I don't have a son (I have 1 daughter and I am pregnant with my 2nd daughter), but if I ever do he will definitely be circumcised. That is our personal preference. I know a lot of people these days who are anti-circ, but I don't know any of them personally.
My daughters will be allowed to get their ears pierced for their 5th birthdays. This is just a family tradition. I believe a 5 year old is old enough to help take care of their earrings and I think that is important!
I say wait with the ears as well, for several reasons.
~Some daycares do not allow them for safety reasons.
~They are a choking hazard. A poster on the MC forum described finding the earring lose in the crib by the sleeping baby's face.
~The baby won't remember the pain, but that doesn't mean she won't feel it :( Can you imagine if we used that excuse to justify doing other things to babies?
~She may not appreciate it when she's older! I have a hole in each ear that I do not use nor would have put there if I had a choice.
~They often have to be redone when older, as in the case of my sister.
God stupid phone! I've type to long comments twice so here's the short version.
Circumcision- me- no he shld choose after he feels how it is sexually(bad ik) DB- says yes he isn't says its a pain.
Ears- up to them at age 5 let them get personality first!
I'm letting my daughters decide if they want their ears pierced once they turn 8. I think it would be something special that they decide they want and the excitement of getting it done is something I wouldn't take away. Not to mention I've seen so many ear piercing jobs on babies that were crooked later in life.
Personally, I used to feel very strongly about waiting to have my daughter's ears pierced unitl she was old enough to understand that it would hurt and still make the decision to do so herself. I WISH I had never backed down on that! I succumbed to a friend of minewho convinced me to do it when she was a baby because she wouldn't even remember it. Her ears were pierced when she was one-and a-half. Well, my daughter had one snagg on a crocheted pillow a little over a year ago :o( We didn't think any harm was done (and maybe it wasn't then, we're not sure). Then last year she came back from visitiation with her dad and I noticed that it looked like the thing was embedded in her earlobe, like sunken-in in front. So I took it out and it looks like the earring gradually tore down, so instead of a small hole she had a slit with the top part already healing over. Now her earrings are not symmetrical... the one is (and probably always will be) lower than the other :o( Poor thing. That confirms my decision that my second baby girl will NOT be getting her ears pierced until she is much older! I feel awful.
I personally could care less either way, I dont think it makes a big deal or not to do the boy as an infant or making him wait until hes an adult...I did however have my son circumsized..
As far as the ear piercing goes, ah either way, I had my daughters done as an infant, but, my DH made his daughters wait until they were older..I think it is totally up to the parent on that..I will tell you the main reason I did my daughters that young. is that way it would be healed and she wouldnt mess with them. And, I do plan on piercing my newest daughters ears as soon as she gets a little older...
But, like I said I kind of like this subject...and dont worry SMJ it shouldnt stir up any controversy, I feel that to each his own on this..