Rethinking Circumcision for my son...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You may feel better knowing that men who are not circ have more sensitiving down there so they experience more sensation while having sex.
I have read this but also was told this by a friend who was dissapointed that her boyfriend had to get circ later in life (some medical issue) because she thought he had enjoyed their sex life more before. So that's another perspective for you to consider if his future sexual enjoyment is of concern to you.

THANK GOD my Husband is circumsised based on the above "facts". He is soooo horney all the time and cums really fast. If he were anymore sensitive he would turn into a 1 second man!

I have a REALLY hard time with this arguement. I have yet to have sex with a man who did not enjoy it enough to want it over and over again! I mean come on, lets get a better arguement against cir than this....no one's buying it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was in absolute contrast to the circumcision of infants I witnessed. Those were barbaric. Teeny babies strapped down by arms and legs in 4 point restraint and the foreskin literally chopped off without any anesthesia at all.

Nice attempt to make mothers who circ'd feel like sh*t as they picture their newborns strapped down and hacked without painkiller. I especially like the use of the word "barbaric," which is a favorite among histrionic anti-circ sweeties. Not sure in what facility you witnessed these anesthesia-free surgeries, but anesthesia is offered at most American hospital circs via injection or cream. So...yeah.

[Anonymous]

My son is circumcised and I wonder whether it was the right choice. His father is Jewish and pushed for it - then walked away from parenting. I'm also in the medical profession and was and am aware that there is little evidence to suggest any health benefits to circumcision. Because of the lack of clear health benefits, there is a trend of increasing numbers of babies who are not circumcised.

I'd suggest not doing it now at age 3 - there's no reason to expose your 3 year old to the risk of anaesthesia (I assume general anaesthesia) and your son will not really appreciate why you are now forcing him go to the hospital to be handled by some strangers. He may have experience pain afterwards and not understand why you have exposed him to this.

If he wants to get it done as an adult, that can be his choice. I also agree with other posters that this is really about how much you can foster self esteem about childrens' bodies in general. The need to foster self esteem would also be the case for children of visble minorities, those with disabilities, those with different religious practices. It's just part of our job as a parent.

Infant circumcision can appear "barbaric" - but it probably has more to do with the fact that a tiny 1 or 2 day newborn is being held down and the fact that it has to be done quickly because they're squirmy and only local anaesthetic is used (ie they are awake during the procedure). That anaesthetic can't remove the distress a baby experiences having just come out of the womb and now being taken away from mother to be handled by strangers. No intent to scare anyone but neither should we pretend a baby really doesn't experience pain or distress during the procedure.

[Anonymous]

I think the "looks like daddy" thing is actually pretty important. Is your son circumcised? This was the primary reason I had my son circumcised. In hindsight, I have never regretted it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the "looks like daddy" thing is actually pretty important. Is your son circumcised? This was the primary reason I had my son circumcised. In hindsight, I have never regretted it.

Sorry, I meant to say, is your husband circumcised.

[Anonymous]

In the interest of full disclosure, I waffled back and forth on this issue, and decided not to circumsize my (2) sons. Now that I've made that decision, I think I'm a bit more "anti-circ" leaning in general... but whatever.

I do not mean this in a judgmental way, but reading your original post, the incidents you describe seem to have more to do with your own hang-ups, rather than any of the non-circ'd men you've had relations with. THEY seem very comfortable with their bodies (especially if they are talking so candidly with you about adhesions, ripped foreskins... -- anecdotally, I've never had these discussions, and I've had both circ'd and uncirc'd partners).

There are lots of reasons to lean one way or another on this issue, but you seem overly concerned with what everyone else will think. I think that's one of the least good reasons to do it. Perhaps you were really leaning towards circumsizing your son, and your friend talked you out of it... and now you regret it. But is that really a good reason to now put your 3 year old under the knife? Quite honestly, I would have absolutely NO problem if you had decided to circumsize your baby... but now that he's 3? Your reasons seem a bit contrived, and seem to be based on your own preferences for uncircumcized men. Really, how many men do you REALLY know that claim to have had problems being intact? Unless you've slept with a LOT more guys than I have, it seems like you're batting 1000.

Trust me... he will get blow jobs either way. is that REALLY what we're worried about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the "looks like daddy" thing is actually pretty important. Is your son circumcised? This was the primary reason I had my son circumcised. In hindsight, I have never regretted it.

actually I can comment on this my son is not circed , my sons father is, my sons grandfather is NOT circed.

my sons father did NOT know his dad wasnt until the topic came up regarding our son and its not that his dad hid from him as a child it just wasnt important

and your kids penis and your DH will never look the same lol



so my opnion is at this point your son is old he would have to go under general to have it done that ot me is reason enough not to do it

the chances of complications are higher now AND its oging to hurt and bug him while it heals and at this point hell be able to mess with it (as all boys touch) and Id worry it affect the healing time ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the "looks like daddy" thing is actually pretty important. Is your son circumcised? This was the primary reason I had my son circumcised. In hindsight, I have never regretted it.

actually I can comment on this my son is not circed , my sons father is, my sons grandfather is NOT circed.

my sons father did NOT know his dad wasnt until the topic came up regarding our son and its not that his dad hid from him as a child it just wasnt important

and your kids penis and your DH will never look the same lol



so my opnion is at this point your son is old he would have to go under general to have it done that ot me is reason enough not to do it

the chances of complications are higher now AND its oging to hurt and bug him while it heals and at this point hell be able to mess with it (as all boys touch) and Id worry it affect the healing time ...

