Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Mother Daughter Fertility Appreciation Tea Summary






Daughters are God-given Gifts . . . 





At a time when gift-giving is on everyone's mind, here is a wonderful gift that Mom's shared with their daughters.  The Mother-Daughter Fertility Appreciation Tea took place at the Meehan Center at Saint Simon & Jude Church parish in West Chester on November 3. Those who attended learned of their gifts of femininity and that each and every one of them is a
God-given gift to the world . . .  
 
More than 100 participants attended the Third Annual Mother-Daughter Fertility Appreciation Tea. Girls between the ages of 10 to 14 in the company of their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and the special women in their lives all came for the day.     
        
This third annual event was organized by FertilityCare Practitioners of Southeast PA in partnership with Generation Life and sponsored again this year by St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne

Generation Life has gained a reputation for promoting the beauty of modesty to young adults and is committed to building a culture of life among the youth.  The Mother-Daughter Fertility Appreciation Tea provided a time for open communication for Moms and their daughters in an atmosphere of love and learning while discussing the important topic of growing up.  The girls had an opportunity to engage in guided discussions, listened to age-appropriate presentations 
Helen LaFrance, FertilityCare practitioner, talks at Tea
regarding the physical changes of the body, the functions of the female reproductive system, the sacredness of human life and the virtue of modesty. To help make the learning fun, the girls participated in a question and answer game that was engaging and informative. Mothers were provided with resources that they would be able to share with the girls at a time when they believed they were ready. The program's talks were led by FertilityCare practitioners who emphasized respect, understanding and appreciation for God's gifts, and by Madeleine Vella, a Generation Life missionary. 
Madeleine's engaging presentation inspired the girls to focus on the virtue of modesty and the development of healthy relationships. Madeleine tapped into one of the key messages in many  Generation Life talks, which is to understand authentic love and human greatness-the understanding that you are a gift and uniquely special in God's eyes.  As Generation Life often uses popular media to get their point across, the participants were treated to very inspiring visual presentation. As one girl commented "I thought the videos were very helpful in sharing that you shouldn't compare yourself to others". Indeed the popular phrase for the afternoon was "comparison is the thief of joy." 

No tea is complete without, of course, tea served in dainty and beautiful cups - along with treats. To remind everyone that Mary is our Mother and Model for all - cupcakes were designed in a Rosary.  A lovely nod to our Mother and good to eat!  
 
The "Looks for Real Beauty" fashion show continued the emphasis of the day by showing model who dressed appropriately and otherwise.  Both Mom and their daughters learned ways to wear modern looks that still didn't show everything to the world and "what you wear is your billboard."  Both Moms and daughters comments about the
Fertility Appreciation Tea were very enthusiastic.
 
One girl, when asked about why she came explained, "cause I'm 10 years old and I really like to learn about my body" & I thought it would be fun :)"    Other young girls commented on what they learned by saying "we are all beautiful,"  "we are all princesses of the King," and "true beauty is found on the inside." 
All wonderful messages to be reminded of, not only on the day of the Mother-Daughter Fertility Appreciation Tea but everyday!  All the girls left with a vision of being a wonderfully made gift from God. 
 
One mom shared that what she found most valuable was the idea that this event allowed her to "take the time to openly discuss beauty [with my daughter] and how social media may be infiltrating our healthy perspectives."   
 
Certainly the day was a beautiful gift for all who attended.

The Mother-Daughter Tea was presented by Friends of FertilityCare, Generation Life and St. Mary Medical Center. 



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