For a long time, I have found it necessary to tell my friends, and even my girlfriend, that they do not have to apologize for telling stories about their periods, or even mentioning it. All the time I will hear people say "Sorry if this story makes the guys feel uncomfortable, but..." I find this incredible. I find it incredible that people feel the need to apologize for something that happens to them without any control on their part. More than that even, something that almost everyone would prefer not happen to them! This is my decree that men should stop being menophobes.

Here's the deal guys: No one wants to have a period. They suck. They can cause mood swings, bloating, killer cramps, and bleeding from a part of your body that you would prefer not to be bleeding from. More than that though, they happen (for some people) literally every month. Every. Single. Month. Would you be cool if your doctor told you that you had a disease that gave you awful cramps, made you do things you regret later, and made you bleed from your genitals every month? No! You'd beg for some kind of cure! Or, at the least, you would tell every living soul that surrounded you every time it was your 'time of the month.' I know I would! So, if other people have to deal with the often awful experience that is a period, I think we can handle them talking about it every now and then.

So, why do we act like when people talk about their periods in any context, that they're going into vivid detail about something deeply personal? I've been in situations where my friends have told hilarious stories about their periods that didn't go into any detail at all, but felt the need to preempt the story with a "Sorry if this is too personal..." Why? Because men have pounded into their heads that periods are something that they can deal with on their own. Instead of being compassionate and helpful, we instead choose indifference and often even disgust. Men, as a whole, seem to think that periods are something that they don't and shouldn't have to deal with. But here's the thing: we kinda do.

I have two awesome sisters, a wonderful girlfriend, an amazing mom, and great friends who all experience periods. You know what doesn't help my relationships with these people? Ignoring their periods or acting like it's something that they shouldn't talk about. This just makes it seem like they get angry with me for no reason, when it's really because they're going through pounding headaches or crippling cramps. You know what does help my relationship though? An honest discussion about how they're feeling and how I can help. The fact of the matter is that, even if you don't experience periods, you are constantly surrounded by people who do. They stand next to you on the bus, sit next to you on planes, and might even sleep next to you at night. Your life is practically as controlled by periods as those people who experience them! If we were more open about periods, perhaps to the same level of honesty as we might be about having a cold, we could help those going through their period in whatever way they needed us to. Whether giving them chocolate, talking a little quieter, or not interacting with them at all helps them, helping them will, in the end, help us. So, stop avoiding the conversation that will make your life so much easier!

It's time that people feel comfortable talking about their periods. It's time men stop being apathetic jerks about periods. I say that it's time for parents to start teaching their kids from a young age what periods are and that they're nothing to be ashamed of. That the things they experience are natural and make them in no way inferior to those who don't experience them. I remember the first time I had an idea of what a period was. I walked into the family bathroom and found that the bowl was, to my young eyes, filled with blood. I was horrified, of course, and immediately went straight to one of my parents, who happened to be my mom, and told her that someone in the house was losing a lot of blood. She came with me to the bathroom and calmly informed me that someone must have forgotten to flush, flushed the toilet, and told me not to worry about it. I didn't understand what happened and she didn't explain to me. The idea of periods were, to my recollection, never out rightly explained to me or most of my friends until Health class in high school, wherein I formed an exceedingly basic understanding of what periods were.

All that being said, there is disclaimer that has to be added on. This openness does not give you permission to ask literally every person you find even slightly rude "Is it your time of the month?" That's degrading to those who experience periods. It makes it seem like their emotions are not valid and that you do not respect them to have their own opinions without Mother Nature making them a little cranky. Basically, it is horribly, horribly condescending to people. In short, people that experience periods should not feel embarrassed to talk about what they're feeling, because they're dealing with the period. It's not your place to talk about anything to do with their body, unless they bring it up.