Researching circumcision was an absorbing experience for me.
So absorbing in fact, that six months later I decided to write all about my findings, and now I have posted them here online. So, what did Anna and I decide to do for Joseph?
You know, in spite of concluding circumcision is unnecessary, I still had to come to terms with the idea of my son being "different" than me.
It wasn't that I wasn't sure how to teach him how to take care for his equipment if we didn't circumcise, since there are several websites out there with advice for parents on how to care for both 'cut' and 'intact' boys.
I guess I just didn't want Joe to be worried that he's different from me, or his friends. The fact that more and more boys aren't being cut nowadays helped us realize he shouldn't have any horror stories with teasing in locker rooms. Then, something clicked.
I figured Joe wouldn't be like me anyway. His would be tiny and bald, mine would be big and hairy. So what about being cut or not? And I never really paid much attention to my dad's penis anyway!
One day I'll explain all this to him. I'll explain that my foreskin was cut off because back then they thought it was harmful to keep it on.
But in the 21st-century, its completely fine to keep a boy's penis intact, so long as you're willing to teach him to take care of it when he's older.
Joe turns 1 this spring, and he's not had any problems with his foreskin.
--End--
Great blog post. But 60% of American babies are still being circumcised.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that if people knew what you now know, that figure would be a lot lower. There is still this perception in the USA that the foreskin is just a useless flap of skin that invites infections.
Also the foreskin requires no care. It is fused to the glans at birth and should be left alone to separate naturally. This occurs any time until puberty though most have detached and become retractable by age 10. The foreskin should never be pulled back or cleaned under. There is no care to do.
Yet, even doctors are telling intact parents to pull the foreskin back or clean under it.