America has a pretty dire obesity problem. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently estimates that as many as 12.7 million children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 are clinically obese. For adults, the stats are even worse. As revealed in a recent New York Times Wellnessinvestigation, one byproduct of overweight children is parents' concern for the size of their sons' penises. Yes. Really.
The compelling findings from Dr. Perri Klass, spotted by the biblical bros at BroBible, notes that the mother often proposes the penis-related inquiry to the doctor. That inquiry, however, can usually be traced to a worried father:
His dad is worried, she begins. Is our son’s penis a normal size? Is it too small? Is something wrong?
Though Klass confirmed that all is usually "perfectly normal" in such cases, one pattern routinely emerges: the children in question are overweight. The past decade, Klass and her colleagues said, has actually seen a noticeable increase in penis size inquiries from perplexed parents. "I see dissatisfaction with the phallus very regularly," Dr. Aseem Shukla told the Times. According to Dr. Shukla, a common ailment among 10 to 11-year-old boys voiced by their parents is "my son's penis is too short."
An area of skin that rests in front of the pubic bone, described as a "fat pad," can cause the penis to remain hidden for years. In "extreme cases," surgery is required. Dr. Shukla, however, said allowing the child to grow up a bit often solves the issue. Preferably, the child will also grow slimmer as adolescence runs its course.
In summary, it's usually safe to say that once hormones and hellacious puberty start doing their thing, what Dr. Klass describes as a "statistically normal penis on a disproportionately large body" will most likely become more pronounced. So rest easy, bewildered dads.