Not to mention, how are you going to explain to your 3 year old why you are "doing this to him"? Yes, you need to go undergo a painful procedure, because your penis looks wrong. (??) Talk about setting him up for "issues" later.

Both of my sons ARE circumcized... but I'm in the boat of: you made your decision 3 years ago -- now is not the time to change your mind.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the issue of blow jobs - isn't the foreskin retracted at that point? I've only been with 1 uncir'd man, but that never seemed any different . . . .

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP... really, it looks the same to me.

[Anonymous]

Agreed, the foreskin will retract, and there isn't much difference.

My DH was circumcised as a teenager, in order to "Americanize" him. He harbors lots of resentment towards his parents because of it. He had a bad reaction to the anesthesia, and says it was the single most painful experience of his life, and he was in pain for days. In addition he was given the impression that his penis wasn't good enough the way it was.

Like another poster, DS isn't circ'ed, his father is, and his grandfather isn't.

OP, I would stick to your orginal decision. If your son wishes to have the procedure done when he is older, so be it, let it be his choice.

[Anonymous]

I'm not anti circ, my son is circ'd but I could not imagine doing it to a three year old or a young child who will remember the procedure and pain afterwards. Painful procedures can have a very traumatic effect on kids. I needed surgery at a young age, not elective, and it really affected me. My mom used to be a nurse and was of the mind set that such and such isn't that bad. I still have issues with her about this. The recovery for painful procedures is the worst. Let him decide whether he wants to do it when he is an adult or older teen don't put yourself in the position of subjecting him to something this painful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You may feel better knowing that men who are not circ have more sensitiving down there so they experience more sensation while having sex.
I have read this but also was told this by a friend who was dissapointed that her boyfriend had to get circ later in life (some medical issue) because she thought he had enjoyed their sex life more before. So that's another perspective for you to consider if his future sexual enjoyment is of concern to you.

Also, anecdotal evidence aside, in studies utilizing the feedback from adult males both before and after circumcision, the subjects have reported no difference, FYI. This is a favorite refrain, but there is absolutely no proof this this is true or false.

More anecdotal evidence: I am a woman and I have had sex, and oral sex, with men both circumcised and intact. My husband is intact, as are all the men in my family (and no, I have not had sex with any of my relatives!) In my experience, intact men have much more intense and longer orgasms than circumcised men- more like a female orgasm. I never had any issue with any sexual acts with intact men; in fact, I really enjoyed experiencing their more intense reactions to my ministrations. So your son's sex life won't suffer if he is left intact, unless he meets only very close-minded American women. But of course, by the time he gets to having sex, he will never know any different from whichever choice you make now and he'll love it just as much as any man whatever the state of his foreskin.

Also, no intact man I know or any of their female partners has ever had any health issues arising from his foreskin. Basic hygiene and safe sex will prevent any problems, just like for women.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else find this post a little creepy? Are we talking about health 'pros and cons' to circ or not (ok, i get it)---or pre-occupation of your baby's blow job and sex life down the road (ICK!!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You may feel better knowing that men who are not circ have more sensitiving down there so they experience more sensation while having sex.
I have read this but also was told this by a friend who was dissapointed that her boyfriend had to get circ later in life (some medical issue) because she thought he had enjoyed their sex life more before. So that's another perspective for you to consider if his future sexual enjoyment is of concern to you.

Also, anecdotal evidence aside, in studies utilizing the feedback from adult males both before and after circumcision, the subjects have reported no difference, FYI. This is a favorite refrain, but there is absolutely no proof this this is true or false.

More anecdotal evidence: I am a woman and I have had sex, and oral sex, with men both circumcised and intact. My husband is intact, as are all the men in my family (and no, I have not had sex with any of my relatives!) In my experience, intact men have much more intense and longer orgasms than circumcised men- more like a female orgasm. I never had any issue with any sexual acts with intact men; in fact, I really enjoyed experiencing their more intense reactions to my ministrations. So your son's sex life won't suffer if he is left intact, unless he meets only very close-minded American women. But of course, by the time he gets to having sex, he will never know any different from whichever choice you make now and he'll love it just as much as any man whatever the state of his foreskin.

Also, no intact man I know or any of their female partners has ever had any health issues arising from his foreskin. Basic hygiene and safe sex will prevent any problems, just like for women.

I have absolutely no idea whether the men in my family are circumcised--probably because, honestly, who gives a crap?

On what occasion does this generally come up? Holiday dinners?

Why does anyone actually have this information????