So impressed by my mom!

[SBear12]

I only have one little girl (so far!), so hadn't done much research on circumcision until I stumbled upon this forum. Last night I spent some time reading and couldn't believe how uninformed I was!

During conversation with my mom today, I mentioned the info I'd been reading, and she nodded in agreement and said she'd read it too, back when my brothers were born (in the early 80s). Surprised, I asked how she reconciled going ahead with circumsizing them, after learning more about it. She laughed and said "I didn't!" So apparently my brothers are intact (obviously not something I had any reason to know, previously!)... I am just SO impressed by how progressive my mom was, in going against such a strong trend at the time. She was also a member of La Leche League, believed in natural water-birth, and cloth-diapered... so I'm not THAT surprised. Just happy (as always) to have such a great role model mama! :

Just thought I'd share a positive story!

[Nandi]

Good to know! Smart grandma!

[BlessedMommy2006]

Wow! That's totally awesome!

[frontierpsych]

awesome! My mom circ'ed my brother but now wishes she hadn't.

[Fay]

Wonderful! So leaving both sons and daughters intact is your family's tradition!

(It's our family tradition, too.)

[hdeering]

Your mom sounds a lot like mine.

[perspective]

Originally Posted by SBear12

she nodded in agreement and said she'd read it too, back when my brothers were born (in the early 80s). Surprised, I asked how she reconciled going ahead with circumsizing them, after learning more about it. She laughed and said "I didn't!"

Great Mom! I wish I was born into your family!

[tutucrazy]

:::: That is so awesome!

My mom didn't want to circ my brother but did it about 20 days after he was born b/c some doctor told her to pull back the foreskin and "clean" at every diaper change. : Of course my brother would scream b/c she was ripping at his penis. Eventually she had him circed b/c she thought that it would be less pain than hearing him cry at every diaper change. One ignorant doctor changed my brother's fate forever. Now my brother is having a boy and despite all my efforts I think he is going to have his son circed. :_( Another generation loses his rights all b/c that one doctor. If my brother had been left intact he would be much less likely to circ his son.

[eclipse]

That's great! I think this is a reminder to us as mothers to make sure we are open with our children about this. I don't want my daughter making it to child bearing age and not know about this issue.

[bandgeek]

How awesome of her!

Question: Is there a reason you assumed they were circ'ed? Just curious...

[SBear12]

Originally Posted by bandgeek

How awesome of her!

Question: Is there a reason you assumed they were circ'ed? Just curious...

Good question! I guess I just don't personally know of any men in our generation who AREN'T circumsized. I asked a couple of my friends if they've ever even seen an intact man, and nobody had, including myself. DH says of all his friends, he only really knows of one. So I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the conversation with my mom!

And totally agree that this is a conversation every mom should have with her children at some point.

[bandgeek]

Originally Posted by SBear12

And totally agree that this is a conversation every mom should have with her children at some point.

I agree! I do plan to have the talk with my kids before they are brainwashed to believe it's cleaner, healthier, or more attractive.

Did you know your first was going to be a girl? Do you think your mom would have brought up the subject if you were expecting a boy?

[jenP]

Originally Posted by SBear12

And totally agree that this is a conversation every mom should have with her children at some point.

Yeah!
I was like 6 months pregnant with my first when I mentioned to my mom that we probably would not circumcise because I had been reading about how painful it is and unnecessary. She said something like, "of course! Circumcision is horrible! I had to fight with the doctors every day when your brother was born, they kept wanting to circumcise him."
Okay, GREAT that she was aware and protected her son, but she was going to tell me WHEN??? What if we had decided to circumcise?
I guess she just thought it was perfectly obvious. But growing up in our culture you have to actually work at it, as well as be lucky enough to come across the right information, to figure out what circumcision is really all about. Like most Americans my age, I had no idea what circ really was, thought it was just a tiny painless "snip" of some very small and insignificant tissue and was necessary for health. It took years of a nugget of information here, a seed planted there, and so on, before I put it all together. Only to find out my mom knew all along! I guess that generation just doesn't talk about sexual stuff. We are very open and matter-of-fact with our kids, not just about circumcision but menstruation, etc.

Jen

[KaylaBeanie]

My mom has a circ'd stepson and two daughters. So she's never had to give circumcision a second thought, though I'm fairly certain she'd have circ'd us if we were boys. That's neither here nor there though...

She was taken aback when I told her I'd absolutely never circumcise my sons, but she got over it quickly. My (now ex) boyfriend brought the topic up all the time and fought mercilessly with me over the fact I'm an intactivist, and he's super pro-circ. That actually HELPED my mom come around to see my side of it...here I am, not dissing on HIS penis at all, just saying I think it's wrong to do to infants, and he belittles me, fights me, etc.

Though my brother (her stepson) will probably cut any sons, my sister and I absolutely will not. So all her biological grandbabies will be whole :

[JollyGG]

I think it was more common than you think for moms to think about the issue when we were kids. I remember talking about the issue with my mom when I had my son. She didn't try to pressure one way or the other. She told me why she choose it. She said that her mother talked her into it because my grandmothers boyfriend had to be circumcised as an adult due to infection. But my mom also told me about the complications that occurred due to my youngest brothers circumcision (evidently some sort of ring slipped resulting in issues). I think after the problems they had with my little brother she was happy that I ultimately decided to leave my son intact. But as I said she never pressured me one way or the other. I do, however, remember her saying that the "so they will look like dad" argument was silly because her two boys didn't even look the same (probably due to the mistakes in my younger brothers).

My older brother was circumcised in 1973 and my younger in 1979.

[ChristaN]

My mother never knew that her brothers (born in the late 40s/early 50s) weren't circumcised until my grandma told me when I was pg with dd#2 nine years ago.

[UhOhWhatNow]

That IS awesome! My mom only had me... so she didn't have the chance to circ or not. She did do natural birth, though But she FF, the doctor didn't even consider any other choice.

She was surprised when I said there is no way I'd circ my baby if he was a boy, but when she asked why she was supportive and in agreement with my reasons. She was just surprised, since when I was born it was just THE thing you did.

Cool moms rock!

[triscuitsmom]

It's funny to me how much people don't know about stuff that (to me ) matters a lot.

When I had DS1 he was the first person (or so I thought) in my family in generations to be left intact. I didn't know anyone who was intact. And yet it had never occurred to me to cut off a healthy part of my baby, so intact he was.

When he was a few days old I was at my Nana and Poppas house introducing them to their new great grandson. My Nana asked (not in a pushy way, just like you would ask how is the baby sleeping? or How is breastfeeding going?) When is he going to be circed? I replied he wasn't... and my Poppa piped up that he was so glad, and he was always so grateful when he heard Moms standing up for their babies. He is actually not my Dads biofather, and I knew my Dad and brothers had been circed but apparently my Poppa and my Uncle that he had with my Nana, and my cousin (son of that Uncle) are intact... so T wasn't the first

My Mom regrets circing my brother... especially now that she has two intact grandsons and sees how truly easy it is to care for.

[SuzyLee]

My mom didn't do my brother.

I guess she did a lot of her own research and had to "prove" to her pediatrician why she wouldn't do it.

She also tried to convince her OB not to give her a routine episiotomy, but she failed at that one