Quote:
Originally Posted by SunkenShip
Without wanting to turn this into a big debate thread, the health "benefits" are all outweighed by the rate of complications.
|
This is completely true, but you will find countless people who offer up all sorts of information to support their beliefs... And to support the fact that it was done to them, so can`t be "bad".
I live in Japan - my son is "circumcised", or at least appears to be. Not by choice, but because he was born without the bottom 2/3rds of his penis (think just the top section of skin, as a sort of flap over a urethral opening sunken down between his testes), and in order to construct one they used what little foreskin was there.
But somehow I doubt that counts as circumcision, as it wasn`t like we chopped the thing off and tossed it.
Experiences - Circumcision is NOT something on anyone`s mind in Japan. It`s rare enough that no one will even assume that it has been done if they see a baby/child who has been. The assumption will be made that it`s an abnormally "adult" looking penis. End of story.
You`re more likely to find shock that you would do something so incredibly painful to a baby than anything else. When, for medical reasons, a circumcision needs to be performed (such as abnormal adhesion of the foreskin to the tip of the penis, etc) it is usually done at elementary school age.
There is pretty much no chance of having anyone comment on not having your son circumcised.
As another note - I`m not sure of your parenting "style", but having mucked around on a few US parenting boards and having been shocked by some of the things I found there.... Japan is generally a co-sleeping, "attachment" style when it comes to parenting.