The first one gives you links to my recent guest posts on other sites – please click, comment, and spend a little time visiting the sites that allow me to share with different readers.

The second widget is a call for guest posts that I can publish here on Code Name: Mama. I’m going to copy and paste the details below, but you can click on the widget link anytime. Please consider submitting a guest post – I’d love to feature your writing!

Natural Parenting Guest Post Exchange

The Carnival of Natural Parenting that I co-host every month has been such a blessing. It has given me the opportunity to meet and interact with many wonderful like-minded bloggers and read great content. It has also challenged me to be a better writer.

To strengthen the bonds forged through the Carnival as well as in the many natural parenting discussions available on Twitter, Mothering, and more, I would like to introduce a Natural Parenting Guest Post Exchange.

In the Guest Post Exchange, I envision collaborating with another writer/blogger on a topic that is loosely related to natural parenting. The two posts can be as creative as our imaginations allow: they can compare/contrast two NP topics; they can be stand alone posts or two parts of a whole; they can be picture montages, videos, interviews, articles, etc. (All posts will be subject to the guest post guidelines below; let me know if you have any questions about or concerns with the guidelines.)

We will post our articles on the same day, mutually promote and comment on the posts, and follow up as needed.

I will link to your site not only on the post, but also on a permanent page on Code Name: Mama. I will also promote our collaboration on social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook.

Please contact me if you are interested in an exchange.

Traditional Guest Posts

If you do not have your own site, or if you are simply not interested in exchanging guest posts, you are still invited (encouraged!) to submit a guest post for consideration for inclusion on Code Name: Mama (Good gawd that sentence was awkward).

To get started, please read the guidelines below. If your guest post will meet the guidelines, send me an email and let me know what topic you want to write about. If you have a sample of your writing, I would love to see it too. We will work from there to get your post published on Code Name: Mama. Remember, I reserve the right to edit (and veto) all submissions (but I will never make a substantive change without discussing it with you first).

Guest Post Guidelines

What is/isn’t accepted:

*Original Content (cannot be previous posted/published/etc anywhere)
*No product reviews
*Please include at least one image; it cannot be more than 500px in width and you must either own or have permission to use the picture
*You may link to your website in the “mini-bio” at the bottom of the entry
*No affiliate codes, “paid” blogging, or referral links
*No judgmental, condescending posts or reply comments. My philosophy: you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I will not publish posts or comments that are disparaging or judgmental (with very few exceptions that have not yet occurred – but I’d better leave that door open in case ).

Accepted Topics
(The following lists are not exclusive, if you have an idea that is not listed, let me know)

Natural Parenting

*Breastfeeding
*Intactivism/No Circumcision
*Consensual Living
*Co-Sleeping/Family Bed
*Gentle Discipline
*Cloth Diapers
*Green/Eco-Conscious Living
*No/Delayed/Selective Vaccinations
*Homeschooling

Toddlers

*Toddler Activities
*Life with Toddlers
*Full-Term/Extended Breastfeeding
*Challenges of Parenting Toddlers
*Feeding Toddlers

General Topics

*Blogging Tips (especially as they related to women/mama bloggers)
*How-To Entries (including crafts, recipes, etc.)
*Mothering
*Family Relationships (whether you are single, in a relationship, living in a non-traditional household, etc.)

Formatting

*Use shorter paragraphs (3?–?6 sentences each), your post will be easier to read
*The entry must be at least 600 characters or more
*Organize your thoughts, use headings or lists when possible, be clear, concise, and straightforward
*Proof read. Proof read twice! Now proof read a third time. I will edit, but I do not want to spend time fixing spelling and grammar mistakes that Word would easily pick up.
*Please write a short bio/”about” paragraph (about 3 sentences) that will be included at the end of the entry

Commenting

*Writers are expected to visit the post to check on any comments, respond to comments, etc. If the writer has any questions or problems with a comment, please let me know as soon as possible. Again, no judgmental or condescending reply comments.

Thanks to Sarah at one starry night for having an excellent guest post policy that I modified for this page.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Calling All Writers: I Want Your Guest Posts. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Two New Guest Posts
2. March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Call for Submissions

This is the third monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month we’re writing about being green — both how green we were when we were young and how green our kids are today. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

******

The great thing about “going green” is that so much of it is easy on the wallet. When I tried to think about ways my family was green growing up, all I kept coming up with were the ways my parents were cheap. Here are a few examples of how my mom and dad scrimped and saved while being environmentally friendly (if not consciously so), and how my own family is green today:

1. Buying Second Hand or Accepting Hand-me-downs: My mother and maternal grandmother were the queens of the garage sale. They could sniff out a sale within a 5 mile radius, and believe you me they would turn that car around to get their bargain hunting on. I got some of the coolest – and most hideous – things from garage sales. The best? A few rockin’ record albums (Slippery When Wet, Thriller, and the like). The worst? An itsy bitsy teeny weeny puke yellow bikini that my grandma gifted me when I was about 10 years old. It was an abomination; thankfully my mom didn’t make me wear it to “be nice.” My parents were also not ashamed to accept hand-me-downs, whether they be clothes, furniture, dishes, etc. Our financial situation required it, but it was also Earth friendly.

