Rectal temperature at the pediatrician's office because you looked younger than your age

As the title says, anyone experienced this, and ever theorize why your temp was taken rectally during your teenage years? Likely scenario, you were in the waiting room with a bunch of much younger kids, for example you were 10 years old or older, and the other kids were 3-4 years old. And most of the time pediatricians followed the rule which says "Anyone's temperature below age 6 or 7, (so before school, or second grade) must taken rectally!".

But you probably were late maturing type, so you looked much younger, that's why the nurse didn't even bother to chose the oral thermometer just for you (especially if others were only little kids beside you in the waiting room).

Thanks for any replies!

Nice idea for a thread. That didn't actually happen to me, but I did fantasize about it all throughout my teen years, hoping the nurses would find a pretext to use the rectal thermometer. The thought of it remains a strong trigger for me today.

Kind of intriguing to think about as a late bloomer...

As far as I remember the age limit where RT was mandatory depended on the subject clinic or hospital internal policies.

My doctor only took rt to age 13 then his nurse asked you how you wanted it done. So no.

I looked two to three years older than my age as a boy, and I was never spared the mercury rod until age six, and even after that it was hit and miss a couple more times.

Her was 12and over got oral but if had bad cough or sneezing a lot took it retally scared might bite thermometer in bought coughing and get mercury in mouth

Always rectal for me because one I looked younger then my age and two I still wore Huggies and Pampers baby diapers due to ongoing accidents I had. If you were found wearing a diaper you would get a rectal temperature check or if you looked younger then your actual age.

Honestly that was my impression when I was in hospital. I definitely looked younger, as a 14yo I didn't have any pubic hair, my voice was still childish, and I was about 1.45m tall and slim. So sometimes doctors and nurses talked to me if I was still a child, and my roommates were younger than me most times. So like the others RT was standard procedure for us all.

At my pediatrician all children were temp measured rectally, so there wasn't any difference. But most teens switched to a general practitioner when they were 10-14.