A Vision of Normal

A young women celebrates her first period as a rite of passage. Her mom prepared her for what to expect, so while a little nervous, she was not alarmed when it happened. Alerted by mom, her dad arrives from work with a hug for his young lady, and a bouquet of flowers to acknowledge the special day. Mom gives her a chart she can use to track her cycles, and  explains the different changes she will notice in her body each month.

She gradually grows in her understanding of the signs  which reveal the fluctuating hormones, and she finds this awareness allows her to anticipate when to expect her next period, and she appreciates avoiding the surprise factor.

She  goes to mom for advice a few years later when she notices her cycles have become long and irregular. Mom accompanies her to their doctor, who discusses stress, diet, and exercise, and inquires about her training regime for her upcoming track meet. Her doctor reviews the basic charting she presents to evaulate her cycles, and to time a few lab tests to look at hormone levels. With a few lifestyle changes, her cycles settle down, and she is soon off to college.

College graduation is followed quickly by engagement, and she and her fiancee seek out a Natural Family Planning teacher to help them refine her basic charting skills. Together they gain a more detailed understanding of the physiological signs, and learn to accurately identify the fertile and infertile days in the cycle. He assumes responsibility for their charting now, and they approach their wedding day confident in this knowledge.

As newleyweds they find that conversations that begin about how to chart their fertility, are often leading to deeper discussions about their desire for children. They share the challenges of delaying starting their family as they  gain some stability and financial security, but more quickly then they anticipated, find themselves  eager to become parents, joking they could figure out their college fund later.

The years pass quickly, and they provide their firstborn with siblings, becoming pros at navigating the breastfeeding phase and return of fertility with the guidance of their NFP teacher.

In what seems like a blink of an eye, she soon finds herself sharing with her own daughter the meaning of the changes she can anticipate, until one day dad brings home not one but two bouquets: one for their youngest daughter, and one— with a knowing smile and tender kiss—-for mom, to celebrate her charting “graduation”.