With or Without?

I've been a mother for 17 years, so I am no stranger to unsolicited parenting advice. But, this takes the cake! Recently, while changing my son's diaper I was approached by a curious elderly lady. She then gave me a strange look and commented on his uncircumcised penis. I ignored her rude comment not because I wasn't ready for a debate, but I was only trying to not get poop on my fingers at that very moment. Then it happened last week at a friend's house. I peeled the tape back on my son's disposable diaper and my friend announces, "Look at his Puerto Rican Penis!" And again yesterday I was asked why I did not circumcise Gabriel's penis. Which prompts me to ask, "Why should I?"

When my first son was born I did not have him circumcised. The thought of him being in pain was reason enough. There is nothing anyone can say to me that would prove babies don't feel the skin being ripped from their genitals. I may be exaggerating because I know medical advancements have reduced the amount of pain felt during this procedure, but any pain is too much pain. So there was nothing to think about. I knew I would not do it to him. But when I found out we were having a boy this time, I knew there would be a debate. Will wanted Gabriel circumcised, like him. I debated, I showed him videos online, I huffed and puffed but he would not agree. He thought Gabriel should look like his daddy. Finally I gave in, only saying I would not change a single diaper for the first 2 weeks of his life while his poor little pee pee healed! But I continued to research circumcision.

I searched online... debated over lunch with coworkers... spoke with my Dr... interrogated my pediatrician and ObGyn. I inquired about their own children. There was no medical evidence proving it should be done, but nothing saying that it can't. Which led me to believe that this was not a medical issue, but rather a one based on presentation. I decided to ask T how he felt about my decision to not have him circumcised. First of all, this was going to be a sensitive subject. So I had to tread lightly. Seems like teenage boys don't care to talk about their penises with their mothers. (If only he knew I was blogging about it too). I was surprised to learn he didn't mind his penis. He was not teased in school or embarrassed at the gym. I asked him what he thought about having Gabriel circumcised and he thought I shouldn't do it.

That conversation gave me more ammunition. I was ready to argue my points with my husband and prove him wrong. Then something happened. My husband gave in. Suddenly he no longer "cared". So it was settled. Gabriel would remain intact. (you can thank me later Gabriel!)

I personally have never slept with a man who was intact. And I've only seen an uncircumcised penis on a baby. I hear many women talk about how "gross" or "weird" it is. I recently saw an episode of Mario Lopez where he and his wife debated about circumcising their unborn baby. She even admitted she was weirded out by her own husband's penis. This made me curious about other celebrities who may not have been circumcised and I was (somewhat) surprised there is an entire website dedicated to this very subject. After finding a few of my celebrity crushes on the list like Will Smith, Paul Walker and Jay Hernandez, I thought to myself, "Knowing their circumcision status doesn't change the fantasy for me". So if some woman fell in love with my son, I'm sure she would care less if his penis still had a "turtleneck"!