If My Son Isn't Circumcised, Won't He Be Teased?

Posting Date: 03/01/1999

Some parents think that their son should be circumcised so that he will "match" his father, brothers, or friends. As parents, we can help our children to feel good about their bodies and to respect individual differences. Most children will understand a simple, honest explanation:

"When your father and brothers were born, most parents were told that circumcision was important for health. Now we know better."

With the circumcision rate in the U.S. steadily declining, parents no longer need worry about teasing. In 1994, more than 40% of baby boys born in the U.S. left the hospital intact. Worldwide, 85% of males are intact.

With more and more males growing up intact, it's circumcised males who are beginning to feel "different." Many circumcised men have reported that they have been teased because they didn't have a foreskin.

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