Fathers Unexpected Encounter with Puberty: A Daughter's Awakening and His Secret Struggle My fifteen-year-old daughter, Samantha, came into my office. She looked a little sheepish so I didn’t know what was up. I asked her what was eating at her. She said, “Dad I need you to do something for me. It’s kind of embarrassing.” I said, “Hey Sam, anything for you.” After some hesitation she finally blurted out. “Dad, I can’t get the NuvaRing out. I need you to help me.” I was shocked as that little tidbit sunk in. You see I found out that she had been sexually active and not wanting to be a 42 year old grandfather, I had taken her to our doctor to get her on birth control. The doctor thought the NuvaRing would be her best option, since she wasn’t very good at taking pills every day. She would just have to insert it in her vagina and fit the ring around her cervix. She was supposed to put it in right after her period ended each month and then remove it three weeks later. The doctor told my daughter that she may have a little difficulty getting it out, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Sam told me she had tried for an hour to get the darn thing out. At times like this I wished that her mother was still with us. She had died in an accident with a big rig on the way home from work five years earlier. It’s not like I haven’t seen Sam nude, but this was different. She would be spread eagle and I’d be digging around her cervix trying to pull out the ring. I said, “Oh gosh, babe, I don’t know if I can do that.” “I know dad, but I just don’t know what else to do. The doctor said she could help me remove it, but they’ve already gone home and won’t be in until Monday.” I sat and thought about it for a minute. If I just went in there quickly and pulled it out, well, it would be awkward, but really we have a great relationship and it would be over in a few minutes. The downside is that I really haven’t dated much since my wife died and I’m a very healthy 42, and I didn’t know how I would react to seeing Sam in that position. I quickly dismissed those thoughts and tried to put myself in a “clinical” mode. I told her, “OK, babe. I know it’s going to be awkward, but the quicker we get it over with the better.” I followed her down the hall to her room. …and then things took a turn
