Dad praised for brilliant way he handled daughter's first period

A single dad has won the Internet’s approval for his handling of his daughter’s first period.

Showing none of the awkwardness or squeamishness that some men experience when discussing the subject of menstruation, Maverick Austin, from Texas, really stepped up to help his daughter out after realising she’d started her periods.

In a now-viral Facebook post, the dad explained how he was called into action after receiving a call from his daughter, Avi, while she was at school claiming that she had somehow had an accident.

“‘Dad it's weird but think I pooped my pants!’” Avi told him via phone call. “So I rush to school take her a change of undies, put the old ones in a bag and rush back to my conference call and threw the bag in the kitchen bin.

A few hours later, Maverick put an important work call on hold to accept another call from Avi in which she told him it had happened again.

Initially the dad says he was confused and annoyed by the call because he was really busy with his work day, and told Avi to wipe her bottom better, stuff toilet paper in the back of her knickers.

But, after promising to call her back in an hour Maverick began to realise that his daughter may not have had another accident, but instead had started her period.

Having rushed to the bin to retrieve his daughter’s knickers, the dad realised it was actually blood staining there, confirming his suspicions.

READ MORE: The great period taboo: Why can't we talk about them?

Jumping into action, he put his meeting on hold and rushed out the door.

“I'm racing to the school while calling them telling the nurse to go find my child! [I'm] speeding and having a panic attack because my child called me for help and I just left her to die on the battlefield!” the dad explained.

Eventually, Maverick made it to the school, determined to find his daughter to help her navigate the milestone as best he can.

“I run into the office and she's standing there very calmly looking at me and says, ‘Dad, I officially started my first . . .’ and I stopped her and said, ‘I already know Avi . . . it hit me a few minutes after I hung up on you.’ The stress of raising a daughter!”

The dad goes on to explain that his daughter later asked if she got something like when a tooth falls out.

“So I snuck off to the store and when she got out of the shower I told her the period fairy brought her something,” the dad ended his post sharing an image of his daughter with the ice cream, flowers, a card, and chocolate he’d bought her for that first day.

READ MORE: Menstrual cups: everything you need to know

He further explained in the comments on the post that he'd already had pads at home “for months” in preparation.

Unsurprisingly, the sweet and sensitive handling of the situation earned him plenty of clapping hand emojis.

“What a wonderful daddy! This is so sweet!” one user wrote.

“Awwww that’s the best!!! And those are perfect treats,” another agreed. “There should also be period fairies.”

“I love it!! You’re an awesome dad!!! She will always remember this!!”

While the overwhelming majority of the comments praised the dad for his thoughtful response, a few did question whether he’d chatted with his daughter about periods in preparation for her starting.

But Maverick explained that his daughter was well prepared for the milestone.

“She was prepared, we’ve gone over it she’s super curious and intelligent and we’ve had pads and talks for 2 years since she was 9,” the dad responded to one comment.

He went on to explain that his daughter initially thought she had diarrhoea, but quickly realised that it was actually her period starting.

“When she realised what happened she left class to call and I left work to go support her,” he added.

Turns out not all men are quite as cool when it comes to dealing with menstruation. Recent research revealed that a third of men think it’s “unprofessional” for women to talk about their period in the workplace.

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