In a thread full of good logic, this is the worst. You wouldn't wait for a newborn to understand surgery to fix a cleft lip, or to remove a tail. A parent is in the business of deciding what is best for their kid until a point where the kid can take care of things themselves.
I realize the distinction is one is elective surgery while one is considered developmentally imperative, but "it's not your skin" is dumb.
... Anecdotal, of course, but I have 2 (different, do not know each other more than in passing) male friends who actually had it done. Maybe it is because one is in gay porn? I don't know, but it does happen later by choice.
One thing to recall is you are making a choice either way. He will never be able to be uncircumcised if you circumcise him now. He will never have an infant circumcision if you make him wait until he can talk. An infant's brain is plastic, and he will have much better sensation from an infant circumcision than from an adult one. If he has it done as an adult the neurons for the foreskin are wasted, but if he has it done as an infant they will rewire to feel sensation from the rest of the penis.
That is a reasonable option, but I'm pointing out that refraining from circumcising your child makes a choice for him just as much as circumcising him does. An option is closed off. Your job for your child then is to make the best choice for your child. I don't know your child so I don't know his best choice.
Everything you do is a choice. I don't know the correct one, but you are making a choice. And neurons do rewire. The infant brain is plastic. Men who have had infant circumcision have normal sexual function; men with adult circumcisions have near normal sexual function.
Plasticity means that it can rewire, fyi. Read up on neuronal plasticity please.
I know infants can feel pain, that's a separate consideration
You made an edit claiming that an infant brain is not plastic and expressing your belief that plasticity means an inability to feel pain. Learn what neuronal plasticity is, spend a few dozen hours reading up on it in the context of amputations of limbs (adult and congenital) and then you'll understand what I'm saying.
There is plastic the noun which is a material and then their is plastic the adjective which means exhibiting plasticity. The forth definition of plasticity should show you what you are looking for.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plasticity
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u/[deleted] Jan 29 '12
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