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Original poster

I gave all my classes this riddle this week - 3 kids got the answer.

213 replies

IHeartKingThistle · 29/09/2018 18:07

I teach secondary English. Last week as a starter I gave all my classes (Yr 7s, 8s and 9s) some riddles to solve and this was one of them:

A man and his son are in a car accident and are rushed to hospital. When they arrive the doctor looks at the boy and exclaims 'I can't operate on him, he's my son!' How can this be?

Some kids guessed that the boy had 2 dads in a gay relationship, which could technically be correct of course. But it only occurred to 3 kids out of nearly 100 that the doctor could be a woman. Not one of the Year 7s thought of it.

In this day and age? I couldn't believe it!

They got a nice little lecture on feminism as a bonus that lesson Grin

OP posts:
LadyBrienne · 29/09/2018 19:30

the older I get the more I realize that life is a crap shoot

you do your best on the parental rollercoaster - you hang on, keep your arms inside the carriage, and try not to throw up on the person next to you

RebelRogue · 29/09/2018 19:29

OH didn't get it and went through some serious mental gymnastics to justify the grandfather being the doctor .

DD (6) needed some rephrasing to actually understand what the question was and then said "Ahhhh I get it now,she's the mum!"

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 29/09/2018 19:25

I need parenting tips from you people who have children that got it right.

I thought I'd done all the right things!

OP posts:
LadyBrienne · 29/09/2018 19:13

I just asked my children

14 year old son "clearly the mum - that's stupid - why did you bother to ask me"

13 year old daughter "the mum - duh"

So, they got it right and I got a bunch of teenage attitude Grin

Pinkandyellowandgreen · 29/09/2018 19:07

@IHeartKingThistle a similar thing that demonstrates the same problem is to ask someone (Applies to adults as well) to draw

a doctor
a lawyer
a judge

etc etc.

Everyone draws a man.

Roomba · 29/09/2018 19:07

DS1 just tried to claim that when I spoke the doctor's words, I used a 'deeper voice' and that's why he assumed gay dads Hmm

MichonnesBBF · 29/09/2018 19:06

Just asked my DD9 and DS7 straight away DS said "because he is HER son", he got it.
DD said "The man was the doctor and wasn't hurt in the accident".
Need to have discussions with my DD.

Tiredmum100 · 29/09/2018 19:06

Just asked my six year old son. Within a second "it's his mum". Good boy.

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 29/09/2018 19:03

Ooh interesting. Whose got a kid they haven't asked yet so we can try it out?

OP posts:
AnnieAnoniMouse · 29/09/2018 19:03

I actually think that the way it’s written is designed to trip you up. It’s man, boy, doctor. I think if you said a Dad and his daughter etc you’d get many more people saying ‘It’s her MUM’ it’s leading you to think Male.

Roomba · 29/09/2018 18:55

I just asked my sons who are in Y2 and Y8.

The youngest said 'Because the dad is the doctor too?' and when I clarified that no, they were two separate people he was just baffled and had no idea.

My almost 13yo immediately said ' Because the boy has two Dads who are gay' and looked very pleased with himself for guessing (he thought) correctly.

When I pointed out the answer they both went 'OH!!!' and looked very embarrassed BlushShock. I thought my daily radical feminist rants and teachings had actually sunk in somewhere. Clearly not! I'm not impressed.

NopeNi · 29/09/2018 18:54

DH did not get this at all! He's looking suitably sheepish.

Hoppinggreen · 29/09/2018 18:51

I was watching a 5 aside tournament last night with dd ( who does actually play football). A lady was standing next to us with 2 boys aged about 11/12.
The ball shot towards us and the boys screamed. We all laughed and then the Mum said “ you screamed like a girl “
Dd(13) said , well THIS girl didn’t scream, I just kicked it back!
They slunk off, I was proud.
DS (9) also pointed out to his teacher that the unicorn cupcakes I sent in for the bake sale last week were for everyone and I hadn’t made them “for the girls” like she said.

Jeippinghmip · 29/09/2018 18:49

My DH didn’t get it. I did straight away! 😎

RandomMess · 29/09/2018 18:49

It's depressing isn't it Sad

hackmum · 29/09/2018 18:48

Interesting that there are people who still haven't heard this - I remember giving it to a friend in the mid-80s! It's weird, though. Even if you're a feminist you still default to the idea that a surgeon must be male.

DerelictWreck · 29/09/2018 18:48

Ironically for at least the last 10 years, most medical schools in the country have had more females than males on their courses. At applicant level - it can be 60:40

And at graduate level - 56.6% of medicine and dentistry grads are women - take a look talent2030.org/talent-2030-dashboard-2/

Pibplob · 29/09/2018 18:47

My 6 year old daughter got it! My 9 year old son did not.

bakebakebake · 29/09/2018 18:46

I just asked my husband and he straight away said..

"The doctors a woman"

Then "that's not really a riddle though, it's a question to find out if someone is a sexist pig"

Original poster
IHeartKingThistle · 29/09/2018 18:42

Yes remember DS9 just did the same thing - went 'well it's a nurse, it's the mum.' Turns out he thought that was the word for a female HCP. He didn't know nurse and doctor were different jobs.

Can I take that as a partial win?!

OP posts:
ChrysanthemumsAreMums · 29/09/2018 18:41

Gwyn

And I've wondered whether that's part of the unconscious justification for treating Junior Doctors like shit.

rememberatime · 29/09/2018 18:38

My son was also convinced that men were doctors and women were nurses. But he also believed that doctors and nurses were the same thing.

So there was no ranking as such - just different names for the same job

Gwynfluff · 29/09/2018 18:36

Ironically for at least the last 10 years, most medical schools in the country have had more females than males on their courses. At applicant level - it can be 60:40.

WaverleyOwl · 29/09/2018 18:34

My 6 year old DS guessed dad, then grandad, then mum. Think I have a way to go, which is sad seeing as he's my wee gender non-conforming quirky boy that wears unicorn leggings and tshirts to school as they are not just for girls.

TheSteveMilliband · 29/09/2018 18:31

Shock I am a doctor and I didnt get it! Neither did my DS 11, DS 8 or dh even after pointing at myself (answers ranged from adoption, abducted alien to God). Very telling!

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