I was so surprised last weekend at how easy it was to begin a conversation with my teen stepdaughter about natural family planning (NFP). I spent the whole weekend worrying about how to begin, and then poof! we were mid-conversation. There wasn't much time before she had to go back home, so we started off with a bit of biology and we'll continue with philosophy and ethics next weekend, then conclude with how to interpret it all.
One step forward: as a Gen X girl, I'm a lot more open to discussing reproductive "stuff" than my parents were with me--this is not such an socially embarrassing topic! Second step: looking at my stepdaughter's generation (is she still considered a Millennial? She's 15 yrs), there is a great deal more openness to NFP than when I was her age. Even apart from morailty, there is such a trend toward the natural that I now benefit from an easy conversation opener. I've known an atheist and a Jewish friend who also have used NFP because they recognize some of the side effects of hormones.
At any rate, it was a real pleasure and true bonding with my stepdaughter. I'm nervous about the rest of the conversation... especially about repeating the moment when her dad walked in on our discussion... but I'm really looking forward to hearing her point of view.
Off to paint my toenails!
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