Growing Up with CANFP by Caitlin, 23

I am the youngest of six children, raised by NFP-using parents. Not only did they use NFP, but when I was very young my mom was involved in founding CANFP, so CANFP and I sort of “grew up together”. All children are affected by their parent’s career choices, but having a mom who has, as long as I can remember, promoted and taught NFP,  brings its own peculiar knowledge and skill base. I think my siblings will relate, and if your parents use NFP, perhaps some of my experiences will resonate with you as well. Hopefully I’m not alone here.

First of all, “what does your mom do” is usually an easy question to answer, but in my case, I honestly sometimes dreaded it. On my better days, I would say she teaches Natural Family Planning, and then explain the concept in response to the inevitable follow up question, “What is that?” Sometimes I admit to a more vague, “she works for a non-profit” in hopes of avoiding using any sentences that included the word “mucus”.

I can say, however, that sometimes the conversations led to many teachable moments. While sharing Natural Family Planning with one of my college roommates and discussing the mucus portion of the method, she stated, “But that doesn’t make any sense. I don’t ever get mucus. That’s super gross.” Then, a few days later, she told me “Hey, that whole mucus thing you were talking about…you were right!” While she didn’t start keeping a chart, she did begin noticing the signs her body was sending her that she had never seen before. Just like at home, mucus became a “normal” part of our conversations.

I laughed when I recently overheard my mom taking my little potty training niece to the bathroom and instructing her, “and next time you wipe, yes, honey, front to back, just like that” Deja vu. I suddenly was three again!

While I like to joke around about it, I am deeply grateful for the experiences I have had. It’s not every young woman that has a live-in NFP teacher to answer the many questions a growing girl has, and who also understands the occasional PMS behavior. It also delves so much deeper than that. NFP is not a stand-alone issue, but rather is a concept that encompasses so many others. The “NFP Mentality” corresponds closely to the issues of contraception, abortion, and the view of marriage and family, just to name a few. When I learned about NFP, it was not just about what stickers to put down on which days. I was learning to understand and respect my body, and so to respect my God that made me so wonderfully.

My charting history has helped, and will continue to help, doctors assist me in overcoming cramping and PMS, which are small potatoes compared with the many other success stories I know about the health and fertility benefits of NFP.

I am grateful that my mom taught me NFP and all of the values that go along with it. It has helped to shape my choices and who I am. I look forward to someday passing this knowledge along to my own children, hopefully with Gma’s help. After all, why shouldn’t mucus be a normal topic of conversation?