Up t'inf

[Fjgrogan]

Is nothing sacred? JR - you don't qualify to have memories of Hertford!

[englishangel]

I put a very neat little rubber wallet thing (no pun intended) containing 3 condoms in my son's stocking the Christmas he was 16, and his mates thought I was the coolest Mum on the planet. He is now 23 and I know he uses them as when I go into his room (as rarely as possible) there is often a different packet around somewhere.

I just slipped a packet of 12 in my daughter's suitcase when she went to Uni. with no comment but I got an email with "thanks for the er.. you know!". whether she has used them or not I have no idea, but I know she has a supply as she is a student warden this year and that is one of her 'duties'. She can dole them out in an emergency, or flog them for 3 for a £1.00, a bargain if you ask me.

[CHAZ]

I put a very neat little rubber wallet thing (no pun intended) containing 3 condoms in my son's stocking the Christmas he was 16, and his mates thought I was the coolest Mum on the planet. He is now 23 and I know he uses them as when I go into his room (as rarely as possible) there is often a different packet around somewhere.

I just slipped a packet of 12 in my daughter's suitcase when she went to Uni. with no comment but I got an email with "thanks for the er.. you know!". whether she has used them or not I have no idea, but I know she has a supply as she is a student warden this year and that is one of her 'duties'. She can dole them out in an emergency, or flog them for 3 for a £1.00, a bargain if you ask me.

Now here's a question: Why did your daughter get 12 and your son 3?! Am I missing something here?

[J.R.]

Now-Now Chaz !

Don't get Mary started yet again !!

[englishangel]

Son was living at home and it was a 'gag' gift. (again no pun intended)

Daughter was leaving home.

[fra828]

... a foursome in 3's Little Dorm... stoppit! stoppit!

Even in this day and age I feel that sex and school don't mix. Of course it goes on, but condoms from school nurse? It seems the school condones it. Be better if pupils brought them in from home themselves, then the school would be setting moral example in not handing them out. Maybe I am being very old fashioned about this- just feel it's not right on school premises.

[midget]

I agree.

[dinahcat]

Back to the up t'mf bit of the thread( we are so good at going of topic) I just remembered a surreal experience in that place.
I was confined to the Infirmary after an operation nd in fact confined to bed for a long period of time at the start of LVI. Three freind came to visit me but were sent packing, I imaagine for some trivial reason . As they were leaving the came around the front of the Infirmaary along the path and looked back to see if they could wave at me through the window.I saw them and waved only to witness them colapse with laughter.
I later discovered they had witnessed Sister being kicked into the flower bed she had been bending over by the nurses's little son.

[Jude]

Poor Sister!

Obviously being so stupid and innocent at school I never actually knew anything about condoms - I left CH with the "knowledge" that one would get pregnant by sitting on a rubbish bin...... ho hum! Like Mary though, I brought my two up with sex education from the ages of about 6 - when they started asking questions or casting aspertions on such topics. By the time Chris was 16 I had a stash of condoms for him, ditto for Sarah - now I know he used his - but rarely does now (engaged - I think DF is on the pill!) as for Sarah - well, apaprt from the fact the med centre at Leeds has huge bowlfulls of them so they all grab a handful, I don't think she has got to the point of needing to use one, as she has yet to meet the right male - I think like me she is fussy over such things, and also whilst doing her degree she wanted friendship only from males, so as a result she has many male friends - which I think is wonderful especially as she is now working in a casino (Great isn't it - 3 years of doing Human Genetics & she ends up being a croupier....due to no jobs being available).

What worries me most though is she has told me she is going to sit me down & tell me what her life plans are - I am not sure whether I will need a bottle of wine to cope, some anti-depressants, or some tranquilisers! She's 21, and has her life "mapped out" - now where have I heard that before??????

As for condoms being given out in the Infirmary - I never knew they were in Hertford, but I guess in this promiscuous age Horsham would do well to hand them out in packs of 36!

[chaosriddenyears]

Condoms in Hertford? Not in my time!

I remember the queue of girls standing around with thermometers in their mouths after breakfast and Sister's shoes clacking on the floor as she rustled and bosomed her way here and there, snatching away the thermometers and shaking them - it always made a clicking sound and I thought for years that thermometers made this noise when you shook them!

And she stood guard over the door to Dr.Jury - did she think we would rush in upon him and savage him or something?

Condoms couldn't possibly flourish in such an atmosphere!

[englishangel]

I don't remember any 'life' lessons at Hertford (what today are called PHSE or somesuch) but I remember one girl who was leaving at the end of Vth form (age 16) that she and others had a 'chat' from sister but all I can remember she told us was that they were shown X-rays of lungs, smokers and non-smokers.

[chaosriddenyears]

Well at least it was a step in the right direction - I don't remember any kind of chats on body-related topics in our time. The physical side of life wasn't mentioned really - when we did Chaucer's Tales we were given some old copies that had been through sticking and licking a few times and the juicier tales had been removed at some point.

Oh we were given a talk on make-up though! We were told exactly what not to do - otherwise we would look like "these dollybirds"!

Wouldn't want that now, eh?

[kerrensimmonds]

In my time, I seem to recall, the sections in Biology textbooks about procreation (of rabbits, I think?) had been cut out. The only information I gleaned about the birds and bees came from other girls but I did learn a bit more when it came to A level Biology. Such matters were never discussed at home. I once asked my mother for information about a boy's role in matters sexual. She became very embarrassed and said she would tell me the night before I got married (I was 11 at the time). I'm still waiting....

[J.R.]

Just to raid on the Girls forum, yet again.....

I'm sure I've mentioned before elsewhere that at Horsham during C.M.E.Seamans head-ship in the late 50's and early 60's, boys went through three sex education lectures.

1. On entering the Upper school from Prep.
2. The following year, (I believe).
3. Around 'O' Level year.

They were each a day long and given with slides in the Science Lecture Hall by an interesting character, Dr Mathews.

They were highly informative and pulled no punches.

Strange how Hertford did not seem to think this form of education so important for the Girls !

[Fjgrogan]

JR - they probably thought that they had us so well guarded that nothing of the kind could possibly happen. I remember a contemporary of mine claiming that once she had left school the first time she met a boy she would run as fast as she could; someone else immediately asked 'In which direction?'!