Mothers and their preteen daughters at St. Mark Church in Huntersville enjoyed “God’s Glorious Girl,” a special tea day and class hosted by parishioner, Elisabeth Laskowski. (Photo provided) CHARLOTTE — As dioceses across the country commemorate Natural Family Planning Awareness Week July 23-29, the Diocese of Charlotte is offering new resources to help parents communicate the beauty of God’s plan for sexuality to their children. This can be a challenge, particularly when a young woman enters puberty and may not feel well equipped to discuss the changes going on in her body.
“Cycle Prep” is a new class offered by the diocese’s Office of Family Life to help parents support their daughters through puberty and communicate positively about the physical, mental, and spiritual growth that is a part of this process.
Mothers and daughters attend Cycle Prep together. The course is offered at various times at parishes across the diocese. It provides biologically accurate information and promotes understanding of the menstrual cycle as a vital sign in the fertility process and one closely tied to health and well-being. Stories and animation geared for girls ages 9 to 11 are used to convey the structural and physiological components of the menstrual cycle. Self-care and hygiene are other topics covered in the class. The course opens the conversation about fertility as a gift from God and a personal vocation.
The Office of Family Life supplements Cycle Prep with additional resources to help parents integrate the course material with Church teaching. The course aims to serve as a beginning for many intimate conversations about sexuality, and other courses are recommended to help facilitate ongoing communication.
TeenFEMM, taught by Betsy Hoyt, a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte, is another course that provides insight.
“My favorite part of teaching this course is when girls realize that their mom has experienced the same things they are experiencing,” Hoyt said. “As a teacher, it is such a gift to be a part of this beautiful ‘a-ha’ moment. Seeing daughters connect with their mothers is such a grace!”
TeenFEMM, Hoyt says, offers a whole-woman perspective and gives the girls and their moms an opportunity and a space for open, honest conversation about the gift of their shared femininity.
Elisabeth Laskowski, a member of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, recently offered “God’s Glorious Girl,” a class and tea day for mothers and their preteen daughters. With dozens of attendees, the event was aimed at helping mothers educate their daughters about the gift of their unique femininity.
The need for positive, proactive programs on sexuality is apparent. In a recent Zoom conversation, co-hosted by NFP instructor Elizabeth Harris and the Office of Family Life, Catholic women from around the diocese expressed negative views about sexuality and had experienced related trauma. The women completed a survey that showed very few participant families had discussed sexuality openly and in a positive way, and none of the participants felt their “sex talk” was helpful.
Mothers often recall their own negative experiences of their first period and fear approaching the subject with their daughters. How and when should they bring it up?
What should they say? Mothers feel a great deal of pressure to get it right so their daughters have a better experience.
Interestingly, survey participants said the Church community has been most influential in forming their views on human sexuality overall. Many women began to experience healing and a change of perspective in adulthood, especially through the sacrament of marriage and the discovery of Catholic teachings, such as
“Theology of the Body,” a series of lectures given by then Pope (now St.) John Paul II. With resources like these and others offered by the Church, parents can confidently and positively shape their children for what God has called them to be.
— Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, is the diocese’s Natural Family Planning program director.
More online
At www.charlottediocese.org/office-of-family-life: Learn more about NFP and family courses. Click on “NFP Resources.”