Today, Tom and I scour garage sales and thrift stores for both reasons: First, because it makes little sense to waste $15 on a shirt for Kieran that he will only wear a handful of times. Second, because that $1.25 shirt at the thrift store is better for our bank account. And we don’t just shop secondhand for Kieran, we do it for everything. We figure that vintage goods have more personality. Plus, we have a toddler in the house (and a clutzy mama) – why buy expensive stuff that has a good chance of being broken?

2. Cloth Diapering: Cloth diapers are the environmentally responsible choice when used appropriately (wash in full loads, line dry when possible, etc.). My parents fell into cloth diapering after I got persistent diaper rash from disposables. They kept using cloth with my sisters because it was cheap. Of course the diapers mom used on us were plain white prefolds with the stereotypical rubber pants. She might have used duck-head pins to dress them up.

Today, Tom and I use cloth for a variety of reasons, but the main two are cost and environmental. Disposable diapers can run parents anywhere from $1600 to $4,150 for only two years of diapers. Cloth will typically run you far less than $1000. We’ve kept our diaper expenses below $500 by buying secondhand at sites like DiaperSwappers. We can recoup part of that cost by either using them again on a second child or by selling them after Kieran is out of diapers. The best part? Cloth is so much cuter now than it was when I was sporting it.

3. Gardening: My grandparents gardened for leisure and to save money at the grocery store. My parents grow a variety of flowers and vegetables for the same reason.

Today, Tom and I are expanding our garden every year as we get more experience. We are also committed to gardening in a way that is healthiest for our family and the environment. There is really little better than eating the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor.

4. Creatively Repurposing Your Stuff: My mom and my grandmother (who was basically my second mother) used to drive me crazy with the way they would reuse everything. My grandma – a product of the Depression – saved bread bags, twist ties, plastic butter containers, cardboard tubes, bits of fabric, buttons, every single Christmas card she ever received, pens, matchbooks, the list is endless. She bordered on the obsessive. And oddly enough, she’d actually use that stuff again. Plastic butter containers would be surreptitiously slipped from her purse to hold leftover fish and chicken from Old Country Buffet (she fed them to her cats). Bread bags would cover rarely used kitchen appliances to ward off dust. Et cetera.

My mom did the same thing. The one thing that sticks out in my mind? Pantyhose and soap. The woman made us save soap slivers. Once there were enough slivers (did she count? weigh them? I don’t know!), she would take the foot part of pantyhose that had too many runs to wear anymore, put the soap slivers inside, and tie it up. Then we would use the foot soap in place of a bar. Ew.

Today, Tom and I are also big advocates for repurposing things that may otherwise be thrown away. Kieran has a couple of huge (formerly pretzel) containers holding his blocks and trains. I reuse glass jars for freezing and storing dried goods like beans and rice. When I freeze certain things in Ziploc bags (waffles, rolls of cookie dough), I save the bags to use again once they are empty. We save containers to make toys for Kieran – different sized plastic containers have become piggy banks and shakers, cardboard tubes are now tunnels for his Matchbox cars, and oatmeal containers are integral to art projects (put a piece of paper inside, squirt in some tempera paint, throw in a couple of rocks, put the lid on, and shake).

I draw the line at pantyhose soap slivers though.

How about your family? Were you green growing up to be Earth friendly, or to save money?

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated March 9 with all the carnival links.)

