circumcision

When my DS was at nursery school in an area of London with a large Jewish population. He asked me why some boys had "patterns" on their penis's
That would be very complicated to explain to a very little boy, somehow he or we came up with "for decoration". A cop out I know but he seemed happy with that.

Looking different would not be a major problem here, we live in the city and the school he starts at next september at 2and a half, has a high proportion of Moslem children, so he would fit in fine.
It is of course not my decision to make it is his parents, and is discussed with me.
They see the consultant Urologist again next Saturday morning, we don't have a problem seeing specialists here, no waiting lists as such.
His pediatrician will also be there so they can have a good discussion together.
As I said in an earlier post my EX is circumcised and spoke to his Mother and the problem DGS has seems to be similar to the problems X had and it got very bad. They lived in SA and she felt the heat didn't help either, no problems that way here !!!!!!!

Um my cousin was circumcised as a teenager to deal with the health problems mentioned. He was quite happy with the necessity, the result and never had any concerns about it.

Having said this I think it is important to consider that making decisions over somebody else's body is not something to take likely. There are some men who deeply regret the decision taken by their parents to be circumcised and there are even surgical procedure to try to recover a lost foreskin - which suggests that there those for whom circumcision wasn't without problems.

I would be horrified if anyone suggested surgical removal of vaginal labia in girls because it "looked nicer", was "cleaner and more hygienic" and "avoided the risk of health problems later." Are we at risk of a double standard?

The impact of "Looking different" is not something to underestimate and some boys are more self conscious than others. If you have had to make this decision on behalf of a child and never suffered a moment's hesitation or doubt then you are in a good position to raise a well adjusted child. If on the other hand you are unsure which of two options to take, I would suggest that you might feel a little conflicted over whether you made the "right" decision and your child might pick up on your anxiety.

Personally, I would go for full circumcision, but if male family members were a little unsure I would back off. It's all about supporting the parents to make the best decision that they can for their family and being respectful of differing viewpoints.

My DDH when sedated and asleep with pneumonia had fluid retention. The nurse looked under his sheet and whispered to me 'He has testicles like grape-fruits (I didn't know this was a medical term) Luckily they returned to normal and he was non the wiser. (until I told him)

We saw his peadeatrician on Thursday morning and he still wasn't sure so DD and SIL went to see a consultant Urologist on Saturday morning, he said he has an enlarged glans, he did a scan as well as DD has one kidney twice the size of the other one and SIL has an extra metre and a half of intestine. All was normal for the internal organs, so it is now for DD and SIL to decide which way to go.

My sister got her husband to get circumcised, when she found that the partners of circumcised men had a lower incidence of cervical cancer. They thought the Jewish diet had summat to do with Jewish women getting fewer cases of that cancer, but it was eventually determined (sorry - have long forgotten the research) that a circumcised partner offers a degree of protection.

My lads were both very pleased with their 'new look'.

But I still don't regret refusing to have them circumcised as babies - it seemed cruel to me, and too much danger of error with a baby's small penis.

Circumcision is the norm in the states. I feel the decision at times is only made so a child isn't different from his father or friends.

Personally, and from a woman's point of view I prefer a circumcised one. My ex wasn't and like Lona says if he was it should have been his neck. Good one Lona.

My ds had problems when he was small, and then was circumcised when he was late teens.
My first ex was circumcised too, but it should have been his neck.

My son had a very tight foreskin as a child. We had a particularly horrible GP who loosened it forcibly when my DS was about 8. It still gives me nightmares to think about it. But DS has had no problems since, and I certainly wouldn't advocate circumcision unless it is necessary for medical reasons. Many little boys have tight foreskins and they loosen at very different ages. It doesn't meant they need to be routinely removed. What would we say if there was a suggestion little girls should have their hymens broken? Children's bodies should be allowed to develop naturally.

Get the lad circumcised - my son had the problem for a while, then when he was a teenager he got circumcised at the local hospital. Problem over.

His little brother decided that he wanted the op too, asked the doc for a referral (fibbing that his foreskin hurt sometimes) and was most pleased with his 'new look'!

I was offered the option for them when they were babies, but said no. But once it became apparent that the op was needed I never hesitated.

That would be Buster Gonad, with his 'unfeasibly large testicles'.

Funny stuff!

Ah bless him. But it does bring Viz comic to mind - the character who had to carry his testicles around in a wheelbarrow.

That's very unkind merlot

DS had a reaction to an antibiotic when he was five which caused his penis to swell so alarmingly that he was admitted to hospital for a week. Once we were reassured he was on the mend, we joked that if you wanted to visit, he was in bed no. 3,4 and 5!

did they have a special offer on that week?

When DH was in hospital having a hernia repair, almost all the other men in his ward had been admitted for circumcision operations. Most of them were in their 30s and 40s

Jess

So did I JessM but then reread it.

wot???? oh I thought you'd written "in his 40s" for a minute there...

My DDH had to be circumcised in the 40s because he wet the bed!!!!!!!

My DDS1 had no problems when younger but had to be circumcised when he was 21. His little boy, now 5, is being circumcised next week due to a 'tight' foreskin. His mother told me that if I had had my DDS1 'done' when he was younger he wouldn't have had to have it done at 21!!!!! Literally teaching granny to suck eggs. He didn't need it done, never had infections or problems. The only time I took him to the doctors (running with him in my arms) to do with his penis was when he was 18 months and I had noticed a horrible beige mush in his nappy. The doctor took one look and asked 'Has he had a digestive biscuit?' 'Yes' I replied, thinking that he has peed digestive biscuit 'Well, it dropped into is wet nappy and disintegrated'

My DDS1, when circumcised slept with my net food cover over his 'bits' to keep the sheet off. I never used the thing again.

Sounds like a normal one to me felice I never tried to push back the foreskins on my DS's as this practice could cause soreness. Ah yes I read Gordon Bourne as well when I was an NCT teacher.*nelliemoser*.
My GS seems to have fully retracted his (by age 3) but he is more interested in it than his dad or uncle ever were...

I have noticed a couple of asides in comments with regard to Religion and tradition, we are Scottish Presbyterians and I don't think anyone will find any reference to ritual circumcision within our faith.
Both of my sons were born in the 70s' and I remember the Health Visitors in both cases telling me that I should gently pull back their foreskins a little in the bath to make sure they were not too tight. There are many and varied books and opinions on baby care out there.
Thanks for all the comments and experiences.

One of my GSs had repeated urinary infections and had to be circumcised at the age of 3 without complications and has had no further problems - now 8.