This is something my friend asked me and I can't figure it out. Please help me with this.

There's a variation that goes as follows: A man, his wife, and their son are in a car accident. They are all rushed to the hospital and the doctor says, "I can't operate on him, he's my son."

I don't get this

The doctor is the man's father.

I don't get that. Shouldn't a father operate his son, because he would be a bad father if he didn't?

Medical ethics forbid doctors from operating on close members of their families.

The variation of the riddle you mentioned is a classic example of a common misconception that many people have when hearing the phrase "he's my son" in the context of a doctor. The reason this riddle may be confusing is because it challenges traditional gender roles and societal expectations.

The answer to this riddle is that the doctor is the boy's mother. The riddle plays on the assumption that doctors are typically men, leading us to automatically assume that the doctor must be male. However, there is no reason why a doctor cannot be a woman, and in this case, the doctor treating the injured child is the boy's mother.

To arrive at this answer, it is essential to question our own assumptions and biases. Sometimes, riddles like these challenge us to think beyond conventional norms and social expectations. Next time you encounter a riddle or question that seems puzzling, try to question the assumptions that you're making and consider unconventional possibilities.