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is THIS retracting? a ? for all you penis experts  

post #1 of 12
6/27/07 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
my ds is 4. He's never been retracted by anyway... BUT- I'm wondering if he's self-retracting and, if he is, is it bad?

he has his hands down his pants 24/7. When he's just "hanging around" the house watching tv or something he usually has a finger jammed into his foreskin (this isn't something we promote he just does it until we remind him to GET HIS HANDS OUT OF HIS PANTS... which has become my mantra these days!! ugh).

What is the issue w/ retractoin... why is it bad? Is he causing damage to himself?
post #2 of 12
6/27/07 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by edamommy View Post
What is the issue w/ retractoin... why is it bad? Is he causing damage to himself?
Retraction isn't "inherintly bad"...what is VERY BAD is that for infants/young children the innerforeskin is FUSED to the glans. There are still sadly many ignorant people and doctors out there who forcibly retract an infants or young child's foreskin. THAT is what is bad, and that can cause damage and infection.

The first people to retract your son's penis should be himself, in HIS OWN TIME. He will do it on his own when he gets older, just from exploring on his own. He will *stop* himself if it gets painful (aka, not everything is separated yet...and often different parts separate at different rates). Honestly, there is NO NEED to retract to clean as a child at all. When they reach puberty, then they can retract in the shower, rince and replace. It's THAT easy. Just as easy it is for girls to rinse themselves in the shower. No special soaps or anything required .

Right now, what he's doing is exploring. I believe from what I read in that study the most sensitive part is the ridged band, or the very tip of the foreskin. So, you will see little boys sometimes twiddling with the end of the foreskin. It just feels very nice and tickly to them apparently. Even my son does that. When I take his diaper off, he always loves to play with his favorite toy : .
post #3 of 12
6/27/07 at 2:43pm
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=695216

Oh, and this thread is a good thread to help understand how retraction works. I'm sure, he'll figure it all out on his own when he gets older.
post #4 of 12
6/28/07 at 1:19am
As long as the owner is the one doing the retraction that is fine. He knows what hurts and what dosnt and when to stop. Someone else dosnt. That is why retraction is such a issue since someone else cant know from feel if they are causing damage.
post #5 of 12
6/28/07 at 2:54am
Just make sure his fingers are clean and his nails aren't sharp.
post #6 of 12
6/28/07 at 2:55am
:
post #7 of 12
6/28/07 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eepster View Post
Just make sure his fingers are clean and his nails aren't sharp.
Yeah, but short fingernails aren't just an "intact thing". The same thing goes with a circumcised boy handling his genitals.
post #8 of 12
6/28/07 at 6:00pm
My family doctor pulls back the skin just a bit to see the hole. Well he did on his check up. My son didn't seem to notice so it didn't bother him. I said..oh you can't do that. He said he wasn't retracting the foreskin..just checking the tip. Is this OK?
post #9 of 12
6/28/07 at 7:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by homeschoolingmama View Post
My family doctor pulls back the skin just a bit to see the hole. Well he did on his check up. My son didn't seem to notice so it didn't bother him. I said..oh you can't do that. He said he wasn't retracting the foreskin..just checking the tip. Is this OK?
No, it is not OK. It is retraction. Since your son isn't circ'd there isn't likely to be anything wrong in there, and pulling back can cause problems.
post #10 of 12
6/29/07 at 3:43pm
OH WOW! I had no idea!
Thank you for letting me know!
I just have to say that I am so proud of my decision not to circ. I always knew that I would never circ if I was to have a boy. I am very grateful that my husband felt the same way. Reading about other husbands on this site makes me appreciate my husband that much more. It would definitely be a battle if my husband was for circ's. Reading all of the info on this site has made me vehemently against circs. I feel it is mutilation and abuse and it feels good to see others have the same point of view as me! One day I hope to see it become illegal.
Now..to deal with my doctor! I respect my doctor and trust him but now I am starting to have doubts. Thank you for letting me know that it is not ok.
I remember being younger and changing my little brother. (He was born when I was 13) Back then we were told to pull the skin back during diaper changes. I remember pulling it back one time and him screaming in pain. It scared me and made me afraid to change his diaper. I know now what happened!
post #11 of 12
6/29/07 at 4:54pm
This info will help with my son too. Thanks.
post #12 of 12
6/29/07 at 5:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by eepster View Post
Just make sure his fingers are clean and his nails aren't sharp.

clean fingers? hahahahaha
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