Assalamu Alaykum,

My 5 year old son saw a stained period pad in our toilet dustbin and saw me take a packet of sanitary pads and asked me why I was bleeding and had to use the pads. I told him that once a month, all women take out the dirty blood from their body (a process called "periods") and that's why we wear pads. He asked if he will have periods and I told him it is only for women.

I shared that with my mother who is extremely conservative and she was horrified that I shared such information with him. Her views are that menstruation is a very private women's affair and should not be talked about in front of men (other than your husband). My common sense tells me that is a natural biological phenomenon and it doesn't make sense to make something relatively innocent like that be a "taboo" topic at home.

Having said that, I am curious to hear other people's opinions and religous views on this subject matter. Also, how would you have handled such a situation?

JZK,
A

Salaam, I don't think Islam prohibits a mother from telling her son about the m.c. my advice would be to teach your son not to mention it in front of other people, tell him, "Since its only for women, its also a private matter..." and to take better precautions in the future. other than that, its not haraam to teach your child stuff pre-puberty... i think. if your'e still unsure, ask a scholar, or your local imam.