circumcision??

JssBB6

So my husband decided he doesn't want our son to be circumcised for many of the reasons most commonly stated (no medical reason for it, painful, unnecassary, etc).  I still worry that he will be different from his dad, the locker room and girls reasons although it sounds shallow.  I've read it is on the decline but I still feel like all the babies born that I know are circumcised.  Just wondering what other parents are deciding to do. 

flowerchild77

I dont like circumcision. The ONLY reason our LO is getting it done is bc my dh is Jewish and super religious. As the father, he has a say and his reasons are more important than mine in this matter I feel...

Just like girls though, all the stuff is different. I wasnt making fun of girls for having strange looking boobs or vaginas. I also know many families who did not circ. I think its pretty 50-50 at this point. Just talk him up, other boys dont need to be looking at his penis, and if they are arm him with comebacks.

forensicmama

Parents of today's youngsters are more 50-50 on the issue of circumcision, so I wouldn't worry about your son feeling left out in the locker room (who stares at others' penises anyway?) My stance on the issue is this: Do as you wish. If we had a son, we'd likely circumcise. However, those who don't I won't look down upon (my nephews are uncircumcised... however, I think it would have been a better idea to circumcise the eldest who's mentally disabled, low-functioning autistic and cannot keep himself clean down there without the help of an adult or caregiver, but who can predict disability?).

natvo1983

Im having my son circumsized because i dont want him to feel/look different and i think its more sanitary.

Calla123

It is viewed as cosmetic here in Alberta, Canada and not recommended by our doctors.  We are not getting it done and I really doubt that boys compare one another.  A male who has not been circumcised actually has more sexual feeling.

lilbabykt235

im doing it for hygiene... ive discussed this with a few people and have decided that its a smart thing to do now, instead of him going thru the pain later in life mentally and possibly physically if he decides to have the surgery done as an adult.

bradybabymamma

Seriously I was in the same boat until about a week ago and it hit me like a ton of bricks! Circumcision is completely shallow! I'm nowhere near judging you because I get where you are coming from... but to me I figured that there is no point in cutting him up!

alli&pat

We circ'ed but...in my area, less than 50% of boys are circ'ed so by the time our boys are in the locker room, there won't be a "norm".  Also, dh pulled the "look like Dad card" and had this story of seeing his Dad's and knowing they looked the same yada, yada.  Yeah, well, we found out after the fact, DH's Dad isn't circ'ed so he was just recalling a false memory or changing it in his mind.  Needless to say, DH is circ'ed and his Dad isn't and it's no big deal. 

EmjayTheHunted

Oh these are always fun threads.

My short answer... I think they're ugly uncut.   Get them snipped or they will look like anteaters!

JssBB6

alopdx:

JssBB6:

So my husband decided he doesn't want our son to be circumcised for many of the reasons most commonly stated (no medical reason for it, painful, unnecassary, etc).  I still worry that he will be different from his dad, the locker room and girls reasons although it sounds shallow.  I've read it is on the decline but I still feel like all the babies born that I know are circumcised.  Just wondering what other parents are deciding to do. 

I'm not going to get into the circ vs. no circ. debate, but IMHO, this is never a good argument.

Agreed.

kabarbanel

DS is circumsized.

bradybabymamma

alli&pat:

in my area, less than 50% of boys are circ'ed so by the time our boys are in the locker room, there won't be a "norm". 

 

It's not normal anymore to circ!  And in another 5-10 years it will be illegal (just my opinion on that!).

azzyberry

We did not circumsize our DS for the reasons your DH is against it.

This one is a girl so it's not an issue but if it was a boy he would not be circumcised either.

My DH is not circumsized and he does not know what his dad's wang looks like or if he is circumsized or not.  He does know his older brother is circumsized.  It has had no effect on him and he doesn't care that he is different than his brother or that he may be different from his dad.

BluEyedGrrl

We are not circumcising for all of the reasons you already mentioned.  It just seems barbaric.  FWIW, daddy is circumcised and he plans to explain that if he had a choice in the matter, he wouldn't have done it.

sweetaug

TraceyAnya:

A male who has not been circumcised actually has more sexual feeling.

