do you ever have kids?

[Tiverty_A]

do you ever have little kids like 4or5 look at you with you chest and you can tell they are confused because as far as they know men dont have breasts and you are a man?  one kid even said are you a boy or a girl, man if they were like fifteen years older i would slap them

[Grandpa Bambu]

There was a kid that asked me why I was wearing a button-down shirt over my t-shirt. It was summer time and very hot and the kid wanted to know why I was wearing a 'jacket'. I didn't know what to say.  :-/

John.

[SRK]

one kid told me tht his mom boobs were bigger than mine...actually he was my cousin...he told it in frnt of my sis n mom...man it was embarrassing

[Paa_Paw]

When one of my grand-daughters first realized my condition, She said: "Paa Paw,  oo gots boos!"   Just learning to talk, She had started to fall asleep on my lap with her head pillowed on my left breast.  I explained that while all the girls would grow breasts, Only part of the men got them.  "Feel good" she said as she again pillowed her head and was soon asleep.

That girl is now a High School Senior and she has a younger brother who has inherited this family trait.

Because he knew in advance,  It is an embarassement just as it is to us all, but nothing more than that.

[Tiverty_A]

lol kids can be anoying but they are so cute!

[Spleen]

Before I had surgery my daughter (5 years old)  said to me "Daddy, you have boobies like a girl".  But then she said the same thing to me about a month after I had the boob surgery, so her credibility is shot.

[Blitz]

Thankfully, all my 2 year old son is able to do is point at my chest and go booby but nothing more.  For a while there, I didn't let him see me without a shirt on.  Now that I've had the operation and am still waiting for the swelling in my left side to go down, I will be walking through the house sans shirt.

[Paa_Paw]

What is most significant is that the children seem to accept or reject things depending upon how well we deal with those same things.

The issue of Gynecomastia was never discussed and the men of the family kept it hidden when I was a boy. So I thought I was some kind of freak and was the only one who had it.  This was decades before the surgical methods of dealing with it were developed.

My older brother and I decided to be more open about the issue and while none of our kids like the Idea, none are obsessed about it.

Gynecomastia is only as important as you allow it to be for most of us.  

My gyne never prevented me from doing anything; But my attitude about my gyne surely got in in the way.

It is all about attitude.

[a-man]

Attitude has little to do with it...

I had large male breasts, and was perfectly happy before surgery. I'm sure many other people were too.

Now that I'm post op, I just look better and feel better. I'm sure other people feel the same way.

Cosmetic surgery is designed to make you LOOK better which in turn makes you feel better about yourself.... it will not change your general attitude towards life.

When I was a kid I had crooked teeth... should I regret having had braces, and not adopting an attitude like "god gave me crooked teeth... I should accept that for who I am and move on"?

[Tiverty_A]

humm i agree.  kids are just another puzzle of life

[Paa_Paw]

Sorry, but I do not buy the crooked teeth analogy.

Depending upon degree, crooked teeth could interfere with your ability to bite, chew talk etc. and may have a significant effect upon your facial image.

While gynecomastia is more of a private issue and while an embarassment, does not impact your ability to function.  The effect is more on the self image.

I agree with the point that it would be a lesser problem if the other people in our lives were somewhat more literate,  but perhaps we are misdirecting our efforts by hiding and or altering our appearance rather than working to educate others.

[STILLgotIT]

Before I had surgery my daughter (5 years old)  said to me "Daddy, you have boobies like a girl".  But then she said the same thing to me about a month after I had the boob surgery, so her credibility is shot.

Sheesh.. talk about being fickle. Women!