• My Momma Was a Hippie — Jessica at This is Worthwhile is continuing her Earth Momma mother’s way of honoring nature by taking her child outside every day. (@tisworthwhile)
• Mom Did Know Best, About Diapers at Least — Guavalicious at They Are So Cute When They Are Sleeping has a dirty secret about cloth diapers: They’re easy. (@guavalicious)
• The Force that Drives the Water Through the Rocks — Shana at Tales of Minor Interest remembers her first spiritual connection with nature, granted to her through her father’s care for the spirits of the earth.
• Confessions of a Cabbage Patch Kid — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned about landfills and recycling through gardening. (@kitchenwitch)
• Seeing My Grandmother Through Green Colored Lenses — Michelle at Seeking Mother was raised by a grandmother who wouldn’t let anyone throw out used clothing — ever — and who believed baths were water enough for two or more people at least. (@seekingmother)
• Through Green Tinted Glasses — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis realized her family didn’t so much choose green as it chose them, since not being green would have cost a lot more.
• Green or Die! — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing remembers berating her family for not turning off the faucets — and notes that her efforts to save the planet for another 20 years must have worked.
• Natural Parenting Carnival: Green Living — Sarah at Natural Parenting is doing more to make her children’s generation green than what she had as a child.
• Natural Parenting Carnival: Vintage Green — pchanner at A Mom’s Fresh Start used to fill her own water bottles from a spring — before doing so was cool. (@pchanner)
• Getting Dirty — Molly at Molly’s Place is inspired by her mother’s camaraderie with nature. She’s going to get back in touch with the real food cycle, as opposed to the “shrink-wrapped nutrition” you can buy. (@KPMolly)
• My Vintage Green Raincoat — Mama at Maman A Droit is wearing her brother’s bright green raincoat — 16 years later! (@MamanADroit)
• Vintage Green — Darcel at Mahogany Way hasn’t realized it yet, but she is slowly turning into her parents. (@MahoganyWayMama)

• Vintage Green — mrs green at littlegreenblog reminds us that children can be green simply by being kids. (@myzerowaste)
• March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage Green — Lauren at Hobo Mama was eco-chic before it was en vogue. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Growing Up Green — Chrystal at Happy Mothering honed her green instinct from an early age. (@HappyMothering)
• greener pastures — The Grumbles at Grumbles and Grunts has a list of ways she’s transitioning from green living as a novelty to green living as a lifestyle. (@thegrumbles)
• Vintage Green: The Hot Water Tank Is Not Sexy — Zoey at Good Goog had to go green when moss started growing around her feet. (@zoeyspeak)
• We Walked Softly — Starr at Earth Mama wrote a beautiful post about how her parents instilled a love of and respect for Earth and nature in her, and how she is passing that gift on to her own children.
• Save the Mermaids! — CurlyMonkey is learning from her daughter how to keep the mermaids happy. (@curlymonkey_)
• March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage Green — Dionna at Code Name: Mama sees glimpses of her mother’s greenness frugality in her own life – but she draws the line at pantyhose soap. (@CodeNameMama)
• I Thought I Made Them Green, But Really They Made Me — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! thought she made her parents green — until she took a closer look. (@bfmom)
• A Culture of Less — Alison at BluebirdMama explained why homebirth is the green childbirth choice. I love this thought! (@childbearing)
• 5 Ways to Embarrass Your Children While Going Green — Acacia at Be Present Mama shares some of the embarrassing things her parents did to her in the name of being eco-conscious.
• Ending Is Better than Mending? — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries is teaching us how to darn socks armed only with a light bulb. (@babydust)
• There and Back Again: A Green Girl’s Tale — Lactating Girl offers a gentle reminder that certain eco-conscious practices shouldn’t be “ideals,” but realities. (@LactatingGirl)

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage Green. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Call for Submissions
2. February Carnival of Natural Parenting: Co-Parents
3. Introducing the Carnival of Natural Parenting

It is important to help children identify their emotions. Emotions are such an abstract concept. While there are certain physical qualities of emotions that parents can help point out in others (“Look at how Jane’s shoulders are slumped down and her face looks sad. I wonder if she is feeling lonely because no one is playing with her”), it is even more important to name emotions for your child as she is feeling them.

When your child approaches you with something, resist the urge to give advice or solve the problem. Instead, put a name to the emotion and use just a few words to show you understand how your child is feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child:
“I had to give a book report in front of the class, but I couldn’t remember what I’d written. I just stood there forever. Everyone laughed at me!”

Parent:
Instead of “Maybe next time you should rehearse your report in front of the mirror a few times.”
Try “That must have been embarrassing for you!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child:
“I hate playing with Will. He always has to take the best toys and never wants to share.”

Parent:
Instead of “But you really like Will. Maybe you need to try being nicer to him.”
Try “Boy that would be frustrating.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child:
“Ella told me she was going to ask me to stay the night this weekend, but she never called.”

Parent:
Instead of “Well let’s rent a movie and have fun together.”
Try “You sound pretty disappointed that you haven’t heard from her yet.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

By resisting the urge to solve problems or make everything better, it gives your child the opportunity to struggle through the problem and come up with his own solution. Children need to have experience wrestling with tough emotions and situations. The adult can be there to listen with empathy and reflect the child’s feelings.

