Me: (reading Mothering magazine’s latest article about circumcision) Ummm…yes. (Considering: is it time for this conversation? Why not.) See these two pictures? This picture is of a circumcised penis. That means they cut part of the skin off this little boy’s penis. This picture is of another penis. They left all the skin on this penis.
Gabe: (mouth agape in dawning horror) Uh huh. Which one is like me?
Me: Let’s look. (helping him down with his shorts) See, your penis still has lots of nice soft skin here. All your skin is there. That’s because when you were a baby, we decided that we didn’t want to have anyone cut your penis.
Gabe: (increasingly horrified) What do they cut it with?
Me: A little tiny sharp knife. When your Papa was a baby they cut the skin off of his penis and that his why his penis looks more like this. Do you think we should have had your penis cut like Papa’s?
Gabe: (in abject horror) NO!
Me: Well, we didn’t and now you have a penis like this. This kind of penis is called “Intact.” That kind of penis is called “Circumsized.”
Gabe: (apparently satisfied and wandering away) Thanks, Mama.
Overheard one hour later
Gabe: Quin, this picture is of a where they cut this penis off!
Quin: (utterly clueless) Huh?
Gabe: But this one is nice, like mine. They didn’t cut MY penis off.
Me: Honey, they only cut some of the skin off of a circumsized penis.
Gabe: Quin, this penis has the skin cut off, (proudly) but they didn’t cut mine!
Out of the mouths of babes. Enuf said!
To read more about the controversial topic of circumcision check out the latest issue of Mothering Magazine (at Newstands now!) or go to the mothering.com discussion boards: The Case Against Circumcision.
3 comments:
Oh, you are opening Pandoras box with this one! Hahaha! Can't wait to see the reaction!
Our circumcision talk recently went a lot like yours.
I love Mothering mag!
It must feel great to have him appreciate (if even in a limited way) that you protected his body.
It gives me hope that someday my daughter will appreciate some of the sacrifices and choices I've made for her.
And yes, that article rocked!!
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