency, and let us grab our purses and tend to it. I even remember some of the women asking if we “needed anything”, which was code for “Do you have a pad/tampon in your purse?”, because they were the ones who kept a box or two of those supplies in their desks (always smart to be prepared, for students, other female teachers, and themselves). And believe me, even though I didn’t have the greatest set of parents, my mother STILL would have marched right over to my school and torn the teacher and the administrators new a******s, because she would have been so incredibly livid if anyone tried this kind of c**p with me. Even bad parents have their limits of what kind of treatment they’ll let others give their kids. I woukd do the exact same thing if it happened to my child—-or to any kid I knew, whether they’re mine or not! Regardless, if schools could be THAT understanding of the issue more than 50 f*****g years ago, I just don’t understand why they can’t be that way now. I swear it seems like we were MORE civilized and forward-thinking in so many ways over half a d****d century ago than we are now.
GenuineJen 1 hour ago (edited)
I'm only here to say that is the longest comment I've ever seen on BP! Wow!
Load More Replies... Emilu 4 hours ago
How TF is OP meant to prove that her daughter is on her period, if not for whipping out a bloody pad/tampon and being all "SEE?!" Seriously. This is one thing I'd take the kid's word for (unless they do it regularly, then one could make the argument of poor planning) because to let a girl -- particularly a teen, who's coming into herself and getting comfortable with her body and going through all sorts of hormonal rubbish, etc -- bleed through her uniform is a massive jerk move. I remember being a teen and not allowed to go to the bathroom on my period when I really had to. Without going into details, when I could finally go I cried in the bathroom because I was so embarrassed at what had happened. Please, teachers; don't make teenage girls feel that way -- it's just cruel.
Alex Martin 3 hours ago (edited)
If the kid had the courage to tell you it was period related and you still denied her the bathroom you're just an idiot and a sadist. I was a baby teacher half a lifetime ago. I made this mistake once. Administration came hard down on teachers letting kids out of class and instituted a no pass policy. I was covering a colleague's class and a young lady asked to go to the bathroom just as the bell rang. I was an idiot, followed policy, and said no. She never said anything else to me. She had some type of period accident. Mom came into class after school and roasted me. Mom went to the same mf'ing assistant principal who threatened us if we issue passes and he roasted me the next day. That prince of asses was happy to pass the blame along and would not take accountability for his decision. I freely issued passes after that, no questions asked.
Min 3 hours ago
My mom wet herself in class when she was a kid because a teacher wouldn't let her go to the bathroom even after she said multiple times that it was an emergency. Because of this, she told me from my first day of school that I absolutely had her permission to ignore a teacher who said I couldn't go to the bathroom and she would always back me up if I ever got in trouble. Luckily, I had sane teachers and never had to take her up on that offer.
Helena 5 hours ago
Denying someone the bathroom is just a jerk move. i'm a grown adult and don't always think ahead until I'm doing a quick walk to the bathroom, and teens have almost no foresight, kind of a hallmark of the breed. If you notice someone abusing it, just record the number of in class bathroom breaks per student, and if it becomes a problem with one, send the records to the parents and let them deal with it.
M M 2 hours ago
There was no way when I was at school to go to the bathroom whenever. That's what the breaks were for and everyone knew that. Never heard of such a drama in my life. Emergency situation is different - you would say so, storm out, teacher would call the nurse and it would be taken from there. Stupid teacher here.
Load More Replies... Sarah Belt 3 hours ago
The "teachers" commenting at the top are bonkers. They all start from the belief that the child was lying in order to get away with something. What a miserable life to lead.
M M 2 hours ago
On the other hand, nobody makes up such assumptions out of nowhere. Their trust must have been betrayed at one point of their lives and this miserable way of living is just a result.
Load More Replies... Jonas Fisher 1 hour ago
I'm a teacher. I regularly deal with students wanting to leave the room at the worst possible times. They all say it's an emergency. Twenty years in, and not one single time have I had a kid lose control or seen a period bleed-through. We see stories like this one because -- even when true -- they're satisfying rage bait. If we were to read stories from every time kids make up b******t to leave the class, everyone angry at this teacher would at least have a much better sense of proportionality. Incidents like this one are vanishingly rare.
KrazyChiMama 21 minutes ago
Just about every woman I know in my personal life has had a period bleed through at school at one point in their life, so it can’t be that rare. I suspect you’ve never seen it because the young ladies it happens to are too embarrassed to tell you. I’m not denying that some kids do lie to get out of class for whatever reason, but girls especially should never be told no when they ask to use the bathroom. Ps holding your urine can cause problems in both men and women. It puts you at a higher risk of developing an infection or neurogenic disorders of the bladder.
Load More Replies... You May Like Mom Learns Son Is Forced To Participate In Teacher’s Daily “Ceremonies” In Class, Goes Ballistic Parent Torn Between Respecting Daughter’s Boundaries And Saving Her Classmate From An Empty B-Day Party 54 Biggest Parenting Mistakes, As Shared By Both Parents And Children In This Online Thread
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