The scenarios above are, of course, just the beginning to a longer conversation. Here is an example from the book of a real situation reported by a parent:

A father in our group reported that his young son came storming into the house [and said] “I’d like to punch that Michael in the nose!” The father said, “Normally the conversation would have gone like this:”

Son: I’d like to punch that Michael in the nose!
Father: Why? What happened?
Son: He threw my notebook in the dirt!
Father: Well, did you do something to him first?
Son: No!
Father: Are you sure?
Son: I swear, I never touched him.
Father: Well, Michael is your friend. If you take my advice, you’ll forget the whole thing. You’re not so perfect you know. Sometimes you start up and then blame someone else – the way you do with your brother.
Son: No I don’t. He starts up with me first . . . Oh I can’t talk to you.

But the father had just attended a workshop on helping his children deal with their feelings, and this is what actually took place:

Son: I’d like to punch that Michael in the nose!
Father: Boy, you’re angry!
Son: I’d like to push his fat face in!
Father: You’re that mad at him!
Son: You know what that bully did? He grabbed my notebook at the bus stop and threw it in the dirt. And for no reason!
Father: Hmmm!
Son: I bet he thought I was the one who broke his dumb clay bird in the art room.
Father: You think so.
Son: Yeah, he kept looking at me all the time he was crying.
Father: Oh.
Son: But I didn’t break it. I didn’t!
Father: You know you didn’t.
Son: Well I didn’t do it on purpose! I couldn’t help it if that stupid Debby pushed me into the table.
Father: So Debby pushed you.
Son: Yeah. A lot of things got knocked down, but the only thing that broke was the bird. I didn’t mean to break it. His bird was good.
Father: You really didn’t mean to break it.
Son: No, but he wouldn’t believe me.
Father: You don’t think he’d believe you if you told him the truth.
Son: I dunno . . . I’m gonna tell him anyway – whether he believes me or not. And I think he should tell me he’s sorry for throwing my notebook in the dirt!

The father was astonished. He hadn’t asked questions and yet the child had told him the whole story. He hadn’t given one word of advice and yet the child had worked out his own solution.

So what about you? Do you automatically jump to solving your child’s problems, or do you listen with empathy and encourage her to work through them? I’d love to hear your real life stories.

And if you haven’t ever tried to acknowledge feelings and listen while your child sorts out a problem on his own, I challenge you to give it a shot this week.

On Code Name: Mama, I share information, resources, and my thoughts on natural parenting and life with a toddler. Please take a moment to subscribe to my RSS feed for free updates.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Acknowledging Children’s Feelings. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Dealing with Children’s Feelings
2. Riders on the (Tantrum) Storm
3. Toddler 10 Commandments

Monday

Morning
*Take a walk outside and talk about all the green things we can see. Bring a few green things back home to examine more closely.

Afternoon
Pretend play
*Pack a Suitcase: Announce you are going on a trip to Ireland. Get a suitcase and have your toddler help you pack. Ask your toddler to bring you certain things: “bring me the yellow ball please”; “can you bring me something soft?”; etc. If your toddler is hesitant, get a puppet out and have the puppet do the asking. The silliness will likely entice your toddler to play. (Idea found in the book Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos.)

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Tuesday

Morning
Fun with numbers
*Shamrock lineup: draw and cut out several shamrocks in various sizes. Encourage your child to line them up from smallest to largest, largest to smallest, etc.

Afternoon
Language/pre-reading
*Color Matching: I will draw a rainbow on paper (with a pot of gold at the end!) and cut out construction paper to match. I will have Kieran match the construction paper to the colors on the paper. We can glue them on after he is done with the matching game.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Wednesday

Morning
*Make Irish brown bread

Afternoon
Exploring our World
*We will look at a map of Ireland and look up pictures of Ireland online. We will talk about simple facts: Ireland is an island; many farmers used to grow potatoes; many farmers now have flocks of sheep, the wool is used for clothing. I will also try to tell him a simple version of the story about St. Patrick (if anyone has a good children’s version of the story, please let me know!).

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Thursday

Morning
Science Adventures
*Celery Magic: Help your child stir some food coloring into a glass of water. Slice a piece of celery across the bottom, and allow your child time to examine the stalk. Let the celery stand in the tinted water for about one hour. The celery stalk will change color as the water travels upward. Take the celery out of the water, slice it, and examine the stalk again. Try the same experiment with a carrot or a white carnation. (Idea found in the book The Sourcebook: Activities for Infants and Young Children.)

Afternoon
Library

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Friday

Morning

*Slowly and Quickly Chant: Singing familiar songs and doing actions slowly and quickly helps toddlers gain an understanding of tempo in music. Sing familiar songs or nursery rhymes at a very slow tempo; normal; fast.

 Say the following movement chant and