Circumcision vs. Not

[BrandiCanucks]

I think in Canada it is similar to the US in that circumcision is pretty normal. I know many girls who have never been with a man who was uncircumcised, I on the other hand have never been with a man who was circumcised. My hubby is not circumcised, but he has said that if we have a boy he would like to circumcise him purely for the reason of "fitting in". I guess he had a bad experience or two with girls when he was younger who were a bit shocked by his penis since they had never seen an uncircumcised penis before. I can understand how as a teenage/young adult that would be an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing situation, but I still don't think that is a good reason to opt for circumcision. Hubby felt better when I told him it was all I've ever known, and that I prefer it that way, as I always choose natural if I have a choice. I told him I wouldn't want to do it if we had a boy, and I think he will be fine with that, especially since the norm is quickly changing to not circumcising.

Circumcision rates here are actually quickly declining. I'm sorry that your husband had that experience. Body shaming regardless of circumcised or intact is just plain shameful and those girls should be ashamed of themselves. With how quickly the rates are declining in Canada (I believe it's about 30-35% now), your son may actually end up the one who doesn't "fit in" in the locker room. There's been a BIG generational shift. Our generation was circumcised, this generation isn't being circumcised. Either way, I think the best way to go about it is to teach our boys to be happy with themselves and proud of their bodies. Teach them self-esteem tactics so that if they do run into someone ignorant who decides it's okay to body shame another, they'll still have enough confidence in themselves to not take it personally and to move on and keep being happy.

I am part Jewish and It needs to be done. I got both my boys done no problem but with this third baby I looked more into it and honestly it's scary and painful and disturbing. If this baby isn't a girl idk what I will do!! I have never been with a man that wasn't so idk what the difference is but I am in the US and it is very normal here!

I know a couple resources for Jewish families who have chosen not to circumcise if that's a route that you decide to go. I can send them to you if you're interested. There are many Jewish celebrities who opted not to circumcise and I know that the families who choose not to circumcise still do a bris without the circumcision (forgive me if I'm using the wrong ceremony. I hope I make sense though).


For me, personally, if this baby is a boy, he'll be left intact. He'll be the first one in my family in three generations. I'm not concerned about him being different from his brothers either. I'm actually HOPING this one is a boy, so that I have an opportunity to explain circumcision and why it's wrong and how much I regret it. My ex husband is circumcised and thinks his 4in penis is God's gift to women, so explaining my regret and why it's wrong to my 6 year old will be difficult without facing backlash (and since we're in court over access, I can't risk bringing it up). But I will see leaving a boy intact as an opportunity. If my boys see their brother is different, I'll have no choice but to explain that I didn't know better for Isaiah, and didn't learn the truth until after Asher and his complications. I'll explain how deeply sorry I am, and that once I learned about the functions of the foreskin and how much more beneficial intact was, I made the choice to leave their brother intact. I doubt my boys will end up having penis comparison parties down the road, but if leaving one boy intact leads to my kids leaving their boys intact, my regret will all be worth it in the end.

 

[Butter Cup]

We don't circumcise our boys.