Tampons?do we want plastic, cardboard or extendable applicators? or no applicator at all"  And how about sanitary pads?panty liners, extra-long for sports? with or without wings" I exchange a glance of bewilderment with my husband, over the top of our 10-year-old daughter?s head. We?re standing in the feminine hygiene aisle at the supermarket?definitely not in Kansas any more.
I reach for a random pack. ?Heavy flow?nope, not that one.? Picking up a different pack I feel my cheeks flush. ?Are other customers looking at us",? I whisper to my husband. I?m aware that its not exactly an everyday sight?two stocky, bearded guys and their daughter perusing pads. My husband presses on, business-like. ?Aren?t these the ones you mentioned",? he says, holding up a pastel-hued box, then tossing it into the basket. I take a deep breath and refocus on the task at hand. We check out with a basket full of sanitary pads, personal disposal bags and hygienic wipes. Our close female friends and the countless online forums we consulted said pads would be the easiest introduction for our daughter to the new world that awaits her when puberty fully kicks in?a world that?s also new to us, her two gay dads.

Our daughter and son have been with us for five years. We adopted them at ages five and four respectively. As a gay male couple, we?ve been asked again and again to answer the question: ?So how will you ensure your daughter has female influences"?...