Did you, or are you going to, circumcize your little boy?

[MOB Karen]

Let us know what your views are on this matter. :D

[MOB Karen]

I did and it was the most traumatic event of my life. They told us that our boy would look weird in gym class if we didn't get it done. But now they are saying you don't have to do it anymore. Don't let anyone talk you into it if you don't want to do it. :)

[ladymelissa]

I did and it was the most traumatic event of my life. They told us that our boy would look weird in gym class if we didn't get it done. But now they are saying you don't have to do it anymore. Don't let anyone talk you into it if you don't want to do it. :)

Why was it traumatic?

[MOB Karen]

Why was it traumatic?

Because they scream when it's done. I was literally crying. :bbcry:

[ladymelissa]

Because they scream when it's done. I was literally crying. :bbcry: Wow, I didn't know that. They don't numb the area or something?

[MOB Karen]

Wow, I didn't know that. They don't numb the area or something?

No, they just cut it. It was horrible.

[WebLady]

Well, I'm not having kids (I neutered my dog, does that count :bblol:) but my sister and her fiance got in a little argument over this when she was pregnant. He didn't want to circumcise the baby if it was a boy and she did. He said he didn't want to do anything to alter the body that wasn't necessary. He said he would let the child grow up and make the choice for himself.

Luckily for them she had a girl ... my sister has since had her tubed tied ;) But her FH was against having the baby's ears pierced too. But his mother did it without telling him, they got in a little fight about it, but they are over it now.

[MOB Karen]

No, they just cut it. It was horrible.

I have to preface this with the fact that my baby boy was born in 1979 and things may have changed since then. I don't know.

[ladymelissa]

We don't want any kids so this doesn't really affect me, but I will say that I prefer the look of it circumcised (obviously after the boy has grown up).

[CindySue]

I have to preface this with the fact that my baby boy was born in 1979 and things may have changed since then. I don't know.
Well they have a numbing cream or an injection they give now. They also have a ring they can use although all 3 of my boys were cut.

[hummingbird521]

Mine was cut as well. But I didn't know they had a ring or injection now. Actually I am glad to know.

[such_pretty_words]

My little one was circumsized, and it was fine. It was numbed completely and the doctor used the ring, which fell off in a few days. He didn't scream and I wasn't nearly as scared as I thought I would be. We didn't do it because we thought we had to or anything having to do with him looking weird in gym class... it was rather just a personal preference, partly due to tradition of men in both families, and also the hygiene thing.

[MOB Karen]

Mine was cut as well. But I didn't know they had a ring or injection now. Actually I am glad to know.

I am also glad to know that they have started numbing their penises. I think it's cruel to do that to babies.

Also, back when I had my babies, they didn't believe in epidurals. We all had them completely natural unless you were having a c-section. Nowadays, they believe women shouldn't hurt so bad giving birth. Duh? It's about time they realized that there is no need to hurt that bad when you don't have to.

[WhiskeyGirl]

We will not as our thinking is that if God wanted boys to be circumsized they would be born that way!!!!! And we think it's cruel. You are in effect taking away a large portion of their sexual pleasure when you are circ-ing your child. We don't do it to our little girls, why should we take the pleasure away from our sons and cause them pain as babies. As far as hygene, teaching your child how to clean their penis properly should be part of you raising that child in the first place, so they should have no problems with infections. :D If they are taught from the start, boys can and should still have their foreskins when they are adults. As far as the looks of a circ-ed penis and an uncirc-ed penis....well they all look the same when sexually aroused. ;)

[Kacie_bride]

I say with a 100% certainty that I will have my male children circumcized. First of all Justin's father suffered a horrible infection as a teenager that caused him to be hospitalized. If he had been circumcized the infection would not have happened. That story alone makes Justin say that he would defiantely want his boy children circumcized. I don't want to get into details, but it was not because of bad hygiene.

Secondly, I do buy anyone saying that it takes away sexual pleasure. Let me just say that Justin can be pleasured as much as he cares to. He does not seem to feel that he is missing anything that his foreskin could give him. He would defiantely agree that he is 100% able to be pleasured.

