Circumcision?

I'm not exactly who you asked for, but I figure I'll reply anyhow on the topic in general.
Yeah, when I found out what circumcision is, I was horrified. I don't know if my brother is or isn't, but I know that if I would've been born the correct sex and my parents did that to me, I'd be pissed. It bothers me that parents think it is ok to cut off a body part for mainly traditional reasons. If the kid grows up and wants to willingly lop it off, then let them, but I think that it's completely immoral and lacking consent as an infant.

This is a pretty hot button topic on EC. This is my opinion, please don't shoot me.

 

I'm circumcised but to be all that honest I don't really care, and don't spend all my free time thinking about it either. Even though it's immoral many other things are done for aesthetic reasons, breast implants, and etc. If you think this is bad look up 'crazy body modifications'.
Circumcision also is done to be more hygienic, easier to clean and keep from diseases like Phimosis and some urinary tract infections.

There's some facts and I don't hate nor agree so yeah...

 

There are a number of questions here and I'll attempt to tackle each one.

• First, lets speak biology. Circumcision is a practice that evolved from a cultural practice to a medical practice to both. While it is important that we start to have a dialogue about the ways in which it has grown to be overused in society today, it is also important to acknowledge that it is not monstrous, unreasonable, or worth stigmatizing. Circumcision is a completely valid and justified medical practice when it is carried out for appropriate reasons. Mother Nature has never been a perfect sculptor and there are millions of males worldwide who do and will continue to experience complications involving the foreskin. The problem is not the procedure. The problem is with the justification in some instances. That is something to remember when looking at yourself in the mirror or feeling negatively about the appearance of your genitals. There is nothing wrong with circumcised penises. They will always be present in society. Those who might make you feel otherwise are not the type of people that you should ever involve yourself with.

• Secondly, lets speak culturally. It is very easy to stigmatize parents for cultural behaviors, but it is immensely unfair to judge parents or older generations in general for living in accordance with past assumptions. Your mother was not a researcher in the field of urology. It is very unlikely that she thought that circumcised would be a meaningless procedure that her child should receive simply for the sake of it. She probably accepted that popular assumption of those of her generation that it lowered the risk for STIs and future complication. Our understanding in modern medicine is clearly not so cut and dry, but that doesn't mean that it is fair for us to assume that parents of the past were less caring and competent because of the perspective that we come from now. You shouldn't agree with everything that many parents of the past have done. That is how progress works. You cannot assume that because a parent made a decision that you don't agree with years later was not done with the purest of intentions.

• Finally, often times when we obsess over certain aspects of our bodies, it is because we are struggling with a much larger sense of insecurity that we have begun to project all of it into one aspect about us. I am not going to make assumptions about specifics, but I am going to take a leap of faith and doubt that this is the only insecurity that you are currently struggling with. We all struggle with a vast array of insecurities throughout our time on this planet, especially during our youth. Circumcision is, however, likely one of the only insecurities that you have that you don't blame yourself for. Sometimes when we are overwhelmed with insecurity, we unconsciously pour all of it into things that are outside of our control. "This was done to me! This was something I was given! This is something that can't be changed!". When in reality it is convenient. It is convenient if that issue was truly the source of our self-loathing, depression, pain, etc, because it was out of our control. It was not our fault. "It is the burden that we are forced to bare." When in fact it might not truly be a real burden at all so much as a scapegoat. So I would give some thought to the bigger picture of the feelings that you are struggling with and try to discover the root of the problem.

I hope that helps.

 

Are others bothered by being circumcised? Yes, there are a lot of guys who aren't happy or even furious that they were circumcised as babies.

I, personally, think I wish I'd been left intact, but...it's not something I am hugely bothered by. I am more interested in seeing routine infant circumcision ended than I am mourning the loss of my own foreskin.

