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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hokey, You Say? I Believe You

Ann Landers Creators Syndicate

Dear Ann Landers: I read your column the other day and noticed that a teenager was asking for advice about sex. I’m 28 years old and thought I knew everything, but I was wrong. Believe it or not, I somehow managed to get pregnant without having intercourse.

The two of us were naked in bed, with him lying on top of me. There was no erection, no penetration and no noticeable ejaculation. When I told my boyfriend I was pregnant, he refused to believe he was responsible since we had never actually had sex.

I made my doctor do $700 worth of tests because he could not convince me that I was actually pregnant until I saw the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. My doctor admitted this was a highly unusual way to get pregnant, but it wasn’t the first time he’d heard of it.

The point is, you can never be too careful. I should thank my lucky stars that the only thing to come of this was a baby and not a sexually trasmitted disease. Please tell your readers that if they aren’t ready for a child, they should not fool around without protection, and protection doesn’t always work.

Ann, I hope you can print my letter, even though it may offend some of your readers. If it makes just a few couples think twice, it will have been worth the trouble I went to to write it. I’m starting to feel better already. - Mystified in Mississippi

Dear Mississippi: Your letter may sound hokey to many of my readers, but I can assure them that I believe you. Total penetration is not necessary in order to get pregnant. Some couples who use the withdrawal technique are dumbfounded when they learn a baby is on the way. The word from here is be smart, take no chances and enjoy total peace of mind.

Dear Ann Landers: At what age should a brother and sister no longer share a bedroom?

I have a friend who is worried about his 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. He feels the boy needs his own room. I think curiosity about the opposite sex is perfectly normal and that nothing is likely to happen at this age.

My friend and his wife are considering moving to a larger house just so the kids can have separate rooms. What do you think? - G.N. in Charlotte, N.C.

Dear G.N.: The curiosity is normal, but I would recommend separate rooms for a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy.

Dear Ann Landers: A while ago, you printed a short essay about “everybody” avoiding doing “somebody else’s” job. It made quite an impression on me, and I hope you will run it again. - Harried in Houston

Dear Houston: Here it is.

Whose Job Is It?

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

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