 I just read that there is no scientific proof of this.

misskassielynn

We decided not to. DH isn't and was pretty passionate that we not circ. our son. My brother (whom I had a big hand in raising) was circ'd and I was nervous about caring for a "natural" penis. So, I decided to do some research. I definitely think its very important to research and make your own choice that is right for your family. This helped me decide it was the right choice for us and Sully: https://9davids.blogspot.com/2010/11/50-reasons-to-leave-it-alone.html

Circumcision may be the right choice for you, DH and LO, or it may not. Just do what feels right!

bradybabymamma

SweetAug:

TraceyAnya:

A male who has not been circumcised actually has more sexual feeling.

 I just read that there is no scientific proof of this.

 

NO! The foreskin of the penis has 100,000 (est) nerve endings! Cut it off, you loose all of those! Ask any gay man! I've seen statistics that go either way... but truth is when you take off the foreskin you are loosing nerve endings. You don't realize it if you never had foreskin, but the proof is there! 

katkat74

Anteater....thanks for the visual and huge laugh that followed.

JssBB6

misskassielynn:

We decided not to. DH isn't and was pretty passionate that we not circ. our son. My brother (whom I had a big hand in raising) was circ'd and I was nervous about caring for a "natural" penis. So, I decided to do some research. I definitely think its very important to research and make your own choice that is right for your family. This helped me decide it was the right choice for us and Sully: https://9davids.blogspot.com/2010/11/50-reasons-to-leave-it-alone.html

Circumcision may be the right choice for you, DH and LO, or it may not. Just do what feels right!

Thanks for the link!  Awesome

Jennabug25

We are circumcising our little guy. I left it up to my bf to decide but we both agreed we didn't want him to feel different from his daddy. I know this is a touchy subject and in all honesty it's all personal preference. My bf's sister's bf was circumcised at 21 yrs old for personal reasons. I asked him about it a little and he said, "let me put it this way, if I have a son some day he will be circumcised." So really it's up to you guys.

Lucky_Dragonfly

DS is circumcized like his Dad, who is Jewish. I wanted it done as well. It actually doesn't really hurt them when they are this little because the nerve endings are still forming down there. It hurts alot more the older they get. I think you should do what you want to do regardless of what anyone else tells you to do.

EmjayTheHunted

bradybabymamma:

NO! The foreskin of the penis has 100,000 (est) nerve endings! Cut it off, you loose all of those! Ask any gay man! I've seen statistics that go either way... but truth is when you take off the foreskin you are loosing nerve endings. You don't realize it if you never had foreskin, but the proof is there! 

Wait! WTF!  So how do gay men have a better idea of nerve endings?  Don't straight men use their penises?  Mine does. 

That is BY FAR the most idiotic thing I've ever heard on here!  And that is quite a distinction! 

bikernun

My son Cyrus is not circumcised and this new little one will not be either. It's actually not that unheard of and it's not hard to take care of.

Bocciulo

oy these discussions never go well......

pamalerjean

I wouldn't do it if I were having a son.  If your DH doesn't care if your son looks different for him then you shouldn't worry about it.  As far as the locer room and girl reasons....it is becoming less common.  And girls don't usually care.  It makes no difference!

andrea922

bradybabymamma:

SweetAug:

TraceyAnya:

A male who has not been circumcised actually has more sexual feeling.

 I just read that there is no scientific proof of this.

 

NO! The foreskin of the penis has 100,000 (est) nerve endings! Cut it off, you loose all of those! Ask any gay man! I've seen statistics that go either way... but truth is when you take off the foreskin you are loosing nerve endings. You don't realize it if you never had foreskin, but the proof is there! 

Please. As someone who didn't circ my son, and won't if the next one is a boy, I beg you to shut it. This is the most ridiculous argument I have ever seen. 

And, fwiw, it is lose, not loose.

bootsie08

We are circumsising.  DH feels strongly about it.  It has nothing to do with "looking like Daddy", though.  DH played sports past college level and knew several guys who developed infections because they didn't properly clean it - mostly due to time issues.   But, I think what really made up his mind is the fact that during this tour in Afghanistan and a previous one to Iraq, he had two Marines med-evaced due to serious infections.  One of our friends, also in the military, chose to be circumsized as an adult because of hygiene issues while deployed.  He wishes it had been done when he was too young to remember.  

I read an article just the other day about new studies that suggest that there are valid medical reasons and that based on these studies, the AAP may very well change their stance on the subject. WHO already recommends circumcision.  I can't remember where I read it.  

And WTF is with the "just ask any gay man" comment?   Moronic. 

