Reply to Any Jews having a tough time with circumcision?

Forum Index » Expectant and Postpartum Moms

Reply to "Any Jews having a tough time with circumcision?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was raised Orthodox and consider my Jewish heritage and culture important, though I am not observant.  DH is not Jewish, but is circumcised (as are a a good portion of non-Jewish men of our generation).  I don't know yet if we are having a boy, but I feel very ambivalent about circumcision.  DH is fine with it, since he is circumcised as are most of his non-Jewish friends, even though the ceremony seems strange - but he is not at all opposed.  I know I will do it, because [b]I don't feel strongly enough about it to make my family unhappy [/b]- my parents would be devastated if we did not circumcise a baby boy according to religious ritual.  But I do agree with other posters who point out that at some point in the future we will all look back at this practice as barbaric and strange.  Sure, we can justify it with the STD protection benefits, but that is NOT actually why we do it here in America; we do it either for religious reasons, or because it is considered "normal" in American culture.  If you take a few steps back and think about it objectively - it is just straight weird and barbaric: we cut off a piece of little boys' penises!  It may not be very painful to the infant, nor does it have lasting awful effects like female circumcision/genital mutilation.  But it is still just as weird when you take a step back from the way it has been normalized in our culture.[/quote]

Watch a video. That's all I ask. Watch a video of them doing it under even the most favorable scenarios, with anesthesia, etc. They really suffer. I agree with everything you say and it sounds really level-headed, but I just beg you, if you don't personally feel strongly about it, don't put your baby boy on the chopping block for something you agree is barbaric to please your family. You will need to establish your own way of parenting and it will involve upsetting your family at times. This won't be the first or last time you'll need to stand up for what you think is right. [/quote]

Although I actually agree with the point about standing up for what you believe in as a parent, I totally disagree with the point about the baby really suffering. We had a bris for my son and not only did it take almost no time, he didn't even cry or seem to notice. Nor did he flinch during any of the aftercare. I felt far, far worse bringing him in for a routine blood draw, where I had to pin him down, screaming, because he wouldn't hold still enough to find a vein. Or using saline solution or a bulb to clear his nose. He exhibited far more signs of suffering during those activities than he did during his circumcision. [/quote]

+1
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics