General Discussion

…not a moron. Not even close.

There is a saying that some things are too strange to believe, but nothing is too strange not to have happened.

Your friend’s life long puzzlement over this early clinical encounter is understandable. My late mother, a nurse, was a big proponent of sex education, both in the family and at her job as a middle school nurse. I cannot remember the first time I was told about “the birds and the bees,” because the topic had been introduced at age appropriate levels so early on. And, because she was a nurse, always with proper vocabulary. The emphasis was more on reproduction than romance, and avoiding pregnancy, but the pleasure aspect was included.

She always cautioned me that not all families were as forthcoming with this information as she was, and I should keep what I knew to myself. I did. At one point, assuming some level of ignorance among people whose families never discussed sex, I remember asking her what if you had gotten married and your husband wanted to have children, but “didn’t know how.” She assured me everyone would know how. Apparently not. She would have been fascinated by this couple.