I find the "so he can look like dad" argument the weakest in favor of circumcision. Penises vary in appearance, circumcised or not. Before I found out I was having a girl this time, and DH and I decided we were done, I gave some thought to how I'd approach this, should it come up.
Our son is circumcised. I left that decision up to my husband (being that I don't possess a penis and all) and he said that's what he wanted. In hindsight, I regret that I didn't leave the decision up to the actual owner of the penis. We are not Jewish, so it's not of religious significance for us. There is no necessity of doing so for hygiene (boys can be taught how to clean themselves properly). There are no other medical benefits. And while I doubt my son will ever feel that he has been maimed or be traumatized by missing a flap of skin he never knew he had (however sensitive said flap of skin is), I think it should be the boy's choice.
So I decided if we had another boy, I didn't want to circ. I knew he'd probably see his brother's penis in the bath or when changing and ask why they were different. The simple explanation is they're all different . . .
And circ'ing because uncirc'd junk isn't as pretty? Penises are ugly no matter what. Beauty isn't their function.
I'm having my first next month which is a little boy. We will definitely be getting him circumcised. Number one, it's in the bible, two, I believe it promotes better hygiene. Some will disagree, just like I disagree with not getting it done. It's all a personal preference. However, I completely disagree with waiting till he is older to make that decision. It is much easier and less painful to get it done while they are newborn than when they are older. Also, I'm a nurse and have taken care of plenty of elderly men who were not circumcised and can't clean themselves. Yeast and bacteria sets up if you don't properly pull the skin back and clean the penis real good. I've seen my share of nasty penises. They can't help it when they get older and can't clean themselves. I don't want my son to go through with that. This is all my opinion. Whatever decision you make, I'm sure will be the best for your child. Just do some research.
I'm team green, but I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to circumcise the other day. I figure he has the penis and knows more about it than I do. He said no, so if we have a boy we will not be circumcising.
I'm REALLY not trying to cause an argument but I don't get the 'my husband has a penis so I let him decide' argument. I have a vagina does that mean it's my decision if I want to circumcise my daughter? I'm not trying to get into a female circumcision v male circumcision debate btw just stating that I don't follow the logic. If you ask a circumcised man if he should circumcise his son most will say yes because that's what he knows as the norm and vice versa for an uncircumcised man (I am saying most and not all as many men, like women, will do their research first which is highlighted by the drop in circumcision rates.) It's the same as asking a European woman if you should circumcise, most would say no because it's not the norm to them however that's not a good enough reason not to. To me, you should chose to circumcise or not based on the medical advantages/disadvantages and not for any cosmetic or aesthetic reasons. Again just my opinion, I'm sure plenty will disagree Also just want to say I don't have a single problem with anyone who makes the decision to circumcise their son based on the medical advice and research they have been given even though I personally disagree.
I won't try to defend that arguement now, but I mentioned it because that was my logic back when my son was born. I think it's just the idea that if any adult is going to make the decision for the child, the one who has a penis is the one who holds that right. And there are some men who are circumcised and wish they weren't, so I guess if the mom is a for it and the dad against, letting him have the swaying vote makes sense.
However, I agree with you that just because my husband has the same part doesn't mean he gets to decide on a procedure that alters someone else's body. After all, just because my husband has tattoos and I have pierced ears, do we get to decide for our kids if they'll have the same? No. Because we want to let them decide for themselves how and when and if to modify their bodies.
I'm having my first next month which is a little boy. We will definitely be getting him circumcised. Number one, it's in the bible, two, I believe it promotes better hygiene. Some will disagree, just like I disagree with not getting it done. It's all a personal preference.
However, I completely disagree with waiting till he is older to make that decision. It is much easier and less painful to get it done while they are newborn than when they are older. Also, I'm a nurse and have taken care of plenty of elderly men who were not circumcised and can't clean themselves. Yeast and bacteria sets up if you don't properly pull the skin back and clean the penis real good. I've seen my share of nasty penises. They can't help it when they get older and can't clean themselves. I don't want my son to go through with that.
This is all my opinion. Whatever decision you make, I'm sure will be the best for your child. Just do some research.
Are you referring to Old or New Testament here? Because there's a big difference. Not trying to hop into the debate, as we are having a girl, so I have no dog in this fight right now. Just looking for clarification for others who may be reading/curious.
