Parents Behaving Badly

21 opinions for Parents, please don’t circumcise your kids yourself.

• Hellcat
  Feb 11, 2008 at 5:44 pm

  Wow! Psycho.
  I wonder why the mothers allowed this.

• Ihavekidstoo
  Feb 12, 2008 at 3:57 am

  Not only allowed it but had 11 kids with him! WTF? If he did it to the two youngest boys you can bet he did it to the others as well. Why are people like this allowed to breed?

• Amy
  Feb 12, 2008 at 5:33 am

  I think when our country’s concept of “freedom” was created, we had a pretty narrow view of how people might behave given that freedom. This entire blog is arguement for us to revisit our definition of freedom.

  I wish the news article had more details. Were the children harmed? Maybe this guy is an EMT or has some training? What training is necessary? It’s my understanding that, though it’s changing, mohels don’t necessarily have much medical training, and we don’t dream of messing with that right. And doctors have badly damaged penises while doing circumcisons.

  So what’s the main protest here? Circumcision? Circumcisions performed by other than medical personnel? We get this personal image of a dad and a utility blade cutting his baby, and we relate to it with very personal horror. But after our knee jerk reaction, what are we protesting?

  It wasn’t long ago that the medical establishment believed babies nervous systems weren’t developed enough to feel pain and doctors cut babies with no pain medication. Talk about barbarism.

  I think each person should decide for themselves about circumcision when he is old enough. Kids aren’t our property to do with as we please. But I’m not sure about this case. How far does his freedom extend? Are we sure? While rejecting prenatal care is a dumbass move, that’s certainly within everyone’s current freedom.

  Times are changing. I think we need to be clear in our laws that kids are not possessions and we are notfree to do with them as we please, that parenting comes with specific responsibilites and prohibitions. Otherwise, people learn what’s acceptible and what’s not by, oh, cutting up their kids.

• Kitty
  Feb 12, 2008 at 5:48 am

  Dude,
  I’m generally a little wary of infant circumcision, but I can’t really complain if it’s done in a hospital an the kid is anesthetized. Or at very LEAST by a religion official with some kind of training.

  That’s just sick. Did you know that the foreskin is still attached to the glans in an infant?! This means you have to cut the foreskin from the glans. This is a very delicate procedure, and if it’s not done right you can take chunks of the glans with it. It doesn’t always go right for doctors!!!

  My sisters both had their sons circumcised. I wasn’t ecstatic–If It were my kid, I’d have the boy wait until puberty and then decide for himself. But it wasn’t my decision to make and at least I knew they had the facts and studies. They both found reputable doctors and did their freekin’ research! They also made certain that the doctor used anesthesia, and gave the kid pain medication while he was healing.

  Word on the street has it that this organ is very important to men! I’m just a teensy bit squeemish about messing with it!

  Bah!

• Amy
  Feb 12, 2008 at 6:31 am

  I have a Jewish friend who had his first baby circumsized as a matter of course. It was so horrible for the baby and dad and mom that they didn’t have it done the their second boy.

• April RJ
  Feb 12, 2008 at 11:19 am

  Amy - I think the protest (on my behalf anyways) is because he did not do this in a hospital. At least in a proper facility he would have access to supplies in case there was a serious injury… As a amtter of fact - one of the boys bled excessively. read this article: http://cbs11tv.com/national/utility.knife.circumcision.2.649375.html
  He sounds like a crazy bastard and the two chicks that fathered all of his children don’t strike me a s being very bright.

• Hellcat
  Feb 12, 2008 at 2:15 pm

  On second thought, after calling the man a psycho…

  I’d like to share MY experience with hospital circumcision. We forked over the $250 or some such (Canada) and signed a waver basically saying they could accidentally cut his penis off, and we couldn’t sue. I was hesitant, but signed. Otherwise they wouldn’t snip him.
  They took him away, 1 week old. His freezing did not work. He felt everything. He was panicking so badly that the nurse, I believe because she didn’t want to hear him, took him from me and disappeared. A few minutes later she brought him back. He was completely knocked out.
  Finally our waiting period was up and we were allowed to take him home. I hadn’t really seen baby penis before his. I didn’t know they had BOTCHED his circumcision until my mom told me. Our family doctor confirmed. We now call it his “twoskin” instead of foreskin.
  Basically we paid a nice chunk of cash for our baby to be tortured and have a strange… member… for the rest of his life.
  A lot of people have told me to take him back and get it redone. Knowing that they didn’t freeze him properly the first time, I could never do that.

