Since announcing little Jason's arrival, I feel like I have finally "met" some of my readers who have been lurking in the shadows of my blog. Thank you for coming out of hiding! Especially you international gals. "Hi" to Jackie in New Zealand, Monique in Australia, "pourprey" in Brazil...so nice to meet you! I still wonder about my faithful reader in Papua New Guinea (yes, I see you out there), Croatia, the Northern Mariana Islands and so many other fun places. Thank you for reading so faithfully. Please don't be afraid to say, "Hello!"
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I have to say that I love getting comments. I love hearing what you have to say, reading your encouragement and even hearing your opposing points of view. And it's amazing how many opposing points of view have surfaced in the last week! If there's one thing moms are passionate about, it's their opinions about parenting.
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I'm not even touching the baby-scheduling debate, but what threw me for a loop was that I had NO idea there was such a controversy out there about circumcision. Absolutely no idea. Just like I was clueless about vaccine concerns when I was pregnant with Ryan. When people began asking me if I was going to vaccinate, I stared back, dumbfounded. "Of course I am," I thought. "isn't that what you DO when you have a baby?" Then we began talking to friends, reading up on the Internet and doing some digging to find out what the fuss was all about.
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But honestly, friends...until reading the comments on my post the other day regarding circumcision, I had no idea there was a movement against it. If you are as clueless as I was, go back and read some of the comments for and against circumcising newborn boys. There was quite a little debate going on!
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All food for thought, I say. Thanks for bringing this topic to light, Caroline. Now that it's on my radar, future decisions wouldn't be as much for Biblical reasons as it would for social reasons. I can't imagine Mike agreeing not to circumcise any future boys. Kids are teased enough; I know he wouldn't want our son to be a spectacle in the locker room down the road. But who knows? I am one who likes to go against the grain!
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Keep the comments comin'. I love them all! And I have pretty thick skin, so say whatever you want...it's difficult to offend me. (PS - that was not a challenge! No need to go and try to offend me, okay? We can all still be nice...I am continuing to try to balance out my hormonal, sleep deprived, post partum self, after all.)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Comment Love
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8 comments:
Way to graciously accept any and all points of view! Not everyone can do that. :-)
Katie,
You're very welcome! I only posted because circumcision is a topic that I have researched for a long time and have quite a bit of info on.
Regarding the "social" concerns, less than 56% of boys are still circumcised in the US. This also varies a lot by region, with less than 30% on the west coast. Even in the regions with the highest rates (the Midwest and Northeast with a 75-80% rate), that's still just 4 children out of 5. And the rates are still dropping.
By the time a child born in 2009 is in school, there is a good chance he won't be in the minority anymore. Also, children really never change clothes at school anymore either, so I'm told this mutual checking out really doesn't happen.
This is a good film to watch about circumcision is you are new to the topic.
Circumcision: Making the Informed Decision with Dr. Dean Edell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHVvB1oHAgg
I'm glad you are willing to think about this issue, Katie.
Being that I grew up with the body part in question (i nearly said on the chopping block, but it made me cringe), I have to say that I don't believe the locker-room scenario is good enough justification.
For one thing, the rates have come down a LOT in the last decade. Your children won't be "the only one" either way.
Plus, don't you think it sends the wrong message if you're willing to permanently and painfully cut off part of a baby's penis just to reduce the possibility that he may be teased about it? What happens when he comes home about something else that people are teasing him about - which let's be honest, people will tease you about ANYTHING if they want to tease you.
And, actually, to be honest, at least at the schools I attended, the hypothetical locker-room scenario never occured. There was not ONCE a time when all the boys were forced to get naked together. I think our country has become too politically correct and aware of the issues these kinds of situations create.
That isn't to say I was never teased in my life, for anything, I was.. just not because of my penis. And, actually, my parents did a pretty good job of teasing me to let those kinds of things roll off my back. I am certainly glad that I was not surgically altered in hopes of preventing some ignorant teenager from having something to tease me about.
Lastly, please understand it is not my intention to accuse or inspire guilt in ANYONE who reads my comments, but my goal IS to show how I don't see the reasons people show as justified.. and I want to explain to people why I feel that way in hopes that they'll not have it done to their children in the future.
I come from a different perspective on this, as in Europe, you have to specifically ASK for circumcision because it's very rarely done. I left the decision up to my husband because, as I see it, if I don't have the plumbing, I don't have any right to make decisions on its behalf. If we had a daughter and there was something to do with her ovaries, I wouldn't feel a man had a right to choose on her behalf!
Anyway, it was a pretty simple decision for him, and the answer was NO. Culturally, we're in the overwhelming majority here, but we knew we'd need to bear in mind the POSSIBILITY of this being a 'difference' when we move to the States .... someday. Never mind, kids are all different one way or another.
The one thing to keep in mind if you choose NOT to do it, is that Daddy needs to make sure he teaches his son how to keep it clean. The risk of infections isn't really much higher than 'normal', but it's just something else to remember to do.
Wow, this is a much longer conversation than I ever planned on having about the male anatomy. I think I'll stop now. :-)
xoxoxoxoxox
'Hi' back at ya...I have to admit I let out a little squeal when I read my name LOL!!
DutchMac,
You mention how if there was something to do with her ovaries, you'd want the final say. However, if there was NOTHING WRONG then, I don't see why cutting something off of a child should be either parent's choice. It isn't my right to have one of my son's testicles removed if I think it would look better, or something. I would NEVER allow my wife to make a permanent, painful choice to remove a valuable part of my daughter's genitals when there was nothing wrong, just because she had the same plumbing.
I am sure both mommy and daddy can work together to teach simple, basic hygiene to their children of either gender. Washing behind ears, brushing teeth, cleaning the labia, and pulling back a foreskin.
Easiest form of hygiene there is.
i had no idea about the debate on circumcision until one of my friends decided not to do it. i thought that was the oddest thing EVER - at least for a child born in the USA. and I worked at 3 different daycares throughout college - AND volunteer in the nursery at church - and I have NEVER, not even once seen an uncircumcized boy! EVER!
So yes, the debate of circumcision for biblical reasons went away LONG LONG ago - but in America - i think that it isn't very common - at least not yet. I figure once enough dad's are uncircumcised, then maybe they will start making the same decisions for their children.
I have one son, and if i'm blessed with another one, i will do the same thing again. of course, my son had the procedure in the hospital when he wasn't even a day old - i couldn't imagine having to take him to the doctors office later for the procedure. of course, your hospital seems to do things differently anyway - as here if you are scheudled for an induction, you know the date, you go that day...it is something they schedule out ahead of time, and before you leave the doctors office, they have an appt at the hospital and you know when that will occur.
of course if we are discussing debate issues, taht is a huge one as well - inductions. it worked perfectly for me, and my labor was extremely smooth. i pray that if i have another baby the labor goes as well.
hope your having a great first week with Jason
Nat,
What I gather from your comment is that because in your experience the procedure is so common, you don't feel the need to question the ethical shortcomings of the practice.
Did I misinterpret?
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