I don't believe it tramatizes a child. Nobody I know remembers it being done. If done in the first week of life, the infact brain is unable to process it, remember it, and if anesthetic is used, even feel it. This has been medically proven.

Occording to a group of pediatric orology associates it is extremly rare to have problems from circumcision. Here are a list of the pros to circumcision.

Research studies suggest that there are some good medical why your son should be circumcised. These include:
Circumcision lowers your son’s chances of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first year of life.

Although a rare condition, cancer of the penis is essentially eliminated in circumcised males.

Research shows that males who are circumcised have a slightly lower risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Circumcision eliminates foreskin infection that occur at the peak ages of 3 to 5 years.


Circumcision prevents phimosis, a narrow opening that makes it impossible to retract the foreskin at a later age.

Genital hygiene, which is particularly important in unsanitary conditions, may be easier after circumcision.

[MOB Karen]

I say with a 100% certainty that I will have my male children circumcized. First of all Justin's father suffered a horrible infection as a teenager that caused him to be hospitalized. If he had been circumcized the infection would not have happened. That story alone makes Justin say that he would defiantely want his boy children circumcized. I don't want to get into details, but it was not because of bad hygiene.

My father wasn't circumcised when he was born, and had to do it when he was 18 years old because of an infection (and it wasn't from poor hygiene either). He said they had to yank the foreskin down really hard and fast because to do it slow would of caused him more pain. He said that it was the worst pain in the whole world to do that later in life. He was not going to put his son through that torture.

Secondly, I do buy anyone saying that it takes away sexual pleasure. Let me just say that Justin can be pleasured as much as he cares to. He does not seem to feel that he is missing anything that his foreskin could give him. He would defiantely agree that he is 100% able to be pleasured.

My father, brother, and ex-husband had more than enough sex drive for one lifetime, and would have told you so in a minute. lol


I don't believe it tramatizes a child. Nobody I know remembers it being done. If done in the first week of life, the infact brain is unable to process it, remember it, and if anesthetic is used, even feel it. This has been medically proven.


They don't remember the pain. But it did hurt him when it happened, and every time he went pee, he would cry. But it heals quickly and it is forgotten forever.

Occording to a group of pediatric orology associates it is extremly rare to have problems from circumcision. Here are a list of the pros to circumcision.

No one I know has ever had a problem with their penis when it was circumcised. I only know of one person (my Dad) who had a problem because it wasn't circumcised.

[WhiskeyGirl]

I just want to clarify that I did not say men who are circ-ed have NO pleasure...but it has been shown that men who are uncirc-ed MAY have more pleasure. I am not going to make that choice for my child and yes, things can happen as far as the foreskin "sticking" to the penis. It does happen, but if you watch for this you can prevent it from happening. In Europe a male child is only circ-ed if they have an infection or health problem of sorts. It is my personal belief that is all!

[Kacie_bride]

Well I just asked Justin and he said he wouldn't want any more quality when it comes to pleasure. He says he couldn't handle it. LOL! I respect your opinion Shawna. I think we all have to do what we think is best for our children.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Well I just asked Justin and he said he wouldn't want any more quality when it comes to pleasure. He says he couldn't handle it. LOL! I respect your opinion Shawna. I think we all have to do what we think is best for our children.

Oh for sure. I respect everyone's opinion, because everyone has the right to their own! lol

[Kacie_bride]

To be fair I thought I would post some cons to circumcision that I found from kidshealth.org.

Some people also claim that circumcision either lessens or heightens the sensitivity of the tip of the penis, decreasing or increasing sexual pleasure later in life. But neither of these subjective findings has been proven to be true.

Although circumcision appears to have some medical benefits, it also carries potential risks - as does any surgical procedure. These risks are small, but you should be aware of both the possible advantages and the problems that can be associated with the procedure before you make your decision. Complications of newborn circumcision are uncommon, occurring in between 0.2% to 3% of cases. Of these, the most frequent are minor bleeding and local infection, both of which can be easily treated by your child's doctor.
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of the decision to circumcise is accepting that the procedure can be painful.

