What Are Your Reasons?

I shared this on FB so I apologize if it’s redundant. I just don’t trust FB to not ban me without a second’s notice and have the things I wrote disappear. I am trying to put everything I can in here.

So here it is…

I have heard a lot of stupid reasons in my day, but the absolute stupidest reason I have ever heard for ANYTHING is a defense for circumcision. It goes, "my kid's penis needs to match mine (if the man is speaking) or his father's (if it's the mom)."

I remember the first time I heard that reason being so bewildered. Like, we are not dealing with a full deck here.

I know what you’re thinking or at least, I know what I would be thinking. There has to be more to it. This is not a strawman. This is literally a given “reason” for getting a child a circumcision accompanied in many cases by no other reason.

Next thing they say is "how will I explain when they see my penis and it looks different?"

How do you explain when your family is different ethnic backgrounds and you look different? Somebody has blue eyes, someone has green, is this a big deal?

Who is the one with the feelings about their penis being different? Is it really the child or is it you? Be honest. Is someone going to be having sex with your kid one day and say, "Oh my gosh, are you related to Jeff Smith? You guys have the same penis. Oh, he's your father? I would recognize that penis anywhere!"

I grew up with a dad who had a hunch back. I literally never knew he was different than anyone else until my best friend pointed it out to me. She was so sweet. I remember she said, "Your dad must give the best piggy backs because of the way his back is curved." I must have been 8 years old. I looked at my dad when he came home from work, and I still didn't see it. I looked at everyone else and then my dad again, and I was like... wait a minute. His back is different! To me, that was just how he looked. Once I found out, no feelings.

Your kids aren't going to think differently of you if you don't circumcise them. Certainly, they will not think less of you for not doing that to them or for you having had it done to you. This is an unfounded concern.

As one of my friends said, it was harder to explain why she did it to her oldest son once she realized the risks. She hasn’t circumcised her youngest and the oldest asked why he was different. She said the hardest part was explaining to her son what she had done with remorse without body shaming him in any way.

You can do your own research on the risks. I’m just going to say this. I’ve dated people with botched jobs, and I know it forever impacts the most sacred part of their lives.

Last point here, I have two kids who are in tact, their dad isn't. Sorry for spilling the beans, husby. My kids aren't looking at my husband's penis long enough or introspectively enough to consider that it is different than theirs. The boys are ages 7 and 9, and as far as I know, to this day they've never noticed or asked.

So... How much were you planning to be exposing your junk to your kids? I wonder.