Priceless Wisdom can come before traditional “Sex-Ed”

Like most kids, I have always been a collector. I loved rocks, shells, sticks, leaves, acorns, and pinecones. I still have a wooden box full of my nature treasures.

I would lay down a lace alter cloth that was my grandmother’s on the floor in my room and light candles, lay out my treasures and trinkets on the lace. I felt so connected to something...nature, my grandmother, the stillness, the candlelight, the ritual. I was always looking deeper, for some sort of map.

I had no idea that that altar and that need for connection and understanding to myself would be a consistent thread throughout my life and be an anchor for the workshops and Programs I facilitate now 33 years later.

Our cycles as a red thread to connect us.

I have 3 daughters of my own now. And there truly are no words to explain what an honour it has been to be their mother. I have learned so much about myself, what it means to be a woman, and how much power and beauty lie within us. I have seen firsthand, how potent body literacy is for girls.

I have witnessed the importance of knowing the ins and outs of the menstrual cycle without the backdrop of traditional “sex-ed”, “fear of pregnancy”, and the myths of purity culture that dilute the wisdom. 

I feel so grateful that my daughters have grown up in a menstrual-affirming household because I know most of us have not. They have seen my journey first-hand. All of it, the before, the messy middle, and the neverending learning and unlearning through a thousand conversations and modelling of curiosity. 

Our cyclical natures are so connected, so ingrained and so individual. I have accumulated my experiences, and the joy of exploring Menstrual Cycle Awareness as my compass and as a foundation for raising my girls. This wisdom has cultivated rituals, ceremonies, curriculum, and education into the Pretty River Red tent as an avenue to deliver it.

I truly believe that traditional "Sex Ed" has failed us...and our daughters. And I believe, it continues to miss the mark... even in 2025. I am just not ok with this. I have created a powerful curriculum to nourish our and our daughter's wisdom.

I actually dislike the term “Sex-Ed” because it does not encompass what we need and needed as girls and young women. I believe that it has to begin way before “Sex-Ed” is even on our radar for our daughters.

We did not need the fear-mongering, the misinformation, the awkward presentation, the shame, or the disconnect...and neither do our daughters. Instead, we needed a thousand conversations, a village of support, models of curiosity, matriarchs living cyclically in their power, and a menstrual-affirming environment...and so do our daughters.

We need a safe space to explore, accurate body literacy, informed consent, and a reminder of our inner compass that mimics nature...and so do our daughters. We and our daughters need these foundational roots to come into who we are.

We need to bring back the Red Tent.

The 5-week Moon Mother, Moon Daughter Program and the full-day Mother-Daughter Red Tent intertwine all these experiences, pearls of wisdom, and knowledge.

Inside the Pretty River Red Tent

When you enter, there is a place for you. Every detail has been taken care of. You both just have to be brave and show up. You will take your place around the altar, the anchor of the day.

This altar will ground us, guide us, connect us, inspire us, witness us and celebrate us. Our time togethwill unravel gently, in a way that is safe and based on the energy of those who have gathered. We will get to know each other and be able to share our love for our daughters and daughters will get a chance to do the same for mums.

When everyone arrives, some are often guarded and unsure - and this is to be expected. But this uncertainty ALWAYS melts away in such a beautiful way. It’s like everyone knows in their bones that this is where they are supposed to be.

We move in and out of conversations, questions, exploring, creating, sharing and listening. There are no assumptions and no prerequisites for our time together. It’s ok if this is your or your daughter’s first time talking about puberty and periods, and it’s also ok if you have had many conversations on these topics. It is all welcome. 

Moms are encouraged to share, ask questions and share their wisdom. Daughters are encouraged to do as well if they feel comfortable. Of course, no one is forced or coerced to speak and share if they do not feel comfortable doing so. 

Space to be.

There is a gentle modelling that is sprinkled throughout our time together. Mommas and daughters leave having witnessed a natural sharing and connecting to our beautiful cyclical nature - and this naturally carries over into the car ride home.

These conversations then ripple into the home environment, into gatherings with friends. The doors have been opened for safety, curiosity and celebration of this inner power you both have. It’s permission to celebrate our feminine nature absent of shame. 

I have crafted a beautiful balance of weaving the spiritual and psychological layers of Menstrual Cycle Awareness with the accurate physiology of our bodies during puberty as well as the age-appropriate topics of fertility education into my programs. This balance is unique to Pretty River Red Tent, and my experiences being a Mother of 3 daughters, studying Menstrual Cycle Awareness, Body Literacy and Fertility Education for so many years.

I do realize it can be scary to sign up for something that will explore such vulnerable topics. I know we all have our history of shame, bleeding, our bodies, our periods. I also know this is exactly why it is needed.

Every mother and daughter that participates leaves with a life skill, an opened window, a rejuvenated, reignited, or newly discovered compass. And this to me is priceless.

~ Nikki