In the past, it wasn't commonplace to provide pain relief for babies being circumcised, but because studies have indicated that it benefits the infant to receive anesthesia, most doctors will now provide it. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the use of pain relief measures for circumcision. Even up until recently, though, anesthesia hasn't been universally used, so it's important to ask your doctor ahead of time what, if any, pain relief will be utilized with your son.

[MOB Karen]

Absolutely. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{GROUP HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[WhiskeyGirl]

Absolutely. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{GROUP HUG}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Lol!! Gum drops and lollipops! :D

[CindySue]

This is a touchy subject because if Im not mistaken, circumcision started out as a religious preference. I would have to do research on when or why that changed. I know doctors who encourage it and I also know some that refuse to do it unless its a religious reason.
A lot of the males in my family had problems with not being circumcised and had to be later in life. My boys do not remember it happening to them, but if it had to happen at 10 or 20, Im sure they would then. This was our personal decision when we chose to do my boys.
Having been with both, personally I prefer my man to be circumcised. On the other hand, a good friend of mine prefers hers not to be............
To each their own, I say!!!

[Kacie_bride]

Here are some more cons if anyone is interested. These are from online health advisory pediatrics. I think the main issue for me is that parents make an educated decision. Know your risks either way, because there are risks with whatever you choose.


Some of the reasons not to circumcise include:

Surgical complications. Problems that may occur are skin or bloodstream infections, bleeding, gangrene, scarring, and various surgical accidents. A recent study showed that 1 of every 500 circumcised newborns suffered a serious side effect.
Pain. The procedure causes pain. However, the doctor can use some anesthetic around the area to block some of the pain.
Cost. The cost of circumcision is about $100 per procedure in the U.S. You may have to pay for the procedure yourself because many medical insurance companies do not cover the costs of this procedure.
You must decide quickly. Delaying the decision also carries a risk. If you initially decide not to have your son circumcised, and then change your mind after your son is 2 months old, the procedure will require a general anesthesia. So try to make your final decision during the first month of life.For me personally I think the pros out do the cons. But this is my personal decision, and many other people feel differently. That is the great thing about living in a society like we do. We have the freedom to choose!

[Natasha]

I let my sons father decide. I figured he would be doing the majority of the penis explanations, so he got to choose. He wanted it circumcised. Well, they did a half assed job of it, and he still has some of his foreskin. He has gotten one yeast infection while visiting his dad, but that's it as far as problems go.

[SoontobeMrsClark07]

Jonathan said we are going to... I let him make the decision.

[SerendipityCrafts]

When my son was born, there was a video that was circulating on all the major talk shows, showing a boy having it done, whereby he was screaming and obviously in pain.

My husband was circumsized and his argument for doing it was so that our son would be the same as good 'ol dad. That argument wasn't what did it for me. After all, how many kids do you know compare themselves to dad? Or if they do, wouldn't being smaller than Dad be traumatic too?

I talked it over with my doctor and we did have him circumsized in the end.

Two reasons -

I have personally sknown of too many little boys (some teenagers too) where it was necessary to have it done afterwards and that's not a good thing. :( One guy in his 20's told me that he had a problem with rashes and infections all the time. As he understood it, he had to do more "maintenance" than if he was circumcized. He wanted to be circumcized but was afraid to do so.

My doctor told me that it hurts the baby no more than the blood (needle in the foot) that they take from your child when they leave the hospital or having a little girl's ears pierced.

My mother didn't have the choice. Back then, my brother's were just whisked away and circumsized. That is just the way it was in North America. Males in other parts of the world are almost never circumcized.

