tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post9142944818090552425..comments2024-03-05T10:19:16.909-07:00Comments on Ask Your Dad Blog: Circumcision: UpdateJohn Kinnearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10217999409806454795noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-75064705551224854952013-02-02T02:14:15.676-07:002013-02-02T02:14:15.676-07:00I'm so glad to hear you chose not to circumcis...I'm so glad to hear you chose not to circumcise your son. I had a baby boy in Feb 2012 and decided not to have the procedure, as well. Sometimes I return to the decision I made, wondering if I really made the right choice, so I'm glad to see affirmation from other people. The fact remains that my son was born with a foreskin. Who am I to alter anything about his perfectly formed, little body? <br /><br />My husband was ambivalent about circumcising our son, but I was against it from the start. He's such a great person to let my decision stand. It seems sort of an aesthetic procedure for many, akin to getting a baby girl's ears pierced. We had no religious or other reasons to circumcise, so we left him intact.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18141119101367058748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-87997887817986443352012-11-10T10:41:14.919-07:002012-11-10T10:41:14.919-07:00You chose to leave your son intact for the same re...You chose to leave your son intact for the same reasons I did. Something to consider on the final "what if he's teased?!!" front: I hear about 30-50% of parents do not circumcise their boys nowadays, which means when the little guys reach the locker room there will be a healthy mix of both. No teasing. Well, not about that. :)<br /><br />Cheers for foreskins!I'm Katie.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00913701914113335102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-66152462673121735162012-10-13T20:18:53.017-06:002012-10-13T20:18:53.017-06:00Thank you so much for leaving your son intact. Th...Thank you so much for leaving your son intact. That ending to the story MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-66817639418352585962012-08-18T12:25:05.493-06:002012-08-18T12:25:05.493-06:00The foreskin may not naturally retract until age 1...The foreskin may not naturally retract until age 12 or so, so the fact that they were telling you to apply steroid cream and forcibly pull it back at age TWO is terrible! I'm so sorry they did that to you and to your son. Poor little guy. Most doctors are more educated now about foreskin, although there are still some out there who try to scare parents about the foreskin not retracting early. Proudmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14625157254620742195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-66393640320517998382012-08-18T12:17:52.310-06:002012-08-18T12:17:52.310-06:00The foreskin may not naturally retract until age 1...The foreskin may not naturally retract until age 12 or so, so the fact that they were telling you to apply steroid cream and forcibly pull it back at age TWO is terrible! I'm so sorry they did that to you and to your son. Poor little guy. Most doctors are more educated now about foreskin, although there are still some out there who try to scare parents about the foreskin not retracting early. Proudmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14625157254620742195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-53160646835642726052012-08-13T20:10:44.181-06:002012-08-13T20:10:44.181-06:00Late coming to the discussion but had to tell it.....Late coming to the discussion but had to tell it.... a relative of mine had a chainsaw accident where the chainsaw kicked up and -- crazy enough -- sliced through his eyelid - his eye ball only ended up being scratched (this was the 70's, no eye protection). The Dr. used part of his foreskin to replace his eyelid - apparently foreskin tissue is quite a valuable type of tissue. <br /><br />Anyway, the moral of the story is... good decision on deciding not to circ. As I see it, why throw away a perfectly good part of the human body when one day it might come in handy? Amongst other reasons... :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-60986511157428584212012-08-13T19:50:37.115-06:002012-08-13T19:50:37.115-06:00We didn't circumcise our first, but we did our...We didn't circumcise our first, but we did our second. We were against it when we had our first and so didn't have it done. Then it turned out his foreskin was too tight and could not be pulled back. We had to repeatedly apply steroid cream and forcibly pull it back so that it would loosen. The steroid cream was irritating to his skin and having his foreskin pulled back pained him. We had to do this for months and they still wanted to circumcise him at age 2 because it still wasn't pulling back easily. We were not comfortable with having that done at his age. When his brother came along a couple of years later, we chose to do the circumcision rather than possibly having to put him through all