a new toy
My sweet baby boy has discovered his genitals. I mean it was bound to happen, but so soon? Sigh. A couple of nights ago in the bath, he reached down there and got a handful. He looked a little surprised, possibly because I haven't been so good about trimming his nails, but probably more like, ah, who put that neat toy there. Since he's in the mindless grasping stage anyway, I don't think he remembers between, uh, experiences, but several diaper changes of late have all featured my cleaning poo not only off his bottom, but off his hand and quick little nimble fingers. M, an extremely lapsed catholic, said, "oh boy, does this mean we can start shaming him." Yes, this is just the beginning, where we have to lay all that open-mindedness and free-expression on the line.
Apropos of not much, we did not have Gabriel circumcised. Yet another once-taken-for-granted, now controversial parenting conumdrum, complete with vitriolic internet debate. Despite his daddy's initial concerns of, you know, not looking like the other boys, we decided there was no compelling reason to perform minor surgery on a newborn. He now has a very small increased risk of a UTI, ditto penile cancer, but from everything I've read, these are more closely related to hygeine and safe sex than presence of foreskin. About half the newborns in California are not circumcised so if we stick around the golden state, he shouldn't feel too weird in the locker room. M helpfully adds, "and if we move back to the midwest, at least he'll be big enough so that he won't get beat up." That is, if his current rate of growth continues. I'll sum this up with boys are strange, and leave it at that.
Apropos of not much, we did not have Gabriel circumcised. Yet another once-taken-for-granted, now controversial parenting conumdrum, complete with vitriolic internet debate. Despite his daddy's initial concerns of, you know, not looking like the other boys, we decided there was no compelling reason to perform minor surgery on a newborn. He now has a very small increased risk of a UTI, ditto penile cancer, but from everything I've read, these are more closely related to hygeine and safe sex than presence of foreskin. About half the newborns in California are not circumcised so if we stick around the golden state, he shouldn't feel too weird in the locker room. M helpfully adds, "and if we move back to the midwest, at least he'll be big enough so that he won't get beat up." That is, if his current rate of growth continues. I'll sum this up with boys are strange, and leave it at that.
posted by cmm at 2:15 PM
2 Comments:
I promise, if I have a boy, not to circumcize (spelling?) either. No, there are no babies of any sort on my horizon, just a show of solidarity!
I say, the more he grasps his genitals now - maybe the less he'll do so later? Probably not. Boys ARE weird.
A certain line in Pride and Prejudice comes to mind. Without going to the trouble of looking it up, something like, "I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours." I think interfering in bodily discovery is bound to backfire later in life, yes?
And thank you for your support on the circumcision thing. M actually called his mom before she came to visit to warn her about the appearance of her newest grandson's pipi to ensure she wouldn't freak out when she saw it (and I would not subsequently strangle her).
Post a Comment
<< Home