Embarrassed about the doctor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your daughter it’s a lot less invasive than what she goes through or will go through at the gynecologist when they do a Pap smear up her vagina and to cut out the teasing. Saying it like that should hopefully stop it, or at least would for my kids.

As for your son, if it’s not the doctor and the exam, I’d say it’s 10 sec to make sure he’s healthy and you will wait outside if he prefers. Tell him his feelings are normal and no one enjoys that part.

That's pretty much what I told her and it shut up her quickly. "You think the exam he has to get is funny now, but you won't be laughing in five years."

She was just making jokes about coughing and saying how lucky girls are to not have to deal with that. Nothing so severe that it requires actual punishment beyond just me telling her to knock it off.

[Anonymous]

Get a male doctor. What is wrong with you people? I still feel gross in my 40s remembering a male doctor pulling up my panties to have look as a teen. I was so miserable and my mother made me go just like some of you. This is not ok. I mean some of you rant that we have to use them/there pronouns and this ok?

[Anonymous]

This is a problem with your daughter, not your son. She sounds like a real jerk. Do better, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a male doctor. What is wrong with you people? I still feel gross in my 40s remembering a male doctor pulling up my panties to have look as a teen. I was so miserable and my mother made me go just like some of you. This is not ok. I mean some of you rant that we have to use them/there pronouns and this ok?

luckily these days if a child denies consent for this kind of thing their parents legally can't override them.

[Anonymous]

Why is it “actually really important for a boy his age”? Because you made the appointment with an all-female practice and you don’t want to inconvenience yourself by finding a new practice or rescheduling for a later date? You said the exam is happening with a female doctor at the time of your choosing, so, by God, IT’S HAPPENING, amirite? Forget remembering what it’s like to be an awkward adolescent and showing patience and compassion. Does your son’s father feel as strongly as you do that he must be seen by a female doctor because you chose an all-female practice?

[Anonymous]

Skip that part of the exam this year, and find a male doctor for next year.

[Anonymous]

My son has a female physicians assistant and she’s never asked to see his privates. I mean honestly- what does that do except embarrass the adolescent. Those that are crying that it is important have no clue what they’re talking about. Just skip it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find a new practice. Your sons health depends on it.

He doesn't even mention that it being a female doctor is what bothers him.

Also, even if it was, I think he can handle the 30 seconds it takes her to check him out. If I could survive having a male gyno all throughout high school, I think he can survive this.

That is the crappiest attitude. Geez.

[Anonymous]

His body, his choice.

1- respect his choice
2- get a male doc (no buig deal if the appt is a 16 or 18 mo the rather than exactly 12 months after the last one)
3- tell daughter to knock it off

[Anonymous]

Is the physical required?

I know my child’s school requires a physical and lets us know it “expires” after 12 months and we need to get a new one!

Of this is the case I can totally understand not cancelling.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why everyone here is so hung up on the issue being that it's a female doctor when that's not the complaint he made. I doubt most boys care all that much if it's a male or female doctor and I'm sure that many would even prefer a female doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the physical required?

I know my child’s school requires a physical and lets us know it “expires” after 12 months and we need to get a new one!

Of this is the case I can totally understand not cancelling.

Yes, it is required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell his sister to cut it out immediately and if she says another word she'll be severely punished. You don't tease people about their health.

+ 1
There would have been real consequences for any of my children doing this in my house.

+2

[Anonymous]

I’m amazed at the number of parents just saying their kid should skip a preventative medical exam because he’s uncomfortable. Now is exactly the time to get used to the fact that preventative care is important, quick, and work a few seconds of embarrassment.

As for finding a male pediatrician, there aren’t that many around any more and about half of all med school students are women she he should get used to the fact that a woman might be his doctor. I stuck with the old, retiring male doctor in my kids pediatrician’s practice thinking it would save my sons from embarrassment and I very much regret it. He completely failed to follow up on some irregular test results and basically was providing very poor care. The better approach would have been to teach my son that doctors are doctors and you should consider yourself lucky to have access to a good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of parents just saying their kid should skip a preventative medical exam because he’s uncomfortable. Now is exactly the time to get used to the fact that preventative care is important, quick, and work a few seconds of embarrassment.

As for finding a male pediatrician, there aren’t that many around any more and about half of all med school students are women she he should get used to the fact that a woman might be his doctor. I stuck with the old, retiring male doctor in my kids pediatrician’s practice thinking it would save my sons from embarrassment and I very much regret it. He completely failed to follow up on some irregular test results and basically was providing very poor care. The better approach would have been to teach my son that doctors are doctors and you should consider yourself lucky to have access to a good one.

Exactly this. Testicular cancer is scarily common in adolescent boys (a friend of a friend actually died from it in high school), hernias are fairly common as well if the boy plays sports, and if the boy isn't circumsized, there's a whole host of foreskin issues that are really common in that age range as well. That area need to be checked. Skipping that part of the exam because it causes thirty seconds of embarrassment is about as ridiculous as a doctor skipping an examination of the eyes or ears, they're just body parts, that's the whole purpose of a physical.

And yes, I see how a female pediatrician doing the exam could be more embarrassing than a male doctor doing the exam, but a doctor is a doctor, it's literally her job. Any doctor that does physicals probably sees like ten penises a day, even if they're a woman. He doesn't have anything she hasn't seen before.