In Mexico, I unintentionally convinced a guy that I spoke Spanish. I was singing along perfectly to Antologia by Shakira.* I know all the words. And don't know what half of them mean. The guy said to my husband (in Spanish), Your wife speaks Spanish, and my husband snorted. I was forced to admit that I only know Shakira lyrics.
I just started reading Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup. It's quite interesting. Yesterday I read the chapter on bonding with your baby. There was a section on circumcision, on why it's unnecessary. I found it pretty compelling. So I brought it up to Dh last night.
Me: Is there anything in our church that says boys have to be circumcised?
Dh: No.
Me: I don't think we should then, if we have any boys.
Dh: So all the other guys can make fun of them in the locker room, make fun of their torpedos? No. We are circumcising them.
Me (surprised): But this book I'm reading says circumcision causes a reduction in sexual sensitivity.
Dh: Worth it. A slight loss in sensitivity, so they don't get made fun of for their torpedo penises.
Me (at a complete loss): Um, then let's make sure the doctor uses anesthestic then. (Thinking: Boys are so weird.)
Dh (shrugs): Okay. But they are getting circumcised.
I guess I don't really want to know what goes on in guys' locker rooms.
*If you've never heard Antologia, go listen to it. Even if you don't speak Spanish, it's a beautiful song.
7 comments:
When my first boy was born I didn't really have an opinion on circumcision. But, hubby did. His reason was because he was circumcised and so our boys had to be, too. So, both of ours are.
What do you think of Shakira's newer stuff? I'm kind of loyal to her earlier work.
The ear doctor just looks at me like I'm some kind of weirdo when I sing along to(aka mangle the lyrics of) that song. It's my favorite too.
I'll have to give it to Jill that she introduced me to the joy that is Shakira.
I don't really have a strong opinion on circumcision either way, but I know our boys will be because my husband really does have a strong opinion. He gained this opinion not only because he's a man and been in locker rooms, but also because he's looked at the health consequences of the choice. One thing he said that I thought was interesting was that women who are partners with uncircumcised men have a much higher rate of cervical cancer. Just a thought.
My theory on circumcision was pretty much that since I don't have one, I didn't make the decision on what happened to my son's. My husband opted for circumcision, too.
Locker room teasing? Nah.
Ask your husband how often he checked out the other guys while in the locker room. Next, ask him how often he was checked out in the locker room. Finally, ask him what would happen if a guy was caught checking out the other guys' packages. The answers will be "Never", "Never", and "Teased to death." I doubt that anyone in the locker room would know the circumcision status of your son or any other guy, nor would they want to.
Honestly, as a man, I think his response hints at some insecurity. If your husband were to fully acknowledge that his circumcision cost him sensitivity, he would have to face the fact that his penis was cut and he lost something. Mentioning the locker room is just an excuse since no one looks at other men in the locker room. He needs to try to do better by his son, even in that department.
For what it is worth, my son isn't circumcised. He has no problems. I am, regretfully, and that fact hasn't caused my son any problems either.
The woman who posted about cervical cancer needs to update herself. That myth is long discredited and is not mentioned anywhere as a risk factor on the American Cancer Society website. For cervical cancer avoidance, the ACS recommends that women avoid smoking and get vaccinated.
If your son is fortunate enough to remain as he is born, remember these trivial care instructions: Wipe the outside like a finger and never let anyone retract. Its very simple and no wound care is involved. Uninformed doctors, only used to circumcised penises, will recommend retraction for cleaning. Premature retraction causes 99% of the foreskin problems you might hear about. Normal retraction typically occurs by age 5 and can take through puberty, so don't let your doctor tell you that your 1 year old has phimosis. He's wrong and needs to update himself.
Another medical tidbit that hasn't been discredited: Meatal Stenosis is found in about 10% of circumcised boys. To put it simply, the opening to his urethra starts to close up. Surgical correction is required.
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2356.htm
More complications:
MRSA in newborns: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17475996&ordinalpos=45&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Amputation risk: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-18-2007/0004628064&EDATE=
Often, no pain relief: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/103212.htm
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/101/6/e5
Death: http://healthblog.ctv.ca/blog/_archives/2007/5/22/2967860.html
And they use foreskins in facecream:
http://www.oprah.com/health/beauty/health_beauty_treatments.jhtml
http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/47421/
Do the right thing. Leave him whole. If he wants it done later, he can and it'll be HIS choice. It'd be done under general anesthesia and he'd have all the drugs he needs for pain.
I just noticed you lived in Oregon.
In 2004, circumcision rates in the Western states were just under 32 percent.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/18/us_circumcision_rate_drops/?page=2
So if your husband is genuinely concerned about the locker room, he should want to leave your boy alone. A circumcised boy in an Oregon locker room will be in the minority. (Not that it really matters, but for what its worth.)
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