Do you ever feel judged regarding not circumcising?

[mandabug2]

I am in a local multiples group and all the ladies are always talking about their baby boy circumcision experiences, and sometimes I feel like if I were to tell them mine weren't I would be looked at like a freak. Now on one hand I really don't care what other people think, on the other I kinda do . I guess the other thing that scares me is; are my boys going to be the odd ones out? What happens in JH and HS when they have to shower after gym?

I really feel like I made the right decision for my boys...I just hope they feel that way too!

[KaleidoscopeEyes]

nope. im an extremely vocal intactivist. if someone thinks that being intact is wrong or gross they dont deserve my respect and i wouldnt give two craps what they thought anyway.

i think the circ rate is pretty much half and half these days, so chances are our boys being born now wont be the odd man out anyway. DH is intact and he's never felt judged or was never teased for being intact.

[ajane]

Not at all. Circumcision doesn't come up in my circle of friends, mostly b/c everyone has girls and they are all older, lol. But, I never hide Will's penis b/c I'm afraid of what other people might think when they see he is intact. At our country club pool I change him out in the open and at our gym family locker area's I change him out in the open. I actually would welcome someone to comment on it.

He goes to preschool and has his diaper changed there, we have a rotation of at least 5 baby sitters, and sometimes if my friends watch him they might have to change him.

If anyone asks then I tell them we had no reason to circ him and wanted to leave him intact.

[mapleleaf88]

I've never been judged for not circ'ing. DH is intact as well and refused to get the boys done. I'm happy about it and after some research I've turned into a bit of an intactivist...
In my area you're more likely to be judged for snipping though... Circumcision is no longer covered by health insurance, and it isn't done locally. You have to go out of your way to have it done - and all the doctors and nurses here advised against it.

[tmwmommy]

My baby boy isn't here yet, but I live in WV with an 85% circ rate so I'm definitely in the minority. Dh insists that nobody would ever admit to checking out your penis in the locker room.

[EmilytheStrange]

I don't have a son - people really discuss this? I have tons of friends with sons and I have never heard it come up.

I figure it's the same as anything that you believe in.

[UnderTheStars]

I am 100% sure I did the right thing in leaving my son intact, so people can judge me all they want, it doesn't phase me. I don't go out of my way to flash my son's penis around when I'm changing his diaper anyway but I certainly am not going to hide it in shame either. I would hope that people I associate with would be respectful enough to have an open conversation about it should it come up (though honestly, he's almost 3 and it never really has come up in regular conversation...not even with any of his doctors).

And, while I've never been a 12 year old boy, I would think one of two things re: boys in the shower. 1) The other boys will be jealous because uncut boys will "look" bigger or 2) they won't say anything because, why are you looking at other boys' penises? I doubt it will be an issue.

[KaleidoscopeEyes]

Originally Posted by EmilytheStrange I don't have a son - people really discuss this? I have tons of friends with sons and I have never heard it come up. I figure it's the same as anything that you believe in.

i do. esp with all the younger people without kids i come across. i feel very passionate on the subject and make it my mission to educate others. there are so many parents i come across that did it without a second thought because its what the dr recommended and they did not educate themselves first.

[EmilytheStrange]

Originally Posted by seeinstarrz I am 100% sure I did the right thing in leaving my son intact, so people can judge me all they want, it doesn't phase me. I don't go out of my way to flash my son's penis around when I'm changing his diaper anyway but I certainly am not going to hide it in shame either.

I guess I don't get this either. I never watch someone change a diaper. Who would?

When I volunteered in the nursery, I never paid attention to if a boy was cut or not. I just cleaned em up and changed them. Didn't occur to me to take inventory of foreskins.

[Shaunam]

When people first found I wasn't going to circ Ds, or that I didn't circ him, they kind of went loony on me...stories about how their ex boyfriends weren't and how gross it was, etc. I stuck to my guns though and never let it get to me. All the stories like that spur from pure ignorance anyway. If anyone ever got judgy judgy with me about it, they'd get an ear full. I'm quite adept at rattling off statistics, counter arguments to common myths, and detailed descriptions of how exactly circ is performed. They'd likely walk away feeling like an idiot, and probably question everything they ever thought was true. Lol