Panty-Liners Are Not Pads: A Personal Horror Story

By Paige


      Sometime near Halloween last year, there was an event at our church. We carved pumpkins and roasted marshmallows and other stuff like that. I was on my flow, and had no clue about the difference between pads and panty-liners.
       For those of you who don't know, panty-liners are for near the end of your period, when you're fairly sure it's over, but want to make sure. They're small, thin, and not very absorbent. Pads are thicker and less likely to leak. And at the time, it was near the beginning and I didn't even think about it.
       Well, about halfway through the event, an older teen points out fresh-looking blood on one of the benches.
       The bench I had been sitting on.
       My mom, after covering for me, pulls me aside. She asks if I'm on my period. Yes. She asks if I'm wearing a pad. Yes.
       She asks whether it's a panty-liner.
       I had no clue. She explained the difference between the two, and I felt ridiculously embarrassed.
Having no extra pads, or anything useful for that matter, I have to spend the rest of the picnic trying to hide the bloodstain. I had to sit on a towel on the way home so I didn't stain the car.
       I don't think I've ever touched panty-liners since.
      Moral of the story: Know your products. It'll help you avoid awkward situations.