What sex is really meant to do

I love being a sex therapist, and think sex is one of the last great free pleasures that everyone should do with joy and grace. I know not everyone has the amazing experiences of astounding sex, and I try not to project my interest in exploring every fascinating corner that their sexuality might be on unsuspecting people. Sometimes my enthusiasm gets away from me, and you can forgive me for assuming that sex is all about different ways of rubbing genitals.

Except that yesterday I was reminded why sex is such a strong basic urge and why we really actually do it. I saw my much anticipated, overwhelmingly loved, newborn niece, and was taken aback with the magic of reproduction, and flat out miracle of life. She was close to three weeks early, and despite a rough arrival is absolutely perfect. Tiny little ears, eyelashes, toes and the whole five pounds of her would fit easily in two palms. With my own babies as excited as I was (and how amazing they each were) I was too busy recovering from delivering them, (and then manage serious sleep deprivation) to really sit back and revel in how fantastic the whole process of sexual reproduction is. Despite all the problems we have as human beings we still continue to cook up these perfect little packages in less time than it takes to write  a thesis outline (at least mine). You can forget so easily that our jobs as sexual beings is to win the genetic lottery of having life beyond our own, and passing on our DNA material a little further and improving on the current model. Evolution means we are outdated by our kids, and their jobs are to grow up healthy, survive and reproduce to have kids of their own.

Maybe I'm waxing a bit poetic here, but if that's why we are all here on this planet, maybe the world isn't such a mixed up place after all. Welcome baby Hannah, we celebrate your arrival, and know that your wayward aunt will love you and will always have gum. Smile.