When you were younger, how did you learn about the birds and the bees? Did your mom or dad sit you down and explain how babies are made or did you learn the process in more technical terms at school? However you came upon the knowledge and however erroneous some of your other ideas about sex and biology were, you probably knew what actions (read: P in V) lead to pregnancy. Unfortunately, one couple didn’t and thought babies were just going to come along on their own just because they were married.
- Yes, this apparently happened. Rachael Hearson, who works as a health visitor for England’s National Health System, revealed in her memoir Handle With Care: Confessions of an NHS Health Visitor that during her 40 years in the industry, one of her most memorable encounters was with a couple who “didn’t know how to make babies.” Yes, really.
- How is this possible? The incident happened back in the pre-Internet days, so it’s not as if the couple could have looked it up, I guess. However, it left Hearson in the position of having to explain the birds and the bees with the couple. “They had been married for some years but children ‘hadn’t come along.’ The GP deduced they didn’t know how to make babies, and it was my job to ensure they did!” she told The Mirror.
- The story does have a happy ending. Hearson added that the couple eventually got the hang of how to make a baby and ended up going at it like wild rabbits once they realized the truth. “They genuinely thought babies arrived as a result of simply ‘being married’ and had no clue,” she said. “Teaching someone about sex is quite a responsibility. But within a couple of visits, the pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”
- What’s crazy is that this couple likely isn’t alone. It seems astounding that grown adults could know so little about procreation, but I bet they weren’t the only ones. The likelihood may be smaller now that we’re in the internet age, but I bet it still happens!