that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-68319504816425190222012-08-13T15:29:14.302-06:002012-08-13T15:29:14.302-06:00I also want to comment as a grown-up lady about um...I also want to comment as a grown-up lady about ummm "hanging out socially" with both circumcised penis's and uncirmcised penis's- they both look pretty nuch the same when erect... it never bothered me....Ariannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-1702325279392542522012-08-13T15:23:26.789-06:002012-08-13T15:23:26.789-06:00Hi I have 3 uncircumscised boys ages 11, 10 and 8....Hi I have 3 uncircumscised boys ages 11, 10 and 8. No problems so far. (we went through much the same process in deciding and reached the same conclusions you and your wife did- I also left it up to my husband)They have never asked about it or noticed their father's circised penis and commented (although I have had plenty of questions about my total lack of a penis) The other issue I'd ask you to research and contemplate is your treatment of your son's forskin- I'm pretty sure there are some ignorant doctors out there (my pediatrician being one of them-although she is wonderful in many other ways)who will recommend that you yank your son's foreskin back and clean under it... based on the research I did (11 years ago) its seems best to leave the foreskin totally alone until the kid yanks it back themselves as they will sometime between 9 months and 12 years old. Apparantly the foreskin is attached around the tip much like a hyman and that skin attachment keeps the area under the foreskin completely germ free until its detached... some foreskins that are detached actually reattach.... anyway this is all based on old research so I can't link for you- but I can tell you that so far I've never "pulled back" any of my sons' foreskins nor did I clean under them when they were in diapers and we've never had any sort of infections or bladder problems with any of them. They are all responsible for their own hiegene at this point and we've not heard of any issues from them either.Arian Hungaskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-25284847124756632392012-08-11T05:43:22.344-06:002012-08-11T05:43:22.344-06:00My son was circumcised overseas on a military base...My son was circumcised overseas on a military base. My then abusive husband insisted that it be done. He, however did not come to the appointment. My son was taken into another room and I heard blood curdling screams from my infant which caused me to run into the room like a crazy woman as my breasts filled up with milk because he was nursing. I tried to stop the procedure, but it was too late and I couldn't do anything. My poor baby was nude, legs and arms strapped down to a weird table and was in distress. It was horrific. The doctors insisted that I leave the room but how could I? I stayed and kissed my sons head and told him how sorry I was while they finished brutalizing him. When they finished I immediately took him into my arms and nursed him to comfort and calm him. <br /> He was perfect just the way he was at birth. I felt horrible about allowing this barbaric torture session to occur and swore to never let it happen again. 4.5 years later I was blessed with a little girl. Thank God!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-8484844751414438672012-08-10T11:38:30.388-06:002012-08-10T11:38:30.388-06:00We didn't circ our boy. His cousin, age 5 and ...We didn't circ our boy. His cousin, age 5 and circumcised, said, upon seeing our boy's 6 week old penis, "His penis looks funny." Not in a mean way, just observing. I wasn't really prepared and the conversation went like this: Me - "really?" Cousin - "yeah, funny." Me - "well, don't all penises look a little funny?" Doh! <br /><br />So... hopefully you'll be more prepared with a more sensitive line like, "Everyone's bodies are a little different!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-33215959081508289032012-08-09T19:10:59.678-06:002012-08-09T19:10:59.678-06:00My son was not circumcised - and I don't think...My son was not circumcised - and I don't think he suffered for it. He is 30 now. We found a pretty even mix of circumcised and non in the area where we lived. We agonized over what to do. His father was circumcised - I grew up in the UK where it is not a common procedure.<br />I heard arguments that kids with foreskins get infections - I never saw this. We didn't make a big deal out of it - when he was small - and we taught him how to wash properly, it was part of the drill - ears, toes, tummy, penis, bottom, hands, feet etc (well we may have used the term 'pee-pee'). <br />I think nowadays more of my friends are opting not to circumcise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-33322098996679530012012-08-09T12:56:55.111-06:002012-08-09T12:56:55.111-06:00we have a 5m boy and a 3yr girl... just went throu...we have a 5m boy and a 3yr girl... just went through this too. it was a tough argument. statistics flying around the room like crazy, it all came down to my heart not wanting to cut a wee thing for no good reason. My husband finally realized his horse in the race was named Pride, and we called a truce. The boy is whole. phew. and it's funny what a non issue it is; friends and family and random strangers who see his pecker in the Target when I'm changing his diaper don't comment. <br /><br />I think I'm finally realizing that the decisions we fret and fight and sweat over in these days right before and right after our children come aren't the ones that really matter. No one can tell a breastfed from a bottle fed baby or whether or not you cloth or disposable diaper. I can't tell to this day whether a persons Mom had a scheduled C Section or went through natural childbirth. I hope we can all cut each other some slack.