Oh my...my oldest babies are becoming little ladies. Tonight we had "the talk." Not the birds and bees just yet, but a long beautiful conversation about the changes they can expect their bodies to be making over the next couple years. Granted, they're just nearing 10, so they've got time. But they're in middle school now, and have been hearing mumblings of things from friends, and older girls at school about "periods" and various things. A little of which was starting to frighten them a bit. I thought it might be best to lay things out on the table now, and encourage them to ask questions as things come up.
I prayed about it first, which certainly helped. The Holy Spirit was my counsel as the three of us stayed up late to talk about the awesome miracle of a woman's body, created to carry life into the world. We actually cried together as we talked about our Blessed Mother carrying Jesus in her womb, about the dignity of women and how we need to respect our bodies. They asked so many wonderful questions...some I hadn't even thought would come up. Gosh, they seemed so mature taking it all in. And as they got up to head to bed, and gave me the usual kiss goodnight, I got a little choked up again. Gone are the baby girls that would lay on either side of my lap as I'd feed them their bottles each night. They're maturing; becoming little women. Oh my. I ask God's special graces to carry me through this next phase of life.
