Helping Our Daughters Understand Fertility

Many parents, and I was one of them, dread having to have “the talk” as their child approaches puberty. We aren’t quite sure what to say about teen fertility awareness, and we fear what questions we may get.

Looking back, I see that practicing fertility awareness helped my husband and me grow comfortable talking about intimate issues ourselves. This helped us down the road when we began talking to our children about their bodies.

For instance, we always used accurate terminology when talking to them about their body parts. We didn’t realize this was laying the groundwork for being able to talk to them more easily about intimate things as they got older.

It also provided a few of our funniest memories (ugh!):

• Our neighbors told us that our 5-year-old happily announced to them that we were going to Vagina Beach for vacation.
• Spotting a cover of Cosmopolitan at the grocery checkout, our daughter loudly exclaimed, “Wow, mom, I bet Kevin wishes you had those breasts!” (Kevin was the new nursing baby brother, but no one else in earshot knew that!)

Being open with them also brought some tender moments that gently pointed them toward God’s plan for openness to life. I was asked more than once if I was sick when they saw me taking my morning temperature. I just said, no, I did this because it helped me to know if God had sent us a new baby. Their eyes always lit up at the thought!

Reclaiming these beautiful truths

Practicing fertility awareness as a teen does cultivate appreciation and even awe for God’s design of our bodies and his plan for sexuality. It points us toward hope…hope for blessings like marriage and children. It honors our femininity.

What a contrast this is to the messages our daughters get from all around them today! What are they told? They hear that their menstrual cycles are a hassle or worse; that their femininity needs to be controlled to have empowered lives; that everyone needs medications in order to not be miserable.

There is a much better, much more positive and hopeful message that our daughters deserve! We are excited to announce two upcoming programs to help mothers share the beauty of developing womanhood with their daughters:

• VIRTUAL EVENT. On Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 8 pm CDT, fertility educator and CCL promoter Emily Sederstrand will speak about the antidote to the harmful messages girls hear. This talk organized by Natural Womanhood and sponsored by CCL. If you’re a concerned parent, grandparent, relative or friend, you don’t want to miss this conversation, “Empowering teenage girls to know their bodies.” Teenagers are welcome to attend with their parents’ supervision.

• NEW MOTHER/DAUGHTER PROGRAM. CCL will soon announce the release of a new online program : “Fertility 101: Basic facts every young woman should know.” Your daughters will hear about fertility awareness with you in talks from a CCL teacher, a nurse practitioner and an OB/GYN. For moms there is bonus content and a community area to support each other. This program will help your daughter discover and treasure the gift she has been given in being female.

So stay tuned! No need to dread “the talk.” We are here to help.