Hello out there, just thought i would put in 2 cents worth having older sons. None of my boys are circed. For our family it is against our cultural beliefs. My boys have progressed from around 2 to retracting their own foreskins (just with normal play and pulling), we then taught them it was important to clean under their foreskins, and now as older kids it is just a part of their hygiene practices. When i do swimming with the school and help our boys classmates change etc it is very very rare to see a circumcised penis. so just from this exposure over the last 6 years at school i would suspect circumsion is on the decline (not a researched fact though guys, sorry too lazy! ). My DH is circ and my boys actually feel sorry for him they are very attached to their foreskins :biggrin: . For our family it would go against all my philosophies on gentle parenting to remove their foreskin, i believe for us it is unnecessary and i would not want to put them through an unnecessary procedure. We have been fortunate that my boys have had no probs with their foreskins (except that they could stretch them to unbelievable lengths) and when they discuss it, as they did notice den was circed they were really grateful we didn't get them done.

Being a paediatric nurse i have seen alot of circs done and i have to say that all the babies i saw reacted by crying and sometimes were in a state of shock.

Some research i have read suggested that the jewish religion circed on the 8th day was because the baby's clotting factors settled from the fetal period after day 7 and they bled less, i can't actually remember where i read this but my grandmother was jewish and so i remember people discussing this.

For us i am opposed to circumcision but for your families follow your hearts, as long as parents make informed choices then go for it

beckles