Parenting and Family Life: April 2004 Archives

One thing I never understood about the whole NFP philosophy is the whole "working with God to postpone children" thing. Now I am not arguing that if you use NFP for a "grave" reason as they say, that it is wrong, or anything like that. I am not debating Church teachings. I am just not Moral Theology Woman on this point and I can spend hours going around in circles wondering "Well, OK, using NFP is working with God, but is not using NFP not working with God?" It's like which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or what would have happened to Colossus' little sister Illyana if she didn't spend those 7 years with Belasco? Would her powers still developed and would she still have died from that mutant virus? Would Colossus still have turned into a brooding angry guy? These things can fry your brain.
So I am thinking about how society has these check points that tell you if it is OK to have another baby such as temperment of the parents, finances, room-all that stuff. They make perfect sense. Logically, I should never have had another child after Fastolph. But I did.
So if logic tells us that I should not have had another child prior, once that extra child is here, it is very hard to argue that should not have been here (chicken and the egg again). My little Gorbulas is such a joy to have around and I cannot imagine life without him nor is there any doubt he should have been here.
Right now he is at that stage where he says a new word each day. He is just as cute as a button. The funny thing is he wants to be taken seriously but he is so short and has such fat cheeks and he is always taking his clothes off. How can you take someone seriously who is walking around wearing nothing but socks and dinosaur slippers?
So I do not understand, if we use NFP because logic dictates we do, but we ahem "oops", is that still working with God's plan or does God change His plans around? Oh well, it is a good thing I do not apply to be Dr. Janet Smith's assistant.