Rectal temperature in your circle of friends

Back in the day, what did you know about your friend's temperature taking method? Especially, if in your case was late switch from rectal, for example you were 12 or older and still taken rectally, while your friend switched for a long time to oral or armpit. How did you feel about this? Never questioned even your mom about it, why your temperature still taken as a "baby", while your friends not have to do this way?

Growing up, I knew the guys who went to the same doctor's office as I did. They took rectal temperatures all throughout high school, so you didn't have to ask. Once in a great while someone, who went elsewhere, would say that he still got it that way, or that he was swithed over to oral, but it wasn't something that we would have long discussions about. It was common to have your temperature taken rectally in front of friends. I had to endure this, and I also would be over a friend's house during temperature taking. Nobody would really comment, rather it was just observing.

Thank your for your fast reply Fontana!

It was common to have your temperature taken rectally in front of friends.

But why you had to endure this? What was the scene, where your friends were present during your temperature taking? Can you explain to me more, please?

There weren't really direct discussions among boys about how we got our temps taken, however, there were certain situations that could leave one wondering. For instance, being at a friend's house and in his room when his mom came in to take his temp, excusing myself from the room ("I'll wait outside") and your friend looking at you funny while the mom puts the thermometer under his tongue. Quite awkward, because now it's kind of obvious what you thought would happen, which begs the question. My friend never said anything about it though.

At age 8 I played doctor with a neighbor girl and we took each other's temps in our bottoms. By age 12, though, I was mortified of the girl I had a crush on finding out I got my temp taken rectally....that wasn't "cool" or "macho".

To wounded wolf: It was not considered that big of a deal to have your temperature taken in front of friends in that time. For instance, if I stayed home from school because I was sick and went to the doctor, I probably would have a couple of guys come over after school to give me the homework, see how I was doing, etc. Looking back, another reason they came over was probably to watch me get my temperature taken. My mom or dad would take it every 4 hours, so if they stayed long enough they would get to see. Once, one of my friends asked if I wanted him to leave the room until my mom finished. I really wanted him to leave, but I knew if I said it, I would probably have been made fun of, so I told him he could stay, and tried to act like it was normal.

I knew about it because I had seen the thermometer with the pear-shaped bulb, sitting out next to a jar of Vaseline, while visiting friends, on occasion. It was also assumed that if someone was hospitalized in the pediatric ward, that their temperature was taken rectally, regardless of age. I heard first-hand accounts of this. When you're in the teen years, it's really awkward to tell someone that you had your temp. taken in your butt, when most of your friends had it taken orally. Fortunately, I never had to deal with that kind of humiliation.

I grew up on a small ranch near rapid city South Dakota and at that time as far as I knew there was only one pediatrician that all the local kids went too. He only did rectal temps for ages 13 and under so I knew all my friends had rectal temps and in the 1960's parents usually did the same as the doctor did so I also knew all my friends had rectal temps at home too. My best friend and I talked about doctor visits and he told me he had rectal at home and at the doctor's. He and I actually played doctor for about 3 years from age 10 to about age 13, when parents were away we could get the rectal thermometer from his bath room or mine depending on who's house we were at. Then take each others rectal temp. we even gave each other an enema if we had enough time alone. We never got caught but did have one or more very close calls. My friend and I never had a problem with Rectal as its all we knew. I do recall once at school getting sick and the school nurse tried to do an oral temp and I made such a fuss over it she switched to rectal I was maybe 7 or 8 at the time.

I do not recall ever discussing this topic with any of my friends, and I really had no idea how any of them had their temperatures taken at home. As far as I knew, none of them went to the same pediatrician that I did, so I couldn't even know whether or not they were subjected to rectal temperatures at the doctor's office. I do remember as a Kindergarten student being curious what the school nurse did when one of my classmates went to her office not feeling well. Eventually, my curiosity was satisfied when I was sent to the nurse's office not feeling well for the first time and discovered that the school nurse took all temperatures orally.

Or enemas either, @Blue_Iris.

In my circle of gf's, we always talked about temperatures and spankings, especially during sleepovers.