  Perhaps this man did a better job than the doctor at the hospital.

• Amy
  Feb 12, 2008 at 2:49 pm

  Yikes. Seems like the most cautious medical advice is no unnecessary cutting. Might be even more true on babies. They need need such a constant sense of security. And a penis is a major thing to risk.

  I’ve heard it’s pretty simple on grown penises. Then the person could decide for himself whether or not he wants to risk his member. There are certainly some horror stories out there.

• fourkidzmom
  Feb 12, 2008 at 3:25 pm

  I am really glad to see more people are starting to question routinely circumcising baby boys. We decided long before our children were born that we did not want to circumcise any sons we had (even though my dh is circumcised). Oh, my GOODNESS, I never even should have told ANY of my friends or co-workers that we weren’t going to do it; they acted like I was nothing short of a child abuser and told me my son would hate me if I DIDN’T circumcise him! I was told by one acquaintence that uncircumcised men stink and no one would marry him, that he would be infected all the time, teased in the locker room, etc.

  Well, my son is three and has never had an infection, nor are his privates “stinky” or hard to clean. And seeings how half the babies in our church nursery are not circumcised, he certainly will NOT be alone in the locker room when he is older. I have no regrets about not having him cut; he can decide for himself when he gets older if he feels really strongly about it, just like if my girls want boob jobs or tattoos or whatever, they can wait until they are of age to get them and do what they like.

  And circumcising your child yourself? Please, if you MUST do it for religious purposes, please hire a mohel or a professional that is certified to do it. Your son only gets one penis; PLEASE be careful with it!

• rockdoll_71
  Feb 12, 2008 at 10:27 pm

  What I am wondering is how the hell he found two women who are so stupid to allow this.

• April RJ
  Feb 12, 2008 at 11:57 pm

  Rockdoll - Mama always told me - Stupid is as stupid does…. HA!
  This guy is an asshole - Plain and simple. If he was so worried about talking the boys to a hospital for the procedure, he could have left well enough alone. PERIOD! He had no business taking matters into his own hands. C’mon now! I know how to sew, but I would NEVER stitch up a wound on my son with a hospital near by. Not unless his injury was life threatening and driving to the ER was out of the question.
  These two boys could have lead normal lives without being circumcized by their idot father. Geez!

• nikkiballi
  Feb 13, 2008 at 2:10 am

  Was he jewish?

• Ihavekidstoo
  Feb 13, 2008 at 4:08 am

  We didn’t have our son circumcised either. DH is from a country where it is not done routinely, like it is here, and we felt it was important for the little guy to know he looked like daddy. (Turns out a LOT of his peers in daycare are also not cut.) After we made the decision I did more research and concluded we had absolutely made the right decision for us. It’s still NOT common practice for doctor’s to give any pain blockers to the baby when they do it, so they feel a great deal of pain.

  Actually, what really decided me was the realization that my adult brother, who was also never circumcised, had his doctor recommend the procedure for health reasons (unrelated to NOT being circumcised) and he just flatly refuses to do it. He told me if circumcision could only be performed on consenting adult males there wouldn’t BE any circumcised men because no adult guy would agree to have someone whack off any portion of his most sensitive, treasured part!

• Amy
  Feb 13, 2008 at 6:45 am

  He wasn’t Jewish. He’s one of those polygamous egomaniacs who twists Christian doctrine to justify his selfish desires and actions.

  Christ would freak.

  Maybe circumcision will become archaic. That would be nice.

  The “look like daddy” argument is why many Americans have their kids cut as a matter of course. Many cultural ideals about aesthetics are learned. I think kids are flexible enough that they can handle not looking like daddy if it’s explained if they notice.

