This board is the reason my son is intact!

[stayo22]

Just wanted to post a "thank you" to this board. I am a free thinker who always questions what I am told. When I found out I was pregnant with a son I landed here in my research about circ. I will admit I have waivered quite a bit .... NOT ONE SINGLE person I know thinks I am right to not circ my son. My family and friends are VERY, VERY mainstream. At times I still think, ahhhh, maybe I should just circ him so a) family won't think I am crazy and b) he will look like all his future friends. BUT, I just keep coming back to this board and re-reading all the reasons why my son should stay as God made him..... PERFECT as is!
And by the way, I have shown all the research from this board to my circ'ed husband and he says "Over his dead body will his son be circed!" So, this board not only changed my mind but it changed his too!

Thanks! (And I am sure my son will one day be thankful for this board too!)

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by stayo22

Just wanted to post a "thank you" to this board. I am a free thinker who always questions what I am told. When I found out I was pregnant with a son I landed here in my research about circ. I will admit I have waivered quite a bit .... NOT ONE SINGLE person I know thinks I am right to not circ my son. My family and friends are VERY, VERY mainstream. At times I still think, ahhhh, maybe I should just circ him so a) family won't think I am crazy and b) he will look like all his future friends. BUT, I just keep coming back to this board and re-reading all the reasons why my son should stay as God made him..... PERFECT as is!
And by the way, I have shown all the research from this board to my circ'ed husband and he says "Over his dead body will his son be circed!" So, this board not only changed my mind but it changed his too!

Thanks! (And I am sure my son will one day be thankful for this board too!)

That's why we're here, what a lucky boy!

Congratulations, and don't worry about your friends give them time, they may come around.

[Zenbuoyant]

Congratulations on your sweet boy momma!!!

[eclipse]

[PuppyFluffer]

Thank you so much for being willing to learn and share what you have learned. Your son is a lucky boy!
I think you will easily come to see intact as normal. As for your son's future friends, none of us have crystal balls. You could move to a more intact friendly part the country, you son could grow up and go to university in Europe and fall in love with a European woman (who would certainly consider intact normal). Just all sorts of scenarios to contemplate. You've left his body as it was created. There is nothing odd or abnormal about that!
Congratulations on your little boy.

[hakunangovi]

Originally Posted by stayo22

I will admit I have waivered quite a bit .... NOT ONE SINGLE person I know thinks I am right to not circ my son. My family and friends are VERY, VERY mainstream.

This bothers me a lot. Your family and friends need a little jolt to enable them to start thinking in a rational manner. Have you tried any comebacks when they oppose your (very sensible) point of view?

Some that I have used on occasion:

"Do you really think nature made a mistake?" .....with the human male?"

"Does it not seem perverse to whack off part of his genitalia?"

"What part would you willingly let the doctor cut off your daughter?"

When you force them to consider any of these questions the answer should be glaringly obvious.

Congratulations on your most logical decision. Your son is very lucky that you are his mom!

[hakunangovi]

Originally Posted by stayo22

I will admit I have waivered quite a bit .... NOT ONE SINGLE person I know thinks I am right to not circ my son. My family and friends are VERY, VERY mainstream. !

This bothers me a lot. I think your friends and family need a little jolt to enable them to start thinking in a rational manner. Have you tried any comebacks when they oppose your (very sensible) point of view?

Some that I have used on occasion:

"Do you really think that nature made a mistake? ....with human males?"

"Does it not seem perverse to whack off part of his genitalia?"

"What part would you willingly let the doctor cut off your daughter?"

When faced with any of these questions, the answer is glaringly obvious.

Congratulations on your most logical thought process. Your son is lucky to have you as his mom.

[hakunangovi]

Sorry - double post - computer locked up and I thought the first one was lost in cyberspace.

[SeekingJoy]

[Galatea]

Yay!

I wouldn't worry what your family and friends think. I don't give a fig what my aunts and uncles and parents' friends think about me, and I doubt your son will!

[lurve]

same exact thing here. my son is intact thanks to this board too. life is a journey and i am so glad i found this path before i hurt my son.

