Most elves live in small, utilitarian communities of less than 1000 members. Due to their extremely long lives, it is unnecessary for them to specialize in any one skill as it is for humans. All elves learn to forage, farm, raise livestock, hunt, fight, and perform rudamentary magics from early childhood in a basic education program that lasts from age five to twenty, as these skills are necessary for them to contribute meaningfully to their communities. Once they have proved competent in these skills they are free to pursue mastery in whatever other fields they choose in whatever order most interests them. Most elves apprentice in a similar manner to humans and focus on developing one skill for years before moving onto the next, but by the time they reach physical maturity at age 100 most elves are by human standards, masters of several crafts or disciplines - smiths, armorers, wizards, fighters, trackers, traders, priests - a single elf might be all of these things and more, with decades of skill and training behind them, all by the time they hit puberty. Though elven communities themselves are hidden and unwelcoming of visitors, adult elves often travel the world to learn from other cultures and bring those skills back to their home centuries later, for the betterment of their society in future generations.

Due to their relative scarcity in comparison to the other races, elves are typically viewed as rare, mysterious, almost mythical beings especially by humans, who are often awed by the elf's casual ability to out-perform humans who have spent the majority of their lives mastering a single craft as if it were a matter of course. Over the years, human standards of beauty have come to be based on emulating the elven form. Humans often engage in the practice of removing their body hair to appear more elf-like, some even use piercings or transformative magics to physically alter their bodies (often the ears), and many attempt to diet or exercise in a way they believe will lead them to attain a physique similar to the typical lithe and graceful elf.

Humans, who are short-lived and extremely fertile are often confounded by elven promiscuousness. Many human religions (though not all) place extreme value on chastity, "purity", even totally abstaining from sex until they are physically mature. Human societies most often encourage mating for life, with ceremonial marriage bonds between the two partners which come with the constraint that sexual activity must be limited to between them only, as a violation of this agreement most often results in unwanted offspring. 

Conversely, elves have sex early and often. Adult elves who venture into human communities are sometimes viewed as home-wreckers because they place little value on the human concept of marital status, and have become somewhat notorious for seducing human women. Though these trysts rarely result in children due to elves' comparatively minescule fertility, it is considered a betrayal of the contract of marriage, and also frowned upon in most human societies to engage in sexual acts without such a contract in place, and especially women who "fall prey" to an elven lethario may be considered spoiled goods and less valuable as a potential mate. The rare times where these meetings result in children, elven women will usually return to their homes to raise the child communally, leaving the father confused, often feeling loss, confusion or guilt. Human women who conceive are sometimes similarly abandoned, but many times the male elf will return to collect his child once it is weaned to be raised as an elf. Elves do sometimes marry in the human tradition, but they view this as a temporary obligation without the binding gravity of a lifelong endeavor, since their human partner will die long, long before them and many times they simply forget they are married and leave for years at a time, taking other lovers when convenient. 

Half-elven children are oddities among both elves and humans. They mature quickly, as humans do, and spend the majority of their lives in their physical "prime" adulthood, often living up to 120 years. In elven communities, though they are physically adults they are still viewed as children due to their lack of years and experience, leading them to feel not unwelcome, but like outsiders and many venture out into the world to try and find their place among humans. Those raised by their human parent have difficult lives; conceived out of wedlock, their place in society is tenuous and their very existence is a reminder of the violation of that social contract. 

Elves' view of sex and morality is completely alien to humans, who must consider the weighty implications of bearing offspring with each physical coupling. Though consent is still important to elves, the idea of being unable to consent due to age, intoxication or inexperience is laughably ridiculous. The conception of children being exceptionally rare as it is with any long-lived race, but especially with elves who can live to be over 1000 years old and conceive only once or twice in that time, or even not at all, the propogation of their species is dependent on regular sexual activity.

From the time they are able to walk and speak, elves are socialized to view and experience sex as a normal part of life. While sexual encounters can be intimate, private moments between two loving partners, they are often also casual entertainment, group activities, and (for a human onlooker) embarrassingly public affairs. It is not uncommon for an elf to venture into a human city and be arrested for public indecency (use your imagination) if they are not properly made aware of the behavioral restrictions of other cultures beforehand. Though the occasional elf who integrates long-term into a human society may come to adopt their views on sex and resent their upbringing, most elves see humans as transient or ephemeral, perplexing, violent, wildly hypocritical children who haven't accumulated enough life experience even in their twilight years for their opinions to be worth considering. There are elves alive today who were alive for the birth of the human race, and still see them as cave-dwelling morons, a child race who had to be taught to make fire; and being morally talked down to by humans is a common joke among elves who have been among them for any length of time.

The human concern for the mental well-being of children exposed to sex comes primarily from the all-too-human idea that sexual activity must be limited to prevent the spread of disease, and unwanted pregnancies - two problems that elves do not have - and the social norms which have sprung up around them. Elves can and do decline sexual interactions if they are busy with other things, unattracted to the other person, or simply not in the mood, but elves raised in an elven society among their kin have no concept of sex as potentially harmful. Though especially young children may be confused at first as they are included in sexual activities, it quickly becomes normal and most seemlessly integrate into the natural flow of life, engaging in sex when it is convenient and available, which is often. Due to this practice, celibacy is exceedingly rare among elves and those who wish to practice abstainance from sex altogether often find elven communities stifling and distasteful; their objections to the practice are recognized, and as with other societies rape and violence are  still both frowned upon (and a crime) so they are almost never subjected to unwanted sexual advances when other, more willing partners are readily available. However, having it "rubbed in their faces" almost constantly leaves a sour taste in the mouths of these few, and most end up leaving eventually.

Lastly, elves who do manage to conceive are celebrated in itheir communities. Females who become pregnant are relieved of all their duties and pampered with religious fervor for the almost two-year long gestation of their child, all the way until they are weaned and ready to be cared for by others. Elven children are raised communally, and while many have a special bond with their birth-mothers, it can be difficult to tell who the biological father is, and parentage is considered a trivial detail - children belong to the clan as a whole. They are exceptionally rare, fiercely protected from outsiders, loved, mentored, and cared for by everyone. Even in their village of 1000, there may only be ten children or less living in the clan at a time, and the opportunity to teach, play with, feed or clothe a child are privileges that many adults compete over. The caretaking of children is one of the noblest duties in elven culture, and they are among the most scrutinized, coveted, prestigious positions, often held by the most senior and experienced, as these elders have the most skill and knowledge to offer growing, curious minds.