The Centers for Disease Control indicates that circumcision is on the decline in America. I have some thoughts on why that might be, but I don't want to turn this post into a dry discussion of cultural norms as they relate to the infant penis. Instead, I want to have a little fun talking about something serious.
I like 'em long, short, thick, & thin. I like them circumcised and uncircumcised. I like the pubes trimmed and I like the pubes unruly. I'm okay with them a little musky and I'm okay with them smelling of bath soap. Basically, I like dick, no matter what. After all, we all know that the only thing that matters is how it feels.
Uh, but I've only been with three guys. And two were husbands. ;-)
I never really gave any thought to whether or not my love interest possessed a circumcised penis or not; like I said, they are all pretty great in their own way and there is something to like about just about each one you encounter. Prior to childbirth, I assumed that I would not circumcise any sons that I may have because foreskins just don't really matter to me. I'm not an intactivist, but I'm also not running around with a scalpel on the hunt for foreskins. I just don't care all that much about it.
I was fraught with worry once I discovered that I was expecting a boy. To circumcise or not circumcise, that was the question. I ultimately felt strongly that I did not want to circumcise - until I began talking about it with people I know. I discovered not one, not two, but three grown men who had experienced the horrific pain of post-infant circumcision. These men endured medically necessary circumcisions long after they grew out of infancy.
One individual was three, one was in his pre-teens, and one was just about 70. The youngest male reports that he refused to go to his mother for weeks because in his young mind, she was the one who brought him to the doctor for this operation and, therefore, she was the one to blame for his pain. The male who was around 11-years of age when he was snipped reports that the biggest problem he had (besides the problems that necessitated the circumcision in the first place) was with avoiding an erection while his wound healed. He says that, at that age, he could get an erection if the wind blew. And the elderly man who ended up with a necessary circumcision at the end of his life. . .well, I suppose that he enjoyed his foreskin all those years, but it was impossibly painful to have his dick cut in his 7th decade.
I conducted an admittedly un-scientific survey of woman friends to determine what type of dick they preferred. The women I surveyed were in their mid-20s - 40s and they encompassed various ethnicities; white, hispanic, black, & asian, to be specific. I asked if they preferred a circumcised penis or an uncircumcised penis. Circumcision won out by about 9 to 1. Indeed, uncircumcised penises (penii?) were roundly ridiculed and there were many unsolicited, derisive comments made about the so-called anteater.
I found the ridicule directed at uncircumcised wieners to be a little out of line. I dated an uncircumcised individual for three years and I can attest that they have their own special charms. But I also realize that we all have our preferences and, frankly, I've grown quite used to having a circumcised penis in bed beside me.
My husband was a staunch defender of circumcision. I kind of thought that it would probably be better to do it in infancy if there were a chance that he'd experience and remember the pain of circumcision later in life, but I ended up not really having a strong feeling about it either way. I don't even have a penis and I find it hard to get all worked up about circumcision one way or another.
Ultimately, it really wasn't our decision after all. I won't say whether he was or wasn't circumcised, but there were legitimate medical reasons why we either had to circumcise or had to leave him intact. And, you know, I don't spend any time at all worrying about my son's wiener.
What are your thoughts on male circumcision? Would you circumcise your male children? Why or why not? Whether or not your male children are circumcised, do you regret your decision? Why?
well since no one else has commented I think I am going to. I have been with one person who was uncircumcised and while during sex it did not feel any different, looking at it was a little bothersome. I guess it is because every other person I had been with was circumcised so it was new and different.
ReplyDeleteI did have a son and decided that he would get circumcised because of a couple of reasons. #1 was to make sure that is was kept clean and did not get an infection because he did not take care of it properly. Another reason I did it was so that he would not get teased by other kids when it came time to change in the gym full of other boys and did not want him to get teased by girls because he looked "funny".
I know the highest population is circumcised but I have heard that more and more boys are not being done. You just never know.
I think it is better if you are going to do it to do it when they are little. I had a friend who did not have it done to her son right away and had it done years later because he asked why he looked different than daddy.
Although, I think I might have to have my sons "re-done" because his head still does not stick out of the top and I am not sure if it is because he is a bit chubby or if they did not take enough skin.
I dont want him to go through that pain but I guess I should ask the doctor about it.
Thanks for sharing, Stacey. I've heard the radical scare tactics on both sides of the circumcision debate and, like most parenting decisions, we all do what we think is best for our kids - circumcision decisions included.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any help, not all circumcisions are the same and some doctors leave a little more foreskin than others. I have heard this referred to as a mini-circ by parents, but a circumcision is a circumcision. I wonder if it will naturally choke back a little as he matures and his penis grows? I'd definitely talk to the doctor if he's having trouble though.