<br /><br />I wish you happy times and happy peckers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-50347023475559675282012-08-09T08:08:25.692-06:002012-08-09T08:08:25.692-06:00As a mom to a circ'd 9year old, this really hi...As a mom to a circ'd 9year old, this really hit home with me. Especially the comment made by your mother. I feel the same way. I probably would not have made the same choice if I had to do over again. However, I do not believe my son will have any ill effects due to being circ'd. Every parent has choices to make in their kids lifetime- some they'll be happy with, some they won't. But we have to do what we feel is best at the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-2681268046126465042012-08-09T07:57:57.546-06:002012-08-09T07:57:57.546-06:00It's kind of like my decision not to trim my d...It's kind of like my decision not to trim my dog's ears. Unnecessary cosmetic surgery just so my dog can look like the other dogs of his breed?? Yeah... not so much. And, frankly, his big bat-ears are kind of his "thing" now. People love them. Hopefully people will similarly love your son's unaltered penis (when it's appropriate for that kind of thing to happen.) :)alexinmadisonhttp://www.mightydistractible.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-46796095736989668302012-08-09T00:13:14.216-06:002012-08-09T00:13:14.216-06:00For folks worried that an uncut son will be upset ...For folks worried that an uncut son will be upset that his penis looks different from his cut daddy's, I have had moms say that their sons were more fascinated by the fact that daddy has a bunch of hair, and they don't. That's a much more obvious difference. The kids aren't worried, just interested. But you don't hear about daddy's shaving so that their sons aren't traumatized by the big difference.Proudmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14625157254620742195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-64247721268809041362012-08-08T16:22:40.753-06:002012-08-08T16:22:40.753-06:00Cutting any amount off of any person without their...Cutting any amount off of any person without their consent shouldn't be legal, in my mind.. so, I'm just glad you decided not to. <br /><br />I'm not one of those people who will call a parent who circ'ed their son as "bad parents" or anything.. but coming from a culture where this is not the norm.. well, I just really don't get what it is about foreskin that Americans are so afraid of. :/<br /><br />Thanks, <br /><br />& good blog! keep going, man. <br />I found you from someone posting the Gay-son letter on FB.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-88863036276101327912012-08-08T11:14:12.569-06:002012-08-08T11:14:12.569-06:00Congrats on reaching a decision, that must be a bi...Congrats on reaching a decision, that must be a big relief for you and your family!<br /><br />I do want to mention that: circumcision does not involve cutting off the tip of the penis. It’s actually more like… skinning the penis; I guess that could be a way to describe it. Scalping it?<br /><br />I'm not sure why that was bothering me, or why I absolutely had to say it, or even if it was important. Hmm, I think it was important.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-53244629545832381192012-08-08T10:02:37.183-06:002012-08-08T10:02:37.183-06:00I was just introduced to your blog when a friend t...I was just introduced to your blog when a friend tweeted a link to your <br />letter to your Hypothetically Gay Son. I loved that, and I decided to dive into the rest of your blog.<br /><br />Obviously I missed your original post on this subject. I commend your bravery for putting that out there. We went through the same process when I was pregnant, and we ended up with sons both times. After all of the research we did, we came to the same conclusions you did: we have no religious reasons for it, and it seemed unnecessary. Also, I was fully prepared to be a spaz the first few months, and figured that if there was one less thing to worry about, that would be a good thing.<br /><br />My boys are now 8 and 10, and participate in sports, including travel sports where they're staying in hotels with teammmates and coaches. They haven't yet said anything to me about their being "different." As for that, they've never, to my knowledge, questioned being "different from Daddy," which is a concern I've seen raised. It also seems like not circumcising is becoming more common, at least in my area, so I'm sure my boys aren't alone. <br /><br />Congratulations on making a tough decision in your own way. Similar to your mother, my sister has a son who's older than my boys. When she had her son, she didn't even realize that NOT circumcising was an option. Having options is a wonderful thing.