Single dad seeking advice for daughter who is heartbroken after hour-long fail with first tampon.

TL;DR: How do I help a frustrated kid who doesn't want to be helped with her first tampon? . .I went out with my daughter tonight to pick out a gift for her friend who is having a pool party birthday celebration tomorrow, and when we got to the store, she headed straight for the feminine hygiene section and started looking at tampons.I hadn't made the connection earlier that she would need some kind of alternative to her usual pads in order to go swimming. She picked out a small box of Playtex Sport Compact tampons. I thought this was as good of a choice as she could have made.When we got home, she took the box into her room to try things out. She didn't want me around, of course, and given my very limited tampon experience, there was little I could do to coach her from outside her room. Also, I think these compact things with the plastic applicator work a bit differently than a "standard issue" tampon. So I told her to watch a YouTube video on her Kindle, which she was already doing.Since my daughter didn't want me around for this, I didn't hang out. But after about 45 minutes, I heard crying from upstairs in the bathroom. I ran up to see what was the matter--my first thought was that maybe she pushed it in too far and couldn't get it out, but it was just the opposite--she never got it in.She's been in tears for over an hour, saying she won't go to the party, after all. The problem with her at this stage is that when she gets like this, she doesn't listen to anyone for any reason. My mother is in the household, but there's no way my daughter is going to accept any help from her on this issue. When I was talking to her through the bathroom door, she was very concerned that I had someone else with me, which I didn't.I'm not sure what to do. Tomorrow I may try to see if she'll talk to one of her aunts about it. In the meantime, I'm wondering if a dab of mineral oil on the applicator might be worth trying.And yesterday I ordered a swimsuit and swim shorts specifically for this occasion. I just want her to be able to go out and have a good time with her friends.Sorry this is waaay longer than it needed to be. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2gYOxzz