A. as a woman we will never know how much it hurst, and a adult male cant tell you how much it hurts because they will not remember it . there have been studies done that show that even if the child doesn't cry at that very second the brain does read the pain he is going through, meaning PAIN IS THERE .......B. the bible says a lot of things like don't lie, don't cheat, don't use gods name in vain, can all of us really say we follow this ...yea NO!
my personal opinion .... its not needed.. its border line barbaric. I have a 7 yr old boy who has never had an issue with his penis, he bathes and washes with out a problem. As a baby i never had to worry about infection or about putting his little body under any extra distress due to a unneeded procedure. and just need to throw it out there ... a penis will only smell when its not cleaned...circumcised or not !!!!
my opinion to OP is you need to decide what you believe is best, have all the facts, read all the data and then come up with a educated decision thats not based on opinions but facts.
Just clarifying that I never said there wasn't pain, I said it is less painful to do it while they are newborn. They also heal faster because they're not able to "mess" with it. But, everyone has they're opinion and can make they're own decision. Just as I said, we're definitely circumcising our son. Some say and think it's ridiculous to circumcise. I think it's ridiculous to not circumcise. Who's right? OP- there is no right or wrong decision. Just go with what you believe and what your heart is set on.
Just clarifying that I never said there wasn't pain, I said it is less painful to do it while they are newborn. They also heal faster because they're not able to "mess" with it. But, everyone has they're opinion and can make they're own decision. Just as I said, we're definitely circumcising our son. Some say and think it's ridiculous to circumcise. I think it's ridiculous to not circumcise. Who's right? OP- there is no right or wrong decision. Just go with what you believe and what your heart is set on.
Infants feel pain more acutely than adults and are not given adequate pain relief because truly good pain relief would increase the risks to them. Adult males might complain more if they required the surgery (which is unlikely) but they would not be in more pain.
If anybody is truly on the fence about it, don't do it. It can always be done, there is nothing that can undo it and if something were to go wrong, the only one who would have to live with botched genital surgery would be your son.
We are circumsizing. I discussed it at length with my doctor she does it using the swaddle method and with numbing medication. So talk to your doctor and then make the choice best for your family.
My husband and I have decided not to circumcise even though he is circ. We did hours of research and spoke with our pediatrician, who is in favor of leaving foreskins alone unless it becomes medically necessary. I responded to some of the older circ threads with plenty of research, so I won't repeat it here. Bottom line is it isn't medically necessary or advantageous in any way, and can end up doing more harm than good (surgical complications and also much higher risk of erectile dysfunction later in life). There is no advantage to putting a baby through an elective cosmetic procedure, so we are not.
Re: Circumcision? Do or don't
Our son is circumcised. I left that decision up to my husband (being that I don't possess a penis and all) and he said that's what he wanted. In hindsight, I regret that I didn't leave the decision up to the actual owner of the penis. We are not Jewish, so it's not of religious significance for us. There is no necessity of doing so for hygiene (boys can be taught how to clean themselves properly). There are no other medical benefits. And while I doubt my son will ever feel that he has been maimed or be traumatized by missing a flap of skin he never knew he had (however sensitive said flap of skin is), I think it should be the boy's choice.
So I decided if we had another boy, I didn't want to circ. I knew he'd probably see his brother's penis in the bath or when changing and ask why they were different. The simple explanation is they're all different . . .
And circ'ing because uncirc'd junk isn't as pretty? Penises are ugly no matter what. Beauty isn't their function.
However, I completely disagree with waiting till he is older to make that decision. It is much easier and less painful to get it done while they are newborn than when they are older. Also, I'm a nurse and have taken care of plenty of elderly men who were not circumcised and can't clean themselves. Yeast and bacteria sets up if you don't properly pull the skin back and clean the penis real good. I've seen my share of nasty penises. They can't help it when they get older and can't clean themselves. I don't want my son to go through with that.
This is all my opinion. Whatever decision you make, I'm sure will be the best for your child. Just do some research.
I won't try to defend that arguement now, but I mentioned it because that was my logic back when my son was born. I think it's just the idea that if any adult is going to make the decision for the child, the one who has a penis is the one who holds that right. And there are some men who are circumcised and wish they weren't, so I guess if the mom is a for it and the dad against, letting him have the swaying vote makes sense.
However, I agree with you that just because my husband has the same part doesn't mean he gets to decide on a procedure that alters someone else's body. After all, just because my husband has tattoos and I have pierced ears, do we get to decide for our kids if they'll have the same? No. Because we want to let them decide for themselves how and when and if to modify their bodies.
So I certainly see the flaw in that argument.
But, everyone has they're opinion and can make they're own decision.
Just as I said, we're definitely circumcising our son.
Some say and think it's ridiculous to circumcise. I think it's ridiculous to not circumcise.
Who's right?
OP- there is no right or wrong decision. Just go with what you believe and what your heart is set on.
If anybody is truly on the fence about it, don't do it. It can always be done, there is nothing that can undo it and if something were to go wrong, the only one who would have to live with botched genital surgery would be your son.