How would you find out you were going to have a physical when you were a kid?

One summer when I was a kid I was due for some vaccinations and there was a clinic that offered them on Wednesdays. I saw my mom had written it on the calendar with a question mark for every Wednesday, I’m assuming she was waiting to see what else we had going on. I didn’t have the nerve to ask when I was getting my shots so instead I’d wake up so nervous each week on Wednesday. I would pretend to not feel well hoping to get out of getting my shots. I knew the clinic was in the morning so if I made it to lunch I knew I was safe for another week. Not sure why I thought it would keep working, but eventually one Wednesday morning my mom said we’re getting your vaccines today and there was no getting out of that!

Unfortunately for me I had a birthday on or near the start if the school year so most birthdays I would start my day off with birthday spankings, followed by a doctor exam, followed by another set of spankings for not behaving myself at the doctor office.

Our physicals (sister and I) always took place in the summer. If I had to have a physical for cheerleading that was done at the same time. But mom was always quiet the morning of so she didn't wake us. A few times either me or sis would ask to sleepover at someone's house and we were told. But normally if one of us got up the other got up also and mom would warn us not to go anywhere because we had a physical later. Also, mom would tell me not to go to the docks because she knew I would get grease and stuff on me. Yes, I was a tomboy. If you saw me you would not believe it. If it was raining and the dock was slow or closed for some reason we would be told to take our bath or shower an hour before. Oh and to put on nice clothes. That is how we found out.

I would sometimes have a warning about going to the doctor, but most of the time mom would just pick me up from school or activity and tell me we were going to the doctor.

My mom used to schedule ours around the same time every year, when the school year began. So I always knew when I was due for one! :p

Always scheduled during the summer. the appointment would be circled on the calendar on the kitchen door. pediatrician and the time of the appointment.

Notice was short and often left to the morning of an exam or when I was picked up at school and riding in the car. I think it was the parent's way of decreasing protest though I wasn't happy and depending on my age, tears happened, to out right "I don"t want too!" Nothing every helped and only made anxiety worse. Regardless of the protest, it meant being undressed, examined, and all too often a shot.

My mom had a big calendar hanging and it would always be written on it 😳

Growing up my mom would tell me about doctors appointments the day before.

When I was younger my parents would normally tell me the day before the exam. Once I got older and we started using the iPhone family calendar they would just put the appointment on there so I would be able to see when it was. They usually still reminded me the day before anyways though.

Never had regular physicals as a kid. As a navy brat, spending many years overseas, there were annual shots that had to be kept up to date, so I guess the physical was done then, Never had any public physicals as described in some threads; as well as never had a physical done at a school. Always in a Dr's office. School nurses were for accidents on school grounds, and if shots were given at school(which happened every year overseas), these were given by navy corpsmen/nurses not civilians. And the shots overseas were manditory, a set before you left the US; and then annual boosters for others. No shots and your family didn't go overseas.

My mother always kept a calendar with appointments on it, so it was never a secret when exams of any sort were. When I was a kid, I always dreaded dental appointments for more than a physical.