 

StefandTodd

We will not be circumcising if baby is a boy.

green bean

my DH is not circumcised , I pretty much let him decided what way we should go with lo and he said we should circumcise him so thats what we will be doing,

personally I think the hygiene thing is a dumb argument if you teach your son to be hygienic then they should have no problems with infections , my DH is from Guatemala it is fairly uncommon to circumcise there and they don't have rampant infections .

talltalltrees

EmjayTheHunted:

Oh these are always fun threads.

My short answer... I think they're ugly uncut.   Get them snipped or they will look like anteaters!

Grow up. 

schoolsoutbride

forensicmama:

Parents of today's youngsters are more 50-50 on the issue of circumcision, so I wouldn't worry about your son feeling left out in the locker room (who stares at others' penises anyway?)

Ditto.  Also, ask your DH how much time he's spent thinking about his Dad's penis.  My 4.5 year old hasn't even noticed they're different.

KatiesCats

Lucky_Dragonfly:

DS is circumcized like his Dad, who is Jewish. I wanted it done as well. It actually doesn't really hurt them when they are this little because the nerve endings are still forming down there. It hurts alot more the older they get. I think you should do what you want to do regardless of what anyone else tells you to do.

Source?

There is ample evidence, and it is widely accepted, that infants feel pain the same way older children and adults do.

It's not that it hurts more when they're older, it's that they can tell you it hurts, and they can remember it.

Also, I'm so tired of the "just like Dad" argument.  My husband and my brother both have no idea what their dads' penises look like.  Why would this matter even a little bit?  My brother was blond when he was little, and my dad has really dark hair.  My brother didn't grow up crushed that he didn't have dark hair like Dad.

TarponMonoxide

cruelsound:

bradybabymamma:

NO! The foreskin of the penis has 100,000 (est) nerve endings! Cut it off, you loose all of those! Ask any gay man! I've seen statistics that go either way... but truth is when you take off the foreskin you are loosing nerve endings. You don't realize it if you never had foreskin, but the proof is there! 

Please explain. I dare you.

And I double dog dare ya.

And eh not all gay men are circumcised.

Thanks for the chuckle.

And ditto the chuckle about "the nerve endings are still forming."

Just where do you people get your info???

Important because the dad is Jewish? If you're not going to be raising your son as a Jew, why is it important he be circumcised?

FlashMeyer

talltalltrees:

EmjayTheHunted:

Oh these are always fun threads.

My short answer... I think they're ugly uncut.   Get them snipped or they will look like anteaters!

so clever.

Grow up. 

Bluescarf

I didn't want to circ. My husband did, until he watched the procedure done. He then decided he didn't want it done to our son. To me it is genital mutilation, and I can't see it any other way for us personally.

Jake Ian's Mommy

We just found out today that we're having a girl, but if we were having a boy, he WOULDN'T be circumcised. It's pointless to have it done. The whole cleanliness argument is stupid. Teach your boys how to clean themselves and you'll be fine!

lauralovesbob

Unfortunately we live in the ignorant midwest, where it's more common to be circ'ed than not (opposite on the east and west coasts, natural is more common). Anyhow, I'm against it, but feel it should be DH's decision, and he's a good ole' boy from Indiana who hasn't bothered to do any research about it.  This thread reminds me try to talk to him about it again and do some research together.

 I'm a physician, and as a medical student, had to watch/assist with 100s of circs. The babies definately feel pain, not sure from where the poster who said babies don't have developed nerve endings got that misinformation. I'd encourage you to watch a video of the procedure (from a non-propaganda website).

~adamwife~

lauralovesbob:

Unfortunately we live in the ignorant midwest, where it's more common to be circ'ed than not (opposite on the east and west coasts, natural is more common).

another ignorant Ohioan here with circ'd boys. The generalization is much appreciated.

MrsTotty

Jeebus, a 'not coming back after leave' thread AND a circumcision thread all in one day?  I need a nap.  

laurakaz13

~adamwife~:

lauralovesbob:

Unfortunately we live in the ignorant midwest, where it's more common to be circ'ed than not (opposite on the east and west coasts, natural is more common).

another ignorant Ohioan here with circ'd boys. The generalization is much appreciated.

Yeah,  no kidding.  This plus the idiot who wrote the "gay man" comment.  This is a great thread. 

spokenfor1583

We are having him circumcised. We decided together we wanted it done for the reasons we decided. I think it is a decision that should made between the parents and it doesn't matter if you do or don't get it done. My sister didn't have her son circumcised and that is fine it was her and her husband's decision. This is the one we are making and we are happy with it.