I think dads get tired of receiving ties as gifts, and I like to think outside the box when it comes to presents anyway. Not to mention, anytime I got my dad something pricey, he’d get upset that I spent that kind of money on him. Plus, dads love handmade things.

I’ve rounded up some awesome affordable gifts and some DIYs that you can give your dad this Sunday. Click through and see what you can get for your pops!

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I just wanted my mom! | Source: Shutterstock

But I’m not writing about any of those firsts. I’m writing about a first I never looked forward to experiencing—my first period. I’m pretty sure the only time in life you pine for a visit from Aunt Flo is when you think you’re preggers and don’t want to be.

I especially never wanted to get my first period at summer camp, hundreds of miles from civilization and my mom. But after archery class one hot summer day, I saw blood in my underwear. Let’s be honest: no matter how many birds and the bees talks you received and no matter how many health classes you taken, no one is ever truly prepared for her first period. I didn’t feel like a woman; I felt like an ER patient. “My vagina is bleeding and it won’t stop” ran through my mind in a loop.

I figured a little toilet paper could solve the situation and it’d be over by dinnertime. (Yes, I was bit confused on periods.) When that didn’t work and I was close to using my camp’s summer supply of toilet paper, I finally confided in a friend. By confided, I mean burst into inconsolable tears. I didn’t want my period, and I didn’t want it like this.

My friend did what any intelligent 12-year-old would do when facing a crisis: she brought in reinforcements. As a collective group of friends, everyone decided we must tell the counselors. The counselors comforted me in the best way they could, but I could tell in their eyes that they were thinking: “I came to work at camp for a tan; I’m not being paid enough for this.”

I never thought I'd have to tell my dad! | Source: Shutterstock

Let me tell you, the only thing worse than getting your period at camp is having to tell you dad about it over the phone with the male camp director listening in the same room.

For a few days, I waddled around camp in my counselor’s mattress sized pads until finally my vagina stopped bleeding. When the weekend arrived, a counselor pulled me aside and said I had a visitor—another camp no-no. She led me to the parking lot where my dad sat in his car. He had driven over three hours to deliver his daughter two things: a beautiful letter about growing up (no period mentions, thank god) and a McDonald’s extra value meal—another camp no-no.

To this day, I can still remember sitting in my dad’s car and sipping a chocolate milkshake. We didn’t say much to each other, but it was better that way. My first period was a total bitch, but it did show me how much my dad loved me even if had no idea what to say to a recently mensing daughter. And it also taught that if you don’t know what to say to someone, buying a chocolate milkshake works too.

Gwendolyn is the author of the new novel A Long Way From You.

Have you gotten your first period yet? Where were you when it happened? If you’re still waiting, do you carry pads with you just in case? Tell me everything in the comments!

Still Haven’t Gotten Your Period? Think Yours Came Too Early?

Is it awkward to talk about sex with your dad? Yes. But is it worth it? Absolutely. | Source: Shutterstock

The guy you should talk about sex with the most–aside from whoever you’re thinking of sleeping with–is actually your dad. Talk about awkward, right?

Thing is, your pops has a perspective that your mom and your friends may not: a guy’s. And chances are since you’re here, an experienced guy’s. (We know, we know–gross, but true! We’ll give you a minute to scrub any creepy mental images from your brain.) He’s probably been around the block a bit more than your best guy friend, so he knows his stuff.

A new study says that girls who watched Teen Mom reacted differently to the show’s depictions of struggling teenage mothers depending on their own relationships with their fathers. Girls who talk about sex with their dads were more likely to recognize how difficult and scary raising a kid can be. And let’s be real, that life does not look like a cakewalk.

One of the authors of the study, Paul Wright, explained it like this: “Fathers who communicate with daughters about sex are especially apt to talk about the negatives of premarital sex, to speak of males’ propensity for placing sexual pressure on females, and to point out the consequences that result from the risky sexual behavior of others. Females who have been regularly sent these types of messages should be especially likely to attend to the negatives of being a young mother depicted on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom.”

The gist of that? Your dad will warn you when a guy is just trying to get into your pants and that you may well end up knocked up from that–so later, when you’re vegging out in a Teen Mom marathon, you’ll realize that you probably don’t want to be in Farrah’s shoes. As a result, you’re less likely to have sex before you’re ready and you’re also a lot more likely to protect yourself when you do. Nice work, dad!

If you talk about sex, your dad can help you see the consequences on shows like Teen Mom. | Source: Shutterstock

The study went on to say that if you talk about sex with your pops and your mom (but especially Papa Dukes) that you’ll be less likely to engage in premarital sex–and if you do, that you’re aware of the emotional and physical risks involved, so you’ll be more prepared and probably a lot safer in your interactions with guys.

Obviously, it’s going to be awkward to talk about sex with your dad. But if you’re mature enough to have sex, then you’re mature enough to have that important conversation and all the benefits and wisdom that come from it. And that’s something we–and Miley Cyrus–can get behind!

Do you talk about sex with your dad or mom? Are you scared to talk about sex with your parents? Who do you talk about sex? Tell us in the comments!

Should You Talk To Dad About Birth Control? Probs.

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Totally stumped on what to get your dad for the big day? No worries — gURL’s got ya covered.

Check out these cool gift ideas that range from totally free to maybe a teeny bit splurge-y.

no one wants to be like lindsay and her dad...

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