In this final episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about one of the most difficult challenges you may face as a mother: having the first “talk” with your kids. You know the one—discussing their changing bodies and sex for the first time.

Where do you start? When do you start? How do you have those conversations in a way that makes sure they have the information they need without leaving them feeling overwhelmed or ashamed?

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Julia Sadusky, a clinical psychologist. She’s answering the questions that I have and giving all of us a boost of confidence that we need as we have foundational conversations with our young kids long before they hit puberty.

If you want to be ready to talk with your kids about human sexuality with confidence and clarity, this episode is for you.

Topics we cover:

• Julia’s story as a Catholic woman

• The origin story of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics published by Ave Maria Press

• Why we can’t wait until puberty to start talking about sexaulity with our kids

• The barriers that hold us back from conversations about sexuality

• Why it’s important to use accurate medical terms when teaching kids about their genitals (and how it can help prevent abuse and neglect!)

• Explaining where babies come from to our little kids

• What to do if you’re worried you missed your chance to share about human sexuality with your kids

• How Julia lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary daily life (hint: it involves legos!)

Resources for you:

• Pick up a copy of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics

• Visit Julia’s website

• Follow Julia on Instagram

• Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month

Discussion questions:

1. Who taught you about human sexaulity as a kid? What were those conversations like for you and how did they shape the way you think about sex and intimacy today?
   

2. Have you had a hard time starting conversations about sex with your kids? What barriers might be holding you back from anticipating and initiating conversations about human sexuality with your kids?
   

3. Was there anything in this conversation with Julia that struck you as a parent? Is there anything you’ll change in your approach to conversations about sexuality with your kids after listening to her advice about sharing with kids the goodness of their body?
   

4. What did you think about Dr. Julia’s advice to use accurate medical terms to teach your kids about their body? Was that modeled for you growing up, or would using medical terms instead of nicknames be a change from your experience as a child?
   

5. What is your vision as a parent for conversations with your kids about sex? What would you love those conversations to look like as your children get older, and what can you do today to start laying the foundation for continued conversations with your kids about sex?

In this seventh episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about liturgical living and creating traditions with our families. Is it possible to enter into the rhythms of the church without getting totally overwhelmed? How do you decide which feasts to celebrate, how to create traditions in your domestic church?

Maybe you’ve taken some quick glances through blogs and Pinterest only to be left feeling discouraged or comparing your liturgical living to everyone else out there who seem to have it totally together. But it is possible to discover the joy of the liturgical season and be drawn closer to God in the middle of our daily lives as women and mothers.

If you’re looking for imaginative, effortless, and simple ways to live all of the Church Seasons, this episode with Erica Tighe Campbell is for you.

Topics we cover:

• Erica’s story as a Catholic woman

• The origin story of Erica’s new book, Living the Seasons

• Where to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed when it comes to living the traditions of the church in your home

• What liturgical living has looked like for Erica in different seasons of life

• How to build a domestic church that helps your children enter into the rhythms of the year

• How Erica lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary, daily life as a mother

Resources for you:

• Pick up your own copy of Living the Seasons

• Explore the Be a Heart store

• Follow Be a Heart and Erica on Instagram

• Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month

Discussion questions:

1. What did living liturgically look like for you growing up? Do you have any favorite family traditions that you continue as an adult?
   

2. Does living liturgically intimidate you? If so, what is one small way you can be more aware of the rhythms of the church calendar this year?
   

3. What is your favorite season of the church calendar? How do you enter into it in your own home?
   

4. What are some ways you can celebrate favorite feast days in your own home?
   

5. It’s tempting to compare our liturgical living to some other woman who “has it all together”—even if that woman only exists in our imagination. She remembers all the feast days, hosts the big Michaelmas party, and everything always looks Pinterest-perfect and beautiful. How can you resist the urge to compare when it comes to the way you live liturgically in you homes and what does it look like to confidently celebrate in a way that works in whatever season of life you find yourself in?

In this sixth episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about infertility. What if you long for physical motherhood and spiritual motherhood feels like a consolation prize, like a second-rate motherhood?

What if you’re experiencing infertility, whether it’s a season of infertility with hope of a positive pregnancy test some day or permanent infertility and you wonder if you have any space in conversations about the feminine genius and motherhood?

Infertility is a burden that most women and couples don’t expect to carry. It can impact your marriage, your relationship with friends and family, and your relationship with God. On top of that, infertility often feels like a lonely and long path. But you aren’t alone. We’re talking about dismantling the lies around infertility, the importance of community in this journey, and how to support your spouse as you carry the cross of infertility together.

Wherever you are on the path of infertility, if you’re looking for a place of respite, solidarity, and encouragement, this episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Ann Koshute is for you.

Topics we cover:

• Ann’s story as a Catholic woman

• The story of Springs in the Desert

• The importance of language around the experience of infertility

• How infertility impacts marriage and Ann’s advice for processing emotions and grief in the shared experience of infertility

• The importance of community in the experience of infertility and the resources that Springs in the Desert offers

• How to live in the present moment during the experience of infertility

• Simple ways of generosity and how you can be fruitful in your marriage

• What spiritual motherhood means in your life

• Ann’s advice for couples receiving a diagnosis of male infertility and how wives can support their husbands through that diagnosis

• How Ann lives out the feminine genius in her daily life

Resources for you:

• Springs in the Desert

• Springs in the Desert podcast

• Listen to A Letter to the Mother Wondering about Foster Care and Adoption, featuring Kimberly Henkel, co-founder of Springs in the Desert

• Today’s episode is sponsored by Rooted for Good - use the code LETTERS20 to save 20% at checkout

• Become a paid subscriber to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month

Discussion questions:

1. Has your experience of infertility left you feeling alone, or like you don’t belong? What is one practical resolution you can make today to connect with other women experiencing infertility?
   

2. How has infertility impacted your marriage? Have you struggled with objectifying your spouse or reducing sex to a means to an end of conceiving a child together?
   

3. In your experience with infertility, have you given in to despair or the belief that God has forgotten you, doesn’t love you, or is punishing you? How can you reject those lies, and who in your life can speak truth over you that you are a beloved daughter of God who is remembered and known?
   

4. How do you deal with the stress of experiencing infertility? What are some healthy ways that you can process the emotions around this cross and
   

5. Do you find it challenging to take things day by day in your experience with infertility? What are ways that you can surrender the past, trust God with the future, and be present to the now?