I got a subscription from a well-meaning friend but most of the articles irritate me, so I usually just give it to DS for his shredding routine.
Well, for whatever reason, I decided to flip thru Nov.'s issue. They had conducted a 'reader survey' on a buncha parental issues like BF'ing, co-sleeping etc and most of 'em were a 49%/51% sorta thing, evenly split....until they got to circumcision. The supposed stats were: 82% would circumcize their son. The reason given? "Kid's locker rooms are cruel places".
Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Get over yourselves people! Not every child is concerned with the state of your son's penis!!!!!!!
Just another reason I'm glad I no longer get Parents Mag! (My sis wanted to give me another gift subscription, but I told her no thanks!) What crap. So, I'm supposed to let high school bullies dictate how to raise my son? I don't think so!!
Well- maybe the hypothetical lockerroom at the Parent's mag HQ is a cruel place... but at Mothering I think the lockerroom is a pretty laid back scene! Too bad people pay money to be coerced and intimidated like that.
So perhaps on the same "they will be teased" theory parents shouldn't buy their children eyeglasses if they need them? Or braces? And should make sure that every single piece of clothing their child has is the latest and greatest?
I don't know about boys' locker rooms, but us girls were really good at changing without showing anything off. You know, slipping one shirt on over the other, then taking that one off, ect. I could still change from normal clothing to a *bathing suit* on a BUS if I had to without anyone seeing a flash of any skin even remotely private. I'm pretty sure boys are not walking about the locker room waving their penises around.
I find that number surprising. I've seen probably a dozen polls about this issue in the past year and all of them have 50% or more readers not circumcising. How is it that this magazine has such radically different results?
82% just doesn't make sense. The circumcision rate for 2001 was 55.1% so their poll results should have been in the 50% to 65% range and they are 25% higher. Is there something that is not obvious such as a very high percentage of their readers being Jewish? Or are their readers mostly red necks? Was this an on-line poll that could have been "bombed" by one of the circumcision fetish groups?
How about each and every one of us writes to the magazine editor and lets her/him know some of the fact.
For one thing that none of us would circ.
Anyone have some other ideas?
I certainly am willing to write.
I'm new to posting on this particular board. . .this one really caught my eye.
When we have the "circumcision talk" with friends/family, and the locker room argument comes up, dh always says, "if there are other boys staring at Chan's penis long enough to notice he's intact, then we'll have to wonder about THEM and their staring! They are the ones that should be ashamed. . . how rude!" or something along those lines. Makes perfect sense to me. people can be so shallow on this issue!
I'm willing to write as well. I also receive the mag (gift subscription). We like to use it to cut out pictures, letters, numbers and whatever that dd can glue onto construction paper!
I'm new to posting on this particular board. . .this one really caught my eye.
When we have the "circumcision talk" with friends/family, and the locker room argument comes up, dh always says, "if there are other boys staring at Chan's penis long enough to notice he's intact, then we'll have to wonder about THEM and their staring! They are the ones that should be ashamed. . . how rude!" or something along those lines. Makes perfect sense to me. people can be so shallow on this issue! Which brings me to our other retort on this issue--we plan to raise Chan in such a manner that if another boy does make a comment, he'll be a strong enough person to just brush it off. The "teasers" in the locker room probably have parents that are totally insecure with their own bodies/sexuality or whatever. I don't think that's the case with most MDC'ers.
I'm willing to write as well. I also receive the mag (gift subscription). We like to use it to cut out pictures, letters, numbers and whatever that dd can glue onto construction paper!
so sorry for the double post. . .not sure how that happened. the second one has an additional sentence or two i added at the last second (or so i thought!)
No man would EVER stare at another's penis! They are terrifed of seeming gay. It is locker room and urinal etiquette to look anywhere but at another man's package. I am sure younger boys/teens are no exception.
edited to add:
Frank, I'm not of the nature of the poll..they really don't say. I'll go and have another look...if I can just find it at the bottom of the recycling bag
I read in your magazine that 80% of the expecting mothers you polled would circumcise their sons. Yet the national average is now 58%.
Since all the Wold Health Organizations agree that circumcision is unwarranted, perhaps your magazine would do them a great service if they would enlighten them as to the redundancy of that surgery.
Now let's all burn that issue and do absolutely not pass it on to anyone.
I read in your magazine that 80% of the expecting mothers you polled would circumcise their sons. Yet the national average is now 58%.
Since all the Wold Health Organizations agree that circumcision is unwarranted, perhaps your magazine would do them a great service if they would enlighten them as to the redundancy of that surgery.
Now let's all burn that issue and do absolutely not pass it on to anyone.
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