I wish I would've followed through...take it from me

[Vito's Mommy]

A while back I mentioned my neice was pg w/a boy and how she lives w/my super-mainstream-parents choice-blinders-on sister. Of course I rounded up great links/info here at MDC to send. As I finally got the courage to write a letter to my neice w/some great non-circ info (my sister and conflict is not pretty), my neice had her baby early. I spoke to her on the phone shortly after the baby was born and kindly said, "you know, he is perfect from head to toe." She agreed and I left it alone. Well, baby is now 13 days old and I just found out he was circ'd yesterday :

I guess I don't get how someone can say, "he is just perfect and beautiful and I love him so much already" and then allow him to be mutilated, abused and disgraced.

If there is anyone out there, and I'm sure there is, who has a confrontational-know-all-close-minded-family-member, who you wish to side-step in order to get info to another, I encourage you to just do it. I will live with the regret of not getting the info out and will probably be quietly angry w/my neice for I don't know how long. Don't be afraid to speak up.

[Nandi]

It doesn't even occur to people what is really happening. There's not that connection between, maybe this is something that does not need surgery and a perfectly made body.

[Fyrestorm]

Most people in this country believe that the baby is perfect...but will be even more perfect once they cut off that nasty foreskin

[glongley]

I too live with the regret of boys who have been circed when I didn't speak up enough. I know I can't blame myself for them, but maybe things would have been different if I had just taken one further step, started one more conversation, etc. We can only learn from these sad situations, and live to do a better job with the next opportunity. I think being a little more direct, and making sure to have follow up conversations is what is necessary rather than just waiting, or hoping, or being too oblique. - at least in my case.

Gillian

[Papai]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm

Most people in this country believe that the baby is perfect...but will be even more perfect once they cut off that nasty foreskin

They SAY the baby is perfect, to be PC and nice, but they really believe he's inherently imperfect until they cut off his foreskin. THEN he's perfect.

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by glongley

I too live with the regret of boys who have been circed when I didn't speak up enough. I know I can't blame myself for them, but maybe things would have been different if I had just taken one further step, started one more conversation, etc. We can only learn from these sad situations, and live to do a better job with the next opportunity. I think being a little more direct, and making sure to have follow up conversations is what is necessary rather than just waiting, or hoping, or being too oblique. - at least in my case.

Gillian

(bold is mine) I couldn't agree more with Gillian (especially with the bold part of it). Hoping, assuming, praying, etc is good, but actions is what makes the difference.

[Nathan1097]

Just curious- how many weeks gestation was he when born?

[laohaire]

I could be wrong, but I don't think people usually circ because they think their sons are imperfect - but just that it's considered to be the standard procedure for his health (or something). Like, you can agree your kid is perfect and still take them in for vaccinations. No, I'm not at all arguing for either circ or vax for that matter, but just thinking that I doubt most people look at their sons and say "oh he's perfect except for that horrible foreskin" but rather that "he's perfect, let's take care of him, and circumcision is the right thing to do" (even though, yeah, it's not).