Jewish people have been doing it since time began and less sensitive or not, they keep having babies just like the rest of us. BTW - how did they come to this finding anyway? I mean you would have to find a sexually active male, circumsize him and then ask him if he remembers it to be more pleasurable before the circumcision. I honestly doubt that they have line ups of uncircumsized males volunteering for this experiment. LOL

All that said, it seems to be in "vogue" not to do it these days. It was also in vogue to bottle feed a baby, put them on their stomach to sleep, put them on their side to sleep, put them on their back to sleep, feed them solids at 1 month, feed them solids at 3 months, put them on a cup at 3 months, put them on a cup at 6 months, toilet train them at 6 months, toilet train them at 1 year, toilet train them at 3 years ......

All this to say, there isn't any "right" way or "wrong" way. You make a decision for your child and that's it.

[LaceyinPgh]

I honestly don't know. It isn't something I have thought about. I guess if I ever get pregnant my husband and I will have to talk about it with our doctors. There are pros and cons to everything. Since Sean will be the one teaching penis care 101 around here due to my lack of experience in carting one around 24/7, I'll let it be up to him. But, "because he will look different in gym class" to me will NOT fly as the only reasoning.

[rainbowtreat]

My son was. I just felt it should be done. We have had no problems. and having hsi dad teach him how to care fo rit if it wasnt done was not an option. His dad never even changed a diaper. I hvent talekd to Nicholas about htis but I am sure if we have a boy that one will be done too.

[AngelinLove]

Yes...I will have my boys circumsized if I have them. I personally just feel that it is teh thing to do. I think that it is less risky when comparing teh two options and I thing that it is the healthier choice. Although I agree with Shawna that if God wanted it that way...then boys would be born that way...I also feel that sometimes modification s are needed.

[MOB Karen]

I honestly don't know. It isn't something I have thought about. I guess if I ever get pregnant my husband and I will have to talk about it with our doctors. There are pros and cons to everything. Since Sean will be the one teaching penis care 101 around here due to my lack of experience in carting one around 24/7, I'll let it be up to him. But, "because he will look different in gym class" to me will NOT fly as the only reasoning.

But, you know what, when you're changing his diaper 24/7, you learn every aspect of his penis. Trust me, Lacey, you don't have to have one to know every single thing about it. He is dependent on you to clean every fold and groove for the first few years of his life. Who better than you to teach him how to take care of it. You're it, unless Sean is the only one changing his diaper.

And just let me say one thing more, just because a baby is circumcised does not mean that you don't have to clean under his foreskin. He still has foreskin to clean under. There is just less of it. I cleaned under my son's, and I clean under my grandbaby's every single time I give him a bath. If you don't, it will get stuck and bleed whether their circumcised or not.

[LaceyinPgh]

But, you know what, when you're changing his diaper 24/7, you learn every aspect of his penis. Trust me, Lacey, you don't have to have one to know every single thing about it. He is dependent on you to clean every fold and groove for the first few years of his life. Who better than you to teach him how to take care of it. You're it, unless Sean is the only one changing his diaper.

And just let me say one thing more, just because a baby is circumcised does not mean that you don't have to clean under his foreskin. He still has foreskin to clean under. There is just less of it. I cleaned under my son's, and I clean under my grandbaby's every single time I give him a bath. If you don't, it will get stuck and bleed whether their circumcised or not.

We can just add this to one of the many reasons that I have dogs. If we did have kids though, Sean had better be quite prepared to change many a diaper. I didn't make the kid by myself, I sure as heck am not the only one able to do basic child maintanence.

I still really think that this would have to be one of the many things Sean and I would have to discuss and come to a decision about after discussing it with our child's doctor.

[Kacie_bride]

Yes...I will have my boys circumsized if I have them. I personally just feel that it is teh thing to do. I think that it is less risky when comparing teh two options and I thing that it is the healthier choice. Although I agree with Shawna that if God wanted it that way...then boys would be born that way...I also feel that sometimes modification s are needed.

My agrument on why God would put it there if it did not have a purpose would be the tonsils. My tonsils did nothing but cause me pain and almost caused me to fail a grade in school because I was always sick. After I got my tonsils removed I was much healthier and happier. The appendix is another example. God did put it there, but I am better off without both of them.

[cowboysbride]

Eric is and my son will be also.