I think most parents either don't think about it, or think it's the right thing to do. Circumcision was pretty much a standard practice in the for many years. There is a force of tradition. Then there are the arguments about lower risk of HIV transmission (even though a condom is a far better choice), lower risk of penile cancer (very rare), lower risk of urinary tract infection (treatable), and so on. The arguments aren't worth much as far as I'm concerned; however, they persist and many buy them.

 

I enjoy my circumcised penis. (And so does my GF! Hey-O!) I guess it never really occurred to me that I SHOULD be upset. I was a baby! Even if I could talk, I doubt I would have anything to say on the matter. Whether or not I have a foreskin rarely comes up in conversation, and even more rarely goes through my head.

 

I might as well toss this in...

But when I was in junior high, I compared my penis to what other boys in the locker room had, and found myself lacking. I've come to some acceptance, though, as an adult. It's not perfect. But I note other men in the locker room have a similar looking penis. Or other issues that I don't.

I also came to realize that what I have is what I have.

And it's just fine from any functional view. I can pee. I can masturbate (not that I'd ever do such a horrible thing as mastrubate. Oh, no, of course not! :eusa_liar :lol. I see no reason why it won't work just fine if/when I have sex.

Another thought about acceptance... I've seen some men who were poorly equipped, and yet seemed to be comfortable in their skin. And wow! Those guys won't be porn stars...but there is something really attractive about them being comfortable with what they have.

 

I feel violated and robbed being circumcised. Happy the Doc did a bad job and I was left with a partial covering. I don't blame my parents. It won't give it back. I wish I had my foreskin and it is something I wouldn't over my dead body allow to be done to my son. It is the way a boy was born and I'll bet more people die from texting while driving every year than complications of having a foreskin.

 

I'm a dad and had my two sons (now 33 and 37 years old) circumcised. The oldest had a medical condition where the urethra did not line up with the dimple where the pee hole should have been, but rather, the pee hole was under the head of his penis. We were told not to have him circumcised until after he had surgery to have that repaired. The doctor said at the time, hey at least he can pee around corners. I thought it was funny, my wife did not, lol. This was done when he was 8 years old. My other son was circumcised at birth.

While we were sucked in to the "he will look like daddy" and the "you don't want him to be the odd boy in the locker room" I don't recall having any other compelling reason to do it. It was just something that was done. HOWEVER....knowing what I know now, I would never do it to my sons if they were born today. Like religion, I would not want to force anything on them when they could make up their own minds later.

Keep in mind that parents do what they think is best for their children. As for myself, even though I had religion forced on me as a child and was circumcised at birth, I look at it as my parents doing what they thought was right at the time. I harbor no ill will towards them at all....they were doing what they felt they needed to do.

Now as for the name they gave me at birth....well that's another issue....jk

 

"Thank you for your input. I was afraid with the way I set this thread up parents who had their kids circumsised wouldn't really want to comment, so I appreciate that."

You are welcome. I should mention that I am a gay man, having come out only recently after suppressing my sexuality for 40+ years. When I told my sons this, they were very loving and accepting. Just thought you'd like to know why I'm on this website

 

I'm female and maybe my input won't be as useful, but I disagree with circumcision. At least with babies. Both of my brothers (who are younger than I am) are uncircumcised and if/when I have kids they will not be circumcised. Both of my brothers were born with Subcoronal Hypospadias and have not had surgery to repair this. They've not had issues so far... one is 15 the other 2 1/2.

I've dated two guys and the first was circumcised but the one I'm seeing now is not. It somewhat surprised me at first when I saw something was different but it's made me appreciate the difference.

I'm just with the opinion that a child shouldn't have surgery done to them unless it's a life saving operation without their consent. An infant can't say what they think.

 

If it really bothers you that much, you could look into foreskin restoration. While you can never restore the nerve endings or remove the circumcision scar, the skin of the penis can still be stretched to create new skin. You could at least get the cosmetic appearance of an uncut penis, and keeping the glans covered with extra skin could make it more sensitive as well.