The only thing that is required of him is to remain passive in preparation of and while taking his temperature rectally. A friend of mine who works in the medical community gave me a glass rectal thermometer that is about an inch larger and somewhat thicker than the standard glass fever thermometers. It makes sense to have use larger rectal thermometer than one would use on a five year old boy because it allows for complimentary penetration for an older boy while enabling me to keep track of its position with the ample remainder projecting out from his cheeks. Besides the larger size makes it easy to discriminate between the oral thermometer and rectal type.

I have been doing few test runs on him with the rectal thermometer, with the help of my friend who works in the medical community, order for him to get accustomed for the times when he is sick and not feeling well.

I would like to add that, considering his age, I take it with him lying face down on a horizontal surface than over my knees. So I use a folding massage table that is kept in a closet in the basement family room. After I set it up I have him lie face down on a massage table, pull his shirt out of the way and pull his jeans and underwear down to his knees. With his upper body supported by his elbows, he is not able to interfere with me as I proceed to spread his cheeks and insert the glass rectal thermometer. Also, with his hands out of the way, he cannot cover up his bottom (so others cannot see it) and possible interfere with the thermometer while it is lodged in his rear end. After three minutes I remove, clean, and read the thermometer. To verify the reading, I reinsert it and leave it for another couple of minutes. After it is over, I let him pull his jeans and underwear up, and he gets off the table and goes back to playing with his brother and sister.

While he is lying down and having his temperature taken, with his mouth unoccupied, he does complain about not getting his temperature taken like the “big kids”. My response is it dismiss his claims that he can get his temperature taken in his mouth like his brother and sister and to remind him that it is a lot more comfortable to have him temperature taken in his rear end than his mouth.