Circumcision?

We knew it was going to be a boy from the start.

I figured it would be, then when I was pregnant I guessed that it was, then the ultrasound tech guessed that it was.

It was an early ultrasound, but we knew that little girls didn't have those things because we have a little girl already. And she doesn't. Just ask her. She's always happy to list off the people she knows who have penises and 'ginas.

So this one had the former, and we were going to have a choice to make. At first I thought I'd leave it up to my husband. He thought it'd be simpler to have a son with the same features as himself so we were planning for a circumcision. Leaving things up to him made my life easier because although I lean away from circumcision politically and emotionally...the aesthetics of it do appeal to me. I did a little research about the pros and cons, but basically I was just happy that someone else was making the decision.

Then he was born.

Something about meeting this perfect little, tiny person made me feel totally unsure about the whole circumcision idea. I checked with my husband and he agreed that we could forego.

Then we talked to the Rabbi.

We planned to have a Jewish naming ceremony for both of our kids when our son was born, and when we met with the awesome rabbi who was to perform the ceremony, she brought up the issue of a bris (Jewish circumcision).

We like everything about this rabbi so this was just one of the many cool conversations we had with her. Her perspective is that people like to argue against circumcision with modern logic and that there really isn't any place for that in the discussion. Apples and oranges. You can decide that you are more interested in modern logic than cultural tradition and religion, but the modern logic doesn't negate the tradition.

"We're a tribal culture" she said. I wish I remember how she phrased the next part, but basically she left me with the feeling that this is a rite of passage that may be painful for the baby, and it's definitely difficult for the family, but you're making a pact between your child and g-d and it's designed to be this way.

And I was won over.

So just one short week ago, we had a fabulous naming ceremony for our son and daughter and we had a bris.

Our fabulous Rabbi created an awesome ceremony for both kids and since our son would have his own special rite later that night, she created a special foot washing ceremony for our daughter.

Our daughter loved the experience (calling out to each person as they approached and inviting fence sitters to join in) and people who participated are still calling to say what a special experience it was for them.

The bris was much less scary than I expected, the procedure went well, and the after-care was totally manage-able.

My husband and I are both happy we did it (perhaps for different reasons?), and now we're wondering what the next rite of passage may be.

---TO BE CONTINUED---