Infant CircumcisionWritten by Rexanne Mancini
If circumcision were a choice I had to have made, I would have run frantically from hospital with my newborn son to protect him from procedure. His father would have chased me down, insisting his son “look like he did.” All I can say is I’m terribly relieved I didn’t have to live through that. Nor did I have to make agonizing choice of protecting my baby from pain or disrespecting my husband. It would have been a huge battle of conscience. I was spared and given daughters. The decision to circumcise an infant boy or not is, in USA and I’m assuming, most of world, still a parent’s sole responsibility. More and more doctors and pediatricians are recommending against routine circumcision. The controversy is beginning to reach epidemic proportions and will soon be a major issue facing new parents. I feel very sorry for those parents. They will be bombarded with opinions at every turn and surely go though hell with it, unless they have settled this issue between them before baby’s birth. Hopefully, they will agree. The problem I foresee is parents not agreeing on circumcision, creating a stressful situation where there should be only joy. Cultural tradition and religious practices notwithstanding, there is no longer a medical or rational reason to circumcise a child other than for purely “cosmetic” reasons. Circumcision is a very painful procedure, performed on a completely innocent and unsuspecting baby. This procedure rattles me to point that I have refused to attend Bris of more than one friend’s baby son. (A Bris is a Jewish ceremony whereby a Rabbi circumcises an infant boy ... with a lot of witnesses.) Please understand, I have absolutely nothing against Jewish faith. I have nothing against any faith, even if I do not agree with their beliefs or practices. I DO, however, have something against anyone who inflicts pain on an innocent child. This would include some cultures that also routinely circumcise adolescent girls. If we agree that this is a barbaric ceremony, can we then apply some of that sensibility to infant boys? Sure, male circumcision does not alter a boy sexually but it does cause considerable pain to our babies without any apparent benefit to child. The issue of cleanliness is no longer a factor. In modern society, frequent bathing is as common as brushing one’s hair.
| | Grieving ChildrenWritten by Rexanne Mancini
While it is my belief that death is just one more experience to seek growth and soul development in our current physical forms, losing a loved one is never easy. Our family has experienced its fair share of grief in past few years. We’ve lost my sister-in-law (my daughters’ aunt), a beloved uncle and a cherished pet, to name just a few. I try to reassure my daughters that a loved one who has moved on is safe and happy, however, we still need to grieve and accept inevitable feelings of loss and sadness. Loved ones will be missed. Opportunities to share life and experiences will have been cut short. They know that it’s OK to feel sad and to cry. As soon as possible after initial shock and sadness over losing a cherished one has passed, I try to bring happy memories of person back into our lives. It’s important to remember love and lessons we’ve learned from them with joy in our hearts and with respect for time we’ve had to share our lives in their company. I tell my daughters that they can talk to person who has passed on any time they feel like it. That person will now always be available to listen. We will still feel love for our missed relative or pet and we include departed soul in our prayers until it feels right to let them go. We ask that they are well taken care of and loved as much as we love them. This helps ease their anxiety of unknown and allows them to feel that their loved one is in some way protected from whatever they might imagine exists “out there.”
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