Too Much Information

My mother called me at work today. It seems that last Saturday morning my injured father hobbled into the gym where his basketball buddies were playing. I’m not sure what his motive was behind that visit and neither was my mother. Maybe there were post-game beers planned, or perhaps my father owed someone $10 that he wanted to repay. He can no longer play basketball so he was not there to run up and down the court. Anyway, there at the gym was the man who asked my father to coach basketball to kids. Apparently he was finally able to talk my father into accepting the coaching duties. My mother was told yesterday of my dad’s decision and so she called to tell me. My father had been reluctant to commit to the coaching. I talked about the reasons for his reluctance in this blog several entries back.

Anyhow my mother and I were chatting about Dad and I think I mentioned something about how Dad might feel less youthful now that he is injured and can no longer play basketball. My mother stated that Dad seems unaffected and he is still “all man”. The term puzzled me and so I stated something like, “Of course he is all man. He was born with the “Y” chromosome.”

My mother giggled for a few seconds and then said, “No, Katie, that’s not what I mean. I mean he is still ‘all man’ with me about four or five times a month.”

For a few seconds I still did not quite get it, but then what she was implying hit home. I hurried babbled out, “Mom, stop, I do not want to hear it.” My mother then broke into an annoying laugh. Meanwhile, I was just a bit creeped-out, at least for a while.

It is weird; I have almost never thought about my mother and father engaged in sexually activity, especially sexual activity in their older years. I have almost never wondered if they were still “doing it”. I suppose if I had been asked, I would have probably said that that part of their relationship was passed. I guess I would have been wrong. But though my mother is 59 years-old, I think she is still rather attractive, maybe even kind of sexy. My father is 62 and I would describe him as a “good-looking older guy”. So the notion of their “doing it” is not as creepy as it could be. Maybe in a day or two I’ll think of my mother’s disclosure as “cute”… maybe. But then again; maybe not, after all, they are my parents.