Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little were caught in a fiery on-air debate after a listener called in to complain about radio stars discussing periods while her children were in the car.
The tense exchange unfolded on the Carrie and Tommy show after the hosts began speaking about whether children should be taught about menstruation from a young age.
Carrie, 45, said she was surprised some listeners believed periods were not something parents should discuss with their kids.
‘People were calling up to say it’s good that we’re talking about periods, but someone else has called up and said not everyone discusses this with their kids,’ she said.
‘As if it’s not actually something we should be discussing. I find that really interesting. I can’t see why you wouldn’t.’
The caller argued that not every parent wanted the topic raised while their children were listening in the car, prompting a spirited back-and-forth between Carrie, Tommy and listeners.
Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little were caught in a fiery on-air debate after a listener called in to complain about them discussing periods while her children were in the car
The tense exchange unfolded on the Carrie and Tommy radio show, after the hosts began speaking about whether children should be taught about menstruation from a young age
Tommy questioned whether eight was too young for children to hear conversations about periods on the radio.
Carrie pushed back, asking why menstruation should be treated differently from other bodily functions.
‘How’s it different from a bodily function like pooing or weeing?’ she asked.
Tommy argued there was a difference between parents choosing to have those conversations at home and children hearing them unexpectedly during the school run.
‘How do you want me to discuss that on a pickup from school on the way home?’ he said, voicing the caller’s concern.
‘I’ll discuss everything with them, but not through a radio station. I don’t think that’s your choice to announce that to other people’s children.’
Carrie appeared stunned by the suggestion the topic was inappropriate, insisting periods were a normal part of life and not something shameful.
‘Menstrual cycles are a part of being a woman,’ she said.
Carrie, 45, said she was surprised some listeners believed periods were not something parents should discuss with their kids
She also asked what would happen if a young girl got her period before her parents had explained it to her.
Tommy replied that he believed between 10 and 12 was a more appropriate age, adding that he did not think an eight-year-old needed to hear the topic discussed live on air.
Carrie challenged that view, pointing out that some girls do get their periods at eight.
The conversation grew more heated when Tommy suggested the topic could be seen as connected to sex education, before Carrie quickly rejected the comparison.
‘That’s a sexual thing you’re talking about,’ she said, after Tommy made a comparison to other adult topics.
‘How is it a sexual thing?’
Carrie later explained that her own children had seen period products and asked questions because, like many parents, she gets little privacy at home.
She said she had answered them honestly rather than treating the subject as embarrassing.
The conversation grew more heated when Tommy suggested the topic could be seen as connected to sex education, before Carrie quickly rejected the comparison
Another caller, Lauren, then phoned in to support Carrie’s position, revealing she had spoken to her daughter about periods when she was eight because of her own traumatic first experience.
‘I got my period when I was eight years old and I didn’t know anything,’ Lauren said.
‘I was extremely scared. My dad was a single father. He didn’t even know what to do.’
Lauren said she had also explained periods to her son, arguing boys should understand what women and girls experience.
Carrie agreed, saying teenage girls would likely feel more supported if teenage boys had a basic understanding of menstruation.
‘I find it interesting, the idea that there should be any shame around it,’ she said.
The segment ended with Carrie firmly defending the discussion as a normal conversation about the body, while Tommy maintained some parents may prefer to decide when and how their children first hear about it.
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