5 yr old son uncircumcised - question

Thank you all for your responses.If I were to have biological children, I would not be a proponent of circumcision, because to me, there is no reason other than esthetics. However, my post was more of a 'do I need to do anything different' than anything else. Unless there was a compelling medical need, we would not circumcise a 5 yr old boy. I agree with what others have said, so it looks different, not a big deal. I am Caucasian and my son is African American. He stands out in our family for other reasons, not for his penis.Thanks again. The input and shared experiences were great.

I am sorry, but I have to. akcskye, I respect your opinion and believe that the choice is a very individual and personal one; however, this is based on nothing more than opinion, not on medical fact, and what looks 'good' is highly subjective. Yes, people have circumcised for years, most often for religious/social reasons but millions have not. In fact, in my husband's homeland, circumcision is, at best, considered weird.

I'm sorry you disagree with me, however, there ARE many medical reasons to circumcise rather than leaving a boy natural. Yes, I agree what looks good IS highly subjective, and I did plainly put in my original post the words "to me" that *should* have clarified that that statement was my opinion. However, uncut boys also have their share of MEDICALLY RECOGNIZED problems, so therefore, I do not appreciate your statements that my truthful statement about medical problems in the uncut boy are my opinion and not fact. I am not trying to start an argument, but I do know there are medical problems associated with an uncut penis, and I don't like to be viewed as spouting my mouth without having concrete knowledge. LOL Here is the snippet from one of the many medical sites: Circumcision -- Medical Pros and Cons At A Glance Inability to retract the foreskin fully at birth is not a medical reason for a circumcision. Circumcision prevents phimosis (the inability to retract the foreskin at an age when it should normally be retractable), paraphimosis (the painful inability to return the foreskin to its original location) and balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans and foreskin). Circumcision increases the chance of meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis). Circumcision may result in a decreased incidence of urinary tract infections. Circumcision may result in a lower incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. Circumcision may lower the risk for cancer of the cervix in sexual partners. Circumcision may decrease the risk for cancer of the penis. As you can see, there are many pros and cons to circumcision that only parents alone can decide. Yes, IF I had a natural born son, I'd circumcise because uncut penises also have their problems and risks that I'm not willing to let my son go through (such as Penile Cancer that has a 25% mortality rate, that is almost exclusive to uncut men), and that is NOT my opinion, but medical fact. Kristi

Admittedly, I have not read this whole thread. Just thought I would let everyone know that the new issue of Mothering magazine has an article about the latest research on circumcision. I was very interested to know that the U.S. is essentially the only country that continues to consider it a routine procedure.

my almost 5yr old is uncirced and we've never had problems other than mild irritation from bubble bath, but then i have that problem as do my mother and circ'd brother, so i dont think thats caused by his not being circumsised. i was told by several peds i asked NOT to force the foreskin back and all we do is rinse it good with fresh water at the end of bathtime

I have a very funny story for you. My son just turned 5 and is intact, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Tonight, I decided that he could do the entire bath on his own. Wash himself up completely. When I told him this, he was quite excited. I told him he needed to wash from head to toe. He said. "yes mom. my belly, my back, my arms and my legs. oh, and THAT THING down here" as he grabbed himself. So I asked him if he meant his penis? He said yes and that thing inside. When I asked what he meant, he just kept saying that thing, and finally, he says, you know - puckered his lips in a fishy face and kind of stuck his tongue out slowly. I nearly died laughing. In fact, I'm almost in tears now as I type, remembering his little face.

We had both our boys circumcised both at the ages of four for our own reason...preference and concerns for possible cancer and from thoughts from a nurse friend about old age and having to have that part of your anatomy cared for by nurses aid. May seem like a silly reason and a long way off, but our thought was they would appreciate it at that point in their lives...maybe not if they needed that much care they might not even be coherent! Anyway, we're glad we had it done for them, all went well, very quick recovery. But it is obviously a very personal decision! I respect both views, but have my own opinion and preference for our sons.

my boyfriend was not circumcized at birth, but chose to get it done for himself when he was almost 30 years old. He says that it wasn't a problem growing up, but that he's much happier with the way it looks and feels now, and it's easier to clean. A lot of that has to do with culture I know, but it was really about making that choice for himself. He also said that the pain was excruciating, and "at least if you get it when you're young, you don't remember the pain". As a woman, i can't imagine, but I'm glad he had that choice.

All three of my bio boys are uncircumcized. I just couldn't see the point of genitalia mutilation. My pediatrician put it best..."Are you going to cut off his ears when he doesn't wash behind them, too?" lol I loved that old guy, great doctor!

My nephew was jaundiced soon after birth and was not circumcised as a baby. His younger brother was. When he was 5 his parents decided to have it done while he was under anesthesia for a toncilectomy. The next day we went to visit him and he was laying on the couch holding his crotch and said "oooo my toncils hurt!" MLH

I hope I can be of some help. I'm a family physicianand have delivered babies for 20 plus years, and perform circumcisions. The main thing to instruct your child about his uncircumcised penis is that he should retract it during baths or showers to clean it. We were born uncircumcised, and in many cultures, men stay uncircumcised their whole lives without health problems. I have nothing against circumcision, but there is nothing that stands in the way of a child's good health by remaining uncircumcised. In our culture and in this day and age, most circumcisions are done either for religious reasons, (if someone is Jewish), or for cultural reasons, such as "wanting to look the same as Dad". Let me know if this does not answer your question.

I agree , in most of the world it is NOT practiced except for religious reasons. My sons are whole ( as is my dh). THere seems to be different opinions on when to pull back the foreskin. I was told not to pull the foreskin back at a young age and that soaking in the tub and cleaning the outside part should be sufficient until the child is older. You can ask your Pediatrician to be certain, but mine recommended that we wait until our son is older when the skin easily moves and you don't need to force it at all. Our older son is 4.

I have two bio boys now 11 and 13, neither were circumsized. At the time the benefits and the risks seemed to even out. (it's kind of funny because one study seemed to say that doing it increased the risk of some things and another said not doing increased the risk of the exact same things, I thought that was funny) My husband was circumsized. There has never been a problem with them not looking like dad down there. They have never had any problems with cleaning it or anything else. My father was also not circumsized and he fathered 7 children and my mother (who got in a mood to tell me all kinds of things I did not want to hear, even as an adult!) tells me that the fact that he was so good in bed was why she stayed with him so long. (they are now divorced, but for the first year after she kicked him out she would have occasional visits) So I don't think his foreskin ihibited him. He is almost 70 now and has had no problems at all related to that. Our ped. said the only real reason to do it anymore was religoius or social and medical science no longer said it was medically nessesary. She said they are no longer reccomending it as automatic. Now, to be honest, whole or not, it's not my favorite thing to look at! LOL

What is most interesting is the level of discussion raised here and the people who are discussing.....that is the majority of replies have been from people who do not possess the above mentioned appendage :o ....I DO! Yes that dangling thing that fasinates many is attached to my person..and may I say is as intact as it was when I was born :thankyou: ....I have never had any medical, social, physical, emotional, mental, economical, spiritual, hormonal, sexual or comical issue with my bits and pieces... if anything a foreskin keeps old mate soft and sensitive so perhaps adventurous moments are enhanced.:woohoo: ....there are nations of people who are still enshrouded and medical science has just as many positive theories as it has negitive.....the question of hygene is a little silly realy. We teach our little girls to keep themselves clean and when they hit adolescence they have much more to worry about than little Johnny and his soldier.....It's what a boy does with it later in life that needs discussion..:eek:

Umbilical Child ROCKS!!!