Once upon a time, a gal went on a routine morning hike with 3 friends. As sometimes happens, her period showed up several days early, and she was not only unprepared, but she was also fairly mortified that at some point these friends, who all happened to be guys, would be made all too aware of the situation. Like, say, when they got in the car to drive back to town.

Except on this day, there was a magical backpack and the man who carries it. And it turns out, he is a Period Fairy.

Dave is the ‘medic’ who carries the first aid kit and knows how to use it. He also has this huge military-looking backpack in which he keeps the kit, a satphone, and a ton of other gear. Seriously, it’s hilarious some of the random nonsense he pulls out of that thing.

The Legend of Dave the Period Fairy appeared on Reddit a few weeks ago, gloriously written by user I_Removed_Something. According to the author, who calls herself Jane, a Period Fairy is “a person who unexpectedly and tactfully helps you through a period emergency.”

Simple enough, right?

You would think so, but women all over the internet have been falling out over this guy. Not because he’s dreamy (although it sounds like he is a bit), but because of how rare it is for grown-ass men to not freak out about a menstruating woman.

I get it. Periods are icky. Since the dawn of time women have had them, and since the dawn of time we’ve done our best to shield our delicate men and sons from the sight of our monthly bloodletting.

But you know what? It’s 2017, and it is long past time for this taboo to end. Frankly, as a mom, I don’t understand how we have come this far without guys being comfortable about the fact that women menstruate.

I have a 5 yo daughter and a 7 yo son, so I don’t ever get to visit the bathroom alone. Like it or not, they have seen me experience a wide and humbling array of bodily functions.

I did try — I really did try — to keep my son from witnessing the horror show of my monthly cycle. Nevertheless, the day came when he saw beyond me as I tried to quickly flush.

He was in preschool. And ever since, when he walks in the bathroom during that time of the month, he rolls his eyes and says things like, “Oh my gosh, Mom, you’re bleeding again? That is going to go on for a lot of days, right?”

I like to think this rather nonchalant attitude my son is cultivating, when mixed with a deeper understanding of the biological forces at work, will make my son turn into a Period Fairy when he gets older. I’m sure as hell going to try to push him that way. Since the odds are high on his sharing a bathroom with his sister after she’s started her period, his overall comfort with feminine hygiene products shouldn’t be difficult to tackle.

What really makes Dave a magical being in my book? It is not only that Dave the Period Fairy was prepared, but he was also kind and discreet.

Let’s go back to that backpack. In a follow-up comment, Jane elaborates on the mysterious black pack that always seems to produce just the thing that will be helpful. Basically, Dave is beyond boy scout prepared. He’s a borderline MacGyver.

I take it back. I don’t want my son to be a Period Fairy. I want both my kids to be like the humble Dave.

To grow into adulthood as compassionate, thoughtful human beings who are prepared to help others in ways both big and small — shouldn’t that be every parent’s wish for their children?

Both the girls and the boys?