Out of the blue…
Rockstar: (Classmate’s) mum and (Other Classmate’s) mum are both sad because they have their periods.
Me: <startled> What?? As in Grouchy-Sad? Where did you get that??
Rockstar: They were talking about it (in school). (Classmate) said his mummy was sad because she was having her period. So then (Other Classmate) said his mummy was also sad because she was also having her period.
Me: Are any daddies sad they have their periods?
Rockstar: <scornfully> Hah! Daddies don’t get periods!
Me: How do you know? <thinking: Sure they do, have you seen how temperamental some guys get around football season? In Kings’ case it’s when there are hairballs drifting about… JD gets told off for shaking and scratching too much because she drops more hairs that way, which I find hilarious but the dog doesn’t… In fact in his younger days Kings used to have the helper repaint one particular wall every month because JD likes to sleep with her paws up against said wall and it leaves marks>
Rockstar: I learnt in school!
Me: You learned in school (at that age?!) that boys don’t get periods?!
Rockstar: <shrugs nonchalantly but I notice he’s not looking me in the eye> Yeah. I read it in a book in school.
Me: <Suspicious. Is there really a book in his Kindy that tells him -? I know they get quiet reading time, Rockstar tends to mention it quite often, but….. ???> Have you guys been discussing whose mummy is having or not having her period?
Rockstar: <beaming> Yeah.
Me: So what, you came to the conclusion all mums get “sad” when they have their periods?
Rockstar: Yeah. Har har har.
Me: <accusatory> And daddies don’t. So I suppose you think for that reason mums get grouchier?!
(And I notice this little roundtable survey involves all little boy classmates. And btw Rockstar’s told me ages ago they do fart and leg hair comparisons. Talk about your teeny little Men From Mars. All that’s missing from this are the pints of beer. )
Rockstar: <triumphantly like this is some epiphany> YYYe-es! Heee. Because – Mums – Get – Periods! <jumping up and down on bed>
(At which point I’m thinking Ohhh, wait til you little smartasses drive your daddies batshit crazy at home all day for a whole workweek and then let’s see Who. Gets. Periods. Humph!)
Wow, children really know a lot nowadays. I most certainly don’t know what periods are when I was Rockstar’s age.
Yeah kids today.. Tho I half suspect some wise-cracking work warrior of putting that idea in one of their heads and then of course it spreads like wildfire.. One day must do am experiment, feed some weird, obscure concept/ idea to Rockstar and see how far it travels at the snack table – I can ask mummy friends if their kid eventually repeats it to them! 😀
Rockstar probably heard or was told this nugget of info by a classmate who had most likely overheard or was told by their dad to explain mum’s mood. I mean, you must have all heard all the many PMT/ PMS-related jokes told by men, right?
Yeah exactly!! The things kids pick up and then go to school and impart