Five minutes later, the flight attendant came over and said, “Sir, your daughter…”
My heart dropped.
“…she’s okay, but she seems really scared. Could you come with me?”
I stood up immediately and followed her down the narrow aisle of the plane. My mind was racing. It was her first period, and I knew she was already embarrassed about it. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel alone.
The flight attendant gently knocked on the bathroom door.
“Honey,” she said softly, “your dad is here.”
The door opened just a little, and my daughter peeked out. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying.
“Dad…” she whispered.
I stepped closer. “Hey, kiddo. It’s okay.”
She looked down at the floor. “I think I messed everything up.”
The flight attendant handed me a small bag. “We brought some extra supplies,” she said kindly. “Just in case.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
My daughter slowly opened the door a bit more and whispered, “I didn’t know it would happen today… and I thought everyone would notice.”
I crouched slightly so we were eye to eye.
“Listen,” I said gently. “Nothing is messed up. This is normal. It happens to millions of girls every day.”