<br /><br />Keep up the good work on your blog.TwilightMundihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03034620547382983078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-29147595157891307262012-08-08T09:59:11.601-06:002012-08-08T09:59:11.601-06:00I saw a 2-year-old with a mohawk at my kid's s...I saw a 2-year-old with a mohawk at my kid's soccer game the other day. It was awesome!TwilightMundihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03034620547382983078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-83983453251968679542012-08-08T09:57:19.285-06:002012-08-08T09:57:19.285-06:00I was just introduced to your blog when a friend t...I was just introduced to your blog when a friend tweeted a link to your <br />letter to your Hypothetically Gay Son. I loved that, and I decided to dive into the rest of your blog.<br /><br />Obviously I missed your original post on this subject. I commend your bravery for putting that out there. We went through the same process when I was pregnant, and we ended up with sons both times. After all of the research we did, we came to the same conclusions you did: we have no religious reasons for it, and it seemed unnecessary. Also, I was fully prepared to be a spaz the first few months, and figured that if there was one less thing to worry about, that would be a good thing.<br /><br />My boys are now 8 and 10, and participate in sports, including travel sports where they're staying in hotels with teammmates and coaches. They haven't yet said anything to me about their being "different." As for that, they've never, to my knowledge, questioned being "different from Daddy," which is a concern I've seen raised. It also seems like not circumcising is becoming more common, at least in my area, so I'm sure my boys aren't alone. <br /><br />Congratulations on making a tough decision in your own way. Similar to your mother, my sister has a son who's older than my boys. When she had her son, she didn't even realize that NOT circumcising was an option. Having options is a wonderful thing.<br /><br />Keep up the good work on your blog.TwilightMundihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03034620547382983078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-38465326095507657952012-08-08T09:30:27.986-06:002012-08-08T09:30:27.986-06:00I'm commenting here, to a comment on your orig...I'm commenting here, to a comment on your original post, since this is the more current one.<br />One of the replies you received was from an Englishman, who made the remark about an uncircumcised penis being more sensitive, and I wanted to call him out on that. Using this argument is purely speculative, until someone is willing to be a test subject, and have a brain scan during sex, then be "trimmed" and have another brain scan session during sex afterwards. Any other statements regarding sensitivity are just personal opinions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-498908583540331492012-08-07T14:08:10.059-06:002012-08-07T14:08:10.059-06:00Just stumbled across your blog via your wife's...Just stumbled across your blog via your wife's which I stumbled across from somewhere else I don't even remember anymore. Anyhoo . . . just wanted to say that we made our decision much the same way you made yours. It's a very polarizing topic, but you did it justice while still being respectful of all opinions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-54921224027681164762012-08-07T11:57:54.390-06:002012-08-07T11:57:54.390-06:00Well done! I wish my parent would have taken the t...Well done! I wish my parent would have taken the time to consider this the way you did. I can't wait to see what kind of awesome your kids create in the world based on your epic parenting. Seriously. My parent chose genital mutilation... I'm glad you aren't going to.<br /><br />I think children - even infants - are smarter then we realize. When we welcome a new life into the world by dominating them, forcing our will upon them, and changing their bodies in a brutal way, what are we *really* saying to them? I think we're setting them up for a life without boundaries, self esteem, sexual integrity, or the ability to find power in saying NO.<br /><br />You rock!Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7385734613853151197.post-13428012081986090022012-07-25T15:00:26.441-06:002012-07-25T15:00:26.441-06:00Now I didn't delve into it too fully, but I...Now I didn't delve into it too fully, but I'm guessing every option except "I'm Jewish" in the so-called decision maker will come out as a "don't."<br /><br />I'm all for addressing concerns one-by-one, but it seems deceptive to portend a multi-branching decision tree that in fact all leads back to the same place.Joenoreply@blogger.com