• bootyj
  Feb 13, 2008 at 10:36 am

  What this article also failed to tell you was that this guy was already is jail for child neglect charges after he left his 11 kids home alone for a weekend while him an his “wives” went on a trip.

  http://www.wsoctv.com/news/15188334/detail.html

  This guy is a nut job.

• sfdude_2008
  Feb 13, 2008 at 8:24 pm

  How come is that idiot smiling in his mugshot?! Stupid ass, you don’t ever circumcise any of your kids ever again! I hope that that baby was OK.

• rockdoll_71
  Feb 13, 2008 at 11:51 pm

  April RJ, It was stupid on his behalf and on the behalf of both the “wives”. There is no way I would allow anyone to do a medical procedure on my son without the safety net of a hospital or trained professionals around. What he did was insane and those women who allowed it have something missing too. Sounds like the guy has an ego problem to me.

• wendy
  Feb 19, 2008 at 6:47 pm

  My son is uncut. His body, his choice. Same reason I didn’t have my daughter’s ears pierced in the hospital. If they want to alter their bodies in the future that’s up to them.

  As for this POS–That’s so full of sick and twisted where do you even start? Maybe this guy should have practiced on his own penis first.

• Kitty
  Feb 28, 2008 at 4:37 am

  This might be an over share, but:

  For those who have been told uncircumcised men are “stinky”.

  I’m married to one.

  Trust me. They aren’t, if they follow basic hygiene. And basic hygiene means washing it once a day in the shower.

  It’s less complicated than what girls have going on, and no one suggests labia removal as a way to keep them “Hygienic”.

  My husband has never had trouble from it, he’s never had a bladder infection, and he’s happily married. He also hasn’t gotten aids or any STD’s.

  This is why I laugh at people who use scare tactics to makes you circumcise your infant.

  Don’t listen to them.

• loving_mom
  Feb 29, 2008 at 9:45 am

  My 2 year old was circumsized by the very same doctor who my husband was circumsized by when he was a baby. She is a wonderful doctor and she did an awesome job with caoleb. One thing I am seeing repeated here is that the babies are giving some kind of pain medication and then “snipped”. I was not in the room with the doctor when she did it but, I was right across the hall. I never once heard Caoleb scream and I was asured that he was not given any medication. With Caoleb being my first child and all it scared the crap out of me the first time I saw his new found pride and joy and I rushed him to the ER. I had 4 different doctors and 3 nurses assure me 100% that Caoleb was fine and that as long as it was not infected all would be well. We never had any problems after that. My son will be born in a few days and I already have his circumsion planned and ready.

  I don’t knock or have anything against anyone who chooses not to have it done. I spoke to my peditrican about the pros and cons of having and not having it and my husband and I made the decision that it would be best for us to have it done. I would not call it a tramatic experience for us or him and he knows no different.

• VoiceInDesert
  Apr 27, 2008 at 5:12 am

  To all of you who are so vocal about the procedure not being done in a hospital:
  Have you led your lives in a bubble? Let me see you do some research and tell me how many people get an infection IN a hospital. Unrelated to their disease! And how many people a year die, as a consequence of the hospital acquired infection.
  It sounds as though HE had.

  I have to agree with Amy on this one. The article makes it sound like he had grabbed the baby, stormed into the shead, where he took a big dirty knife from a shelf full of dusty old junk, stormed back in the house, plunked the baby on a table and hacked off a piece of his penis.
  How do you know that they didn’t give him a topical anesthetic?

  Let me also point out one delightful practice that had been occuring in tha past. The one where doctors used curare (or other muscle relaxants), when they were operating on babies. Yes, that included all manners of invasive procedures. Think along the lines of head surgery.
  Western medical profession has no place lecturing anyone about cruelty, unnecessary procedures and hygene.

  Now, don’t mistake my writing for defending circumsision of any kind. It is genital mutilation, in my point of view. Although not nearly as severe as the mutilation done on girls.

  Someone might consider this information interesting: When you have a heterosexual intercourse between partners with normal genitals (both uncircumcised), the skin of the penis stimulates the G-spot.
  Now, if that’s not interesting…

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