Bobby hates natural family planning because it requires self-mastery and dying to self. While it sounds great in the idealistic sense, living it out is a whole different story.
Being married doesn’t mean you’re entitled to sex with your spouse. If sex is the beautiful, natural expression of love we say it is, natural family planning is a form of training in that genuine love. Fertility is a great and powerful gift, but with great power comes great responsibility. While Bobby finds the practice of NFP excruciatingly difficult in the day to day, he notices that he is growing in patience, generosity, and selflessness as he bears this cross. He also notices how his relationship with Jackie flourishes as a result.
“When a child is given to his parents, a crown is made for that child in Heaven, and woe to the parents who raise a child without consciousness of that eternal crown!”― Fulton J. Sheen, Life Is Worth Living
