Photo: Hannah Whitaker/New York Magazine
I have no foreskin. Either it fell off when I was too young to remember or, more likely, it was removed at birth by an evil man medical professional.
But the good news is that I hardly miss it. I enjoy the hell out of sex still. I don’t burst into tears when I catch a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. And, unlike those amputees who get itches in their phantom limbs, I’ve never felt anything in my phantom foreskin.
So I’m gonna circumcise my son too, right?
Wrong.
I’ve read the arguments for it. It protects against HIV (so do condoms). It reduces the risk of penile cancer (so does castration). It decreases the tendency to masturbate (didn’t work for me). And it would make my son look like his daddy (note to self: stop walking around the house with my junk hanging out). But none of those resonate with me.
More to the point, I think you’ve got to be pretty skeptical of any “medical procedure” that started as a religious sacrifice. I mean, far be it from me to doubt the word of God. But I may or may not take my son to the city gates and stone him to death the first time he calls me a stupid head.
And what if little Nathan grows up and wants to be circumcised, you ask?
Then he’ll have one more reason to look forward to his 18th birthday.
Assuming its a boy, riiiiiiight?? :)
@Justin: we still don’t know. I’m just covering my bases in case . . .
(Plus, everyone keeps telling me it’s a boy.)
I totally agree. Why would nature have you be born with something your suppose to “cut off” ? There are so many misconceptions about the foreskin. People think it’s “dirty” or psychologically damaging to the boy to leave it on. I think that’s rediculous. You’re completely right in that it all started by religious crazies who wanted to shy boys away from masturbating and wasting their “seed” Also, if it feels good it must be wrong right?
Good post :)
So glad to hear this! I have one intact son and another on the way. I am very passionate about this issue and I’m so glad to hear you’re honoring your (possible) son’s body
Hey, Scott.
Our baby turned out to be a girl so we didn’t have to confront this issue directly, but we did talk about it prior to knowing the babies sex. I’m with you completely. While I don’t miss what I never had (or didn’t have for long) or the trauma I don’t remember, I totally would not make that choice for me son if I had one. Love the banana graphic.
Have a night!
–Daddy
Good for you. Better for your son. I wish my father had decided to let me remain whole instead of having me circumcised shortly after birth. I am one of the many who had a less than perfect circumcision. Fortunately, I am regaining some of what I lost by restoring my foreskin.
Great post!
I always assumed earlier in my life that when I had kids someday, I would have any sons circumcised. Mostly because that’s what everyone does, right?
Then I met my husband, who is not circumcised. And then I started wondering, wait, why on earth are Americans circumcising their sons?
And I couldn’t really come up with any good reasons to do it to any future sons. There were no reasons that were so pressing that it couldn’t wait until his 18th birthday if he wants to have it done for his own reasons.
Sure enough, we had a boy last year. We made sure to tell the hospital over and over and over NOT to do it.
I’m so glad we didn’t. Why mutilate what is natural?