Circumcision?

[imiss]

Originally Posted by Paul11

Wrong. there's a reason they are still inventing methods to do the job quickly in Africa to stop the spread. Are you telling me that germs don't propigate under the fingernails?

no, What I'm saying is WASH your damn genitals. Of course if your a pig then you'll get infictions and so on. But I mean hey, it's as you yourself said it; there are germs under the fingernails too, so while you're at it let's just chop the fingers off if you're too lazy to wash your hands...

[Paul11]

Originally Posted by imiss

no, What I'm saying is WASH your damn genitals. Of course if your a pig then you'll get infictions and so on. But I mean hey, it's as you yourself said it; there are germs under the fingernails too, so while you're at it let's just chop the fingers off if you're too last to wash your hands...

I agree. And eat them, too.

[imiss]

Originally Posted by Paul11

I agree. And eat them, too.

Wait what? Are you suggesting eating the genitals?

And to add to what I said... things like AIDS are spreading though Africa NOT because people aren't cut (that has no effect on the transfer of STDs) -- its because people don't know the most basic things about how/what works and where what comes from.

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by Paul11

Wrong. there's a reason they are still inventing methods to do the job quickly in Africa to stop the spread. Are you telling me that germs don't propigate under the fingernails?

Haha... It's not like we uncut folk don't clean underneath it. In fact it's part of the daily shower routine.

[Paul11]

Of course aids isn't spreading in africa because of this. But it is one part of a multi-pronged defense. Your posts imply people only not the most basic of superficial aspects.

Ronin! I hpoe so. No one noted a corellation between uncut and not washing. Even if you wash your hands often, you put your hands to face and catch a cold. Even cleanly catch colds. Even if you wash, germs can still grow and cause problems before washing.

This is not the only medical issue with the procedure. Just the one people find most alluring.

[SunkenShip]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

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.

Thank you, this is exactly the answer I was looking for.

As for attachment parenting, we're kind of AP, but not fully. It's nice to know they don't persecute people for co-sleeping in Japan like they do in the US! If you say you co-sleep with your child, people look at like you've just admitted to poisoning your child!

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by SunkenShip

Thank you, this is exactly the answer I was looking for.

As for attachment parenting, we're kind of AP, but not fully. It's nice to know they don't persecute people for co-sleeping in Japan like they do in the US! If you say you co-sleep with your child, people look at like you've just admitted to poisoning your child!

Are you sure about that? I don't know anyone who'd be against sharing a bed with his or her child. My own parents used to do that with me, but after a certain age, it looks strange because as a child gets older, the child is supposed to become more and more independent from his or her parents.

[SunkenShip]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Are you sure about that? I don't know anyone who'd be against sharing a bed with his or her child. My own parents used to do that with me, but after a certain age, it looks strange because as a child gets older, the child is supposed to become more and more independent from his or her parents.

In my experience, co-sleeping isn't looked upon favorably.

And pediatricians especially will scold you and tell you it's "dangerous" to co-sleep with your child.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Are you sure about that? I don't know anyone who'd be against sharing a bed with his or her child. My own parents used to do that with me, but after a certain age, it looks strange because as a child gets older, the child is supposed to become more and more independent from his or her parents.

You have a very close family.

In general, if you make the comment that you sleep with your child at any stage of their life you`ll either be told that you`re going to kill them (when they`re a baby), that you are an awful parent if they`re between say 1 and 3... or told that you`re sick and there is something wrong with your household. Making babies sleep alone, through the night, at a VERY early age seems to be one of the foremost issues in everyone`s mind. Including doctors, who shouldn`t really care about the issue.

I can`t talk with most parents in the US about child-raising issues, as they DO ask, and they ARE disgusted enough by the fact that my son doesn`t even have his own bed let alone sleep away from us in it during the night. It`s become less of a topic now that he`s 4 - but only because no one thinks that we`d actually have him sleeping with us at night. That`s just not "normal".

I recall being told by someone that it was downright disgusting that I was still "letting" my son into our bed when he was 3 months old and that I would ruin his life by not MAKING him learn that he needs to be away from me. NOW. Because, obviously, a baby wanting to be near a parent - no matter how young they may be - was slyly trying to manipulate me.

Don`t believe it? Look at some English language parenting books or spend a few minutes browsing through any parenting website. Mothers are ashamed to even admit that they fell asleep next to their baby by accident, let alone invite them into the "parental bed".

[SSJup81]

That's sad that people got on you for you sharing the bed with a three month old. It wasn't often my parents shared the bed with me when I was like six or seven or so, but I'd say up to at least eight or nine, if I had a bad dream, I'd run to my parents' room and mom would let me get in the bed with them.

I remember during my nap times, sometimes my dad would take a nap with me when I was very young.

Oh yeah!! A funny story. lol My parents told me that when I was about a year old, maybe slightly older (and we were still living in NY at that time and lived in an apt), I used to throw myself out of my crib, run up the hall (my mom said it was a long hallway for a kid my age) and hop in the bed with them. My mom said it was scary hearing that sound, and then footsteps coming fast up the hall like Stewie of Family Guy. lol She said she'd put me back, but she'd hear the "thump" and then the footsteps. I was a strange baby. =P

I know my aunt used to sleep with all of her kids sharing the bed with her when they were babies (they're pretty much grown now; her youngest is now 17). She was talking about it the other day of how she used to let them stay in the bed with her to keep from having to get up and down to check on them when they cried. She even laughed, "I don't know why I had a crib."

My grandmother shared the bed with my cousin (now 14) when she was a baby since my family took care of her, since her mother was still in the Navy at the time. My grandmother also used to share a bed with me when I was about seven, but only because my aunt (the one I just mentioned whose youngest is now 17) and her firstborn (he was about two) and her bf were staying with us. My grandmother, for the most part, has always lived with my family.

I guess my family is close since I see nothing wrong with parents and children sharing a bed since I grew up with it. I just outgrew that need, though, as I got older, especially after we moved to the newer house when I was eight. Mom and dad were upstairs, and I was downstairs. If I had a bad dream, and called for one of them, they usually couldn't hear me, so I just had to deal with it on my own since I was too scared to get up and go upstairs to them on my own. Instead, I'd just sleep with the light on, and then dad would come down and cut it off.

That aside, I don't think anyone should get on a parent for sharing a bed with his or her kid, especially if the child is young and still attached to the parent. Now if the child is into his/her teens, then I'd be a bit worried since that indicates too much of an attachment. The problem is that people always assume something of a sexual nature now-a-days, which is just beyond sad.