This thread is inspired by Tanookie’s Boy thread. I didn’t want to hijack her thread and this is really more appropriate to MHO (I think).
It’s been almost a decade since I gave birth, and I had a girl so this issue didn’t effect us in the end. However, I did do a fair amount of reading on it while I was pregnant, just in case, you know. I decided I would not circumcise my baby if I had a boy. It didn’t seem medically necessary, and I had heard stories from adult males who lamented their own circumsicion.
For those of you who will want a cite, here it is. That website seems to offer quite a bit of information both pro and con.
So my question is, are you circumcized? If you are or you aren’t, do you have an opinion on it? Any regrets either way? For my fellow parents and would be parents, would/will you or have you had your son circumcised? Why or why not?
Sorry if this topic has been covered before. Thanks.
It’s just so useless and pathetic. Just another example of people believing any damn fool thing just because it is prevalent in our (American) culture.
Am I? – Yes (since birth, so it wasn’t like I got to choose)
Would I? – Good question. Part of me wants my son to have his equipment fully intact, just as nature intended. Part of me wants his to look like mine, and like most of the other guys his age that he’ll see in the locker room. My wife (who’s a nurse, and who’s had to care for many an uncircumcised, hygiene-challenged patient), however, insists that he will be circumcised – no ifs, ands, or foreskins.
Have I? – No kids of any sort yet, so no news there.
Funny thing is, my dad is uncircumcised, I am, and I’m considering allowing my son to remain uncircumcised. If so, that would likely make me the lone male in my entire branch of the family tree to be foreskin-less.
I am circumcised. If I were to ever have a male child (doubtful), I would have him circumcised. I have been with too many uncircumcised men. Out of maybe 100, or so, all of them had an odor problem with their penises even directly out of the shower. The one uncut man I had been with the longest took a lot of care washing his schlong (I know, I helped him repeatedly… even after I told him his cock reeked) and it really did no good. It still smelled.
We’re leaning towards not circumcising him. We had started this debate last time I was pregnant but had a girl and that ceased discussion.
I’m not circumcised myself being the girl and all… but hubby is.
It seems like senseless surgery and we’re not religious so that’s not a factor. The only question I have is how hard is it to keep clean. Seems the people here have said there are issues and we’re happy we still have a couple of months to make this decision!
Tanookie and I have discussed this and I think we are leaning away from circumcision but no final decision has been made yet. I’d like to do some research first - I’ll be reading the link posted earlier for the opinions either way.
My current thinking is that looking like daddy and the other boys isn’t really a compelling argument - it seems easy to explain why some people had it done and some did not.
I’m somewhat compelled by the odor argument - if no amount of washing gets rid of the smell then that seems bad but I’m still not sure that warrants a circumcision.
Well Parallax, that was just my experience. Maybe I found the sweatiest, stinkiest men out there, but I can’t imagine that the crossover will be any different even with cleaner guys. I also have a pretty sensitive nose.
Part of this has been on my mind for a while because I was at a friends house about a month ago and in a few moments of lagtime, I picked up some of his coffee table literature and leafed through it. One was a 'zine called Commie Mommie which, as an aside, had a little bit over-the-top approach to “alterno-parenting” (wtf does that mean, anyway?) as far as I was concerned, but it did have an article I found quite interesting on this subject. The article was called Half a Man and the author (a circumcised male) claimed that at the onset of puberty he started to experience unpleasant results. Namely, he complained that:
Later the writer says the twinge did not go away, that it was there even at his first sexual experience. He talked about not feeling “whole”. I had no idea about any of this as I read, and I found it fascinating. I’m not sure whether to believe it after just reading that one thing, but maybe you guys can help. Have any of you circumsized people experienced such a twinge?
I dunno dorkusmalorkusmafia, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. I’ve not had odor issues with any of my lovers, circumsized or uncircumsized, other than the occassional (and typical) sweaty groin. And I’m no amatuer.
Well, I had my first son circed because his dad wanted him circed, and it cost me $75.00
Well, after what I saw what they did to my son, and after having to clean the wound and put vaseline on it for a week or two (was 11 years ago) to help the pee not sting it, I was quite upset.
My second son is not circed.
Of course the first one asked why he was different, and we explained circumcision to him. He was 9 when he asked. He seemed to understand, and he knows his dad is circed, so his little brother is the ‘odd’ one in his mind.
Yep, I’m cut, when I was a newborn, so no memory. I’m glad they had it done. Hygiene is a high priority in my life.
In the hopeful event that God graces my life with sons, they will be cut, too. It’s my default position and I haven’t seen compelling evidence to make me change it. YMMV, as always.
Erm, not to start a feud, but they have ruled out the hygiene thing as a reason for cutting. In fact ‘uncut’ is more hygenic because it has a natural way of cleaninsing…I’ll try to find more on that.
For religious reasons I see how that has to stay, but of course in the decision making the hygiene thing is pretty much an old wive’s tale.
I am. Neither of my sons are. Little Gaffer #1 is old enough (almost 4) to notice and has asked me about it. I told him about the procedure and that seemed to satisfy his curiosity although occasionally he likes to bring it up…
…usually when we are in a restaurant and the waitress is taking our order.
(true story)
“Little Gaffer #1, do you want the cheeseburger or the macaroni and cheese?”
“Daddy, you had some skin cut off of you penis but I didn’t.”
“That’s right buddy. Now do you want the cheeseburger or the mac and cheese?”
“Did it hurt?”
“I don’t remember, I was a baby. Cheeseburger or mac and cheese?”
“I like my penis the way it is.”
“That’s great.”
(to waitress who can barely contain herself)
“I think that we’ll just get him the cheeseburger.”
)
being the girl and all… but hubby is.