[mariaandmanish]

I want to, but my DH does not...he was born in India and is not (TMI!) so he does not want ours to be. I think that in the end he will win... as long as there is no medical reason to change that.

[BriansBride07]

I did have my son done but not sure if I could listen to that scream again I think I cried just as hard as he did. Even though I knew it was for the best for when he gets older and then has to have it done if he ever got a nasty infection.

[Jenn060306]

We will not. Both Mark and i feel that it doesen't need to be done. There are pro's and con's to both sides. But we feel that it is not what we want to do for our child. The skin is there to protect it. And with proper care it is no unclean at all.

[Valmai]

I did not have my son done and unless it was for a medical reason then i would not consider it at all - i find it cruel and unnecesary. You know i have never even seen a circumcised penis and though ive not seen many sexually i worked in health care for many years so bathed/washed many men, maybe its a culture thing or summat and males dont have it done often over here! xxx

[CarlosHoney]

No. Absolutley not. Here's why:


The American Academy of Pediactrics no longer advocates routine infant circumcision.
I wouldn't ever circumcise my daughter. Why circumcise my son? Even in the event of some weird medical condition, doctors don't say that they want to remove parts of the labia. They find another way to treat it.
I've heard and read that a circumcised man experiences sex like "black and white photographs" while an intact man experiences them "in color".
The foreskin serves a purpose. It's like a clitoral hood--it protects the glans and keeps it moist, providing better sensation and wards off infections.
Less than 2% of Europeans are circumcised, and they're doing just fine.
I think that anyone "gung-ho" about circumcising their child should at least witness one and know what they're doing to their baby. I feel very strongly about this. I don't understand why anyone would take that decision out of the hands of their child.

No disrespect!! :bbmrgreen:

[AllyM1]

My biggest worry is what if the doctor cuts too much off? I have seen/read stories where the baby's foreskin was cut down too much and the doctor basically said, you can either leave it this way or take it all off and raise the baby as a girl... :bbeek:

I know these occassions are very rare, but there is always the possibility...

That would be the WORST outcome...

[MOB Karen]

My biggest worry is what if the doctor cuts too much off? I have seen/read stories where the baby's foreskin was cut down too much and the doctor basically said, you can either leave it this way or take it all off and raise the baby as a girl... :bbeek:

I know these occassions are very rare, but there is always the possibility...

That would be the WORST outcome...

Those are terrible tragedies, but I have seen shows on the Discovery Channel about this subject. They say when that happens, no matter if the baby has a penis or doesn't have a penis, that baby is a boy and you can't raise a boy to be a girl. He will just have to have some type of surgery to give him as close to a penis as possible. He will never ejaculate or be able to have children, but he will still be a man.

[EarlyBird]

FH will insist it to be cut- his religion- although the kids will not follow it says its the way to go- and honestly, i think both of us would be lost trying to figure out how to explain not being circumcized when every man we know is- Also, most people i know have it done, and what if my son decided at 18 or 15 he wants it done? I wouldnt want him to have to make that choice to go through surgery then- when he will remember the pain and probably feel a little more then embarressed about why he is getting surgery.

[Nekochanpurr]

We probably will, if we have a boy...

[bichonlvr]

YES...my soon to be step-son is..and if we have a son we will!

[Measha]

It's likely that if we have a boy down the road he will be. FH was not, and he's never had too many major issues, but still thinks there's no glorious reason to keep it. He doesn't want our future son to have to deal with it, or possible issues.

Also, as to the whole "if God put it their" argument. If one really wants to to bring religion into the issue, it was God who ordered his disciples to keep the practice in the first place ;).

In the end it is up to the parents, and what they feel is best after speaking to their doctor.

[frenchie]

IDK I just don't see the point - why have to explicitly ask the doctors to do it? It's not like I have a religious reason for it, so there's no reason really.

[sjk1431]

We probably will since FH is. We will discuss it with the doctor when the time comes.

[BrideInCuffs21]

Yes if we have a son he will be circumsized, not only because of religion but also because of hygiene. Did you know that to circumsize your son will reduce the risk of infections and possible STDs....