[Pirogi]

Originally Posted by PuppyFluffer

Thank you so much for being willing to learn and share what you have learned. Your son is a lucky boy!
I think you will easily come to see intact as normal. As for your son's future friends, none of us have crystal balls. You could move to a more intact friendly part the country, you son could grow up and go to university in Europe and fall in love with a European woman (who would certainly consider intact normal). Just all sorts of scenarios to contemplate. You've left his body as it was created. There is nothing odd or abnormal about that!
Congratulations on your little boy.

Or an American woman who considers it normal ... we do exist!

[DJay]

Sure wish you had been my mother!

DJ

[mum5]

good for you!!

I have a son, now 8 months old, and had my first experience with the circ'ing mainstream the other day. One was actually a lady w/ 3 girls and the other a ladt w/ one son and both are my friends, although very new friends, I did feel very wierd discussing my son's penis with them.

They were actually discussing a mutual friend who did not circ her son, and how wierd that they thought it was, dirty, disgusting looking and abnormal. I did have to step in and remind them that most of the world does not circ, just for religious reasons, and that most in the US do it because, well, just because, not really thinking about it.
I felt so wierd after that conversation, but I think that I gave them food for thought.
I am European, and had never come across a circed male until I came to the US.

[Lauren82]

Congrats mama. Chances are that your son will have intact friends as the circumcision rate in the US is on the decline.

[Kelilah]

Same here, actually.  I've always been an outspoken pro-circ person, but I'm 10 weeks pregnant now, and over the last couple weeks I felt like I owed it to my potential son to at least give the opposing side a fair chance.  So I've been reading this forum for a bit now, and, well, yeah.  My husband was pro-circ as well but we've both decided to leave this baby intact, regardless of gender.  I'm glad I finally listened with an open heart, and glad y'all had such a wealth of information here.  Thanks.

[mum5]

Originally Posted by Lauren82 

Congrats mama. Chances are that your son will have intact friends as the circumcision rate in the US is on the decline.

I know quite a few boys that are not circ' ed actually.

My ped told us that about 50% of males in the US are not circ'ed now, which is great news. Not sure on how correct that statement is though.

[ktgrok]

Your son will definitely thank you. My 11 year old found out what circumcision was the other day, and when i was done explaining it he said "THANK YOU  for not doing that to me!!!

That made me feel really good, as he never says thank you for anything without being prompted :)

[tammylsmith]

Hi Deanna,

Just wanted to let you know that you can't plan for all complications. My good friend's little guy (4) was circumcized, and the operation was botched... leaving him in constant pain. He will have to have another operation and more pain because of the circumcision. Also, my brother in law's twin brother had what is called meatal stenosis as a toddler. That condition is entirely because of the circumcision too... and he had to have another operation and more pain just to widen the opening of his urethra. Adult onset diabetes can be largely prevented by diet and exercise, so if you want to help your son avoid type II, then train him well in these areas and he will be fine! Also, in the event that he gets circumcized as an adult, he gets lots of pain meds and anesthesia... as a baby, he gets a lolli pop for the same operation... and will still go through the same agonizing pain... and add to that the fear of not knowing what's going on... just won't be able to say anything about it to you.

Good luck to you!

[hakunangovi]

Originally Posted by DeannaRussell82 

My grandfather 7 years ago found out he had diabetes, he was uncircumcised, and the foreskin started to shrink and he had to go get circumcised late in life which caused him all kinds of complications, infections, it was bad. :( So while I don't want to because I just feel it is better for my child. There is that "what if" he gets diabetes and has complications like my grandfather has? I have had 2 grandfathers have the same problems. (sigh)

Even though I realise that diabetes can, and sometimes does affect the extremeties, I think any recomendation for circumcision has to be suspect.  A foreskin that tightens up a bit is not an emergency. Indeed, there are men who happily live their whole lives with an unretractable foreskin. Consider, also, that in Finland (or was it Sweden) only one man in 16,000 will die without his foreskin. It is evident that in intact cultures it is very rare for circumcision to be needed.  This is the problem with North American doctors - they are trained to whack off a foreskin for any problem, be it real or percieved. In a non circumcising culture they employ more conservative treatments.  They know the value of a foreskin.  Many in our culture don't.  The bottom line - please do not circumcise your son "just in case".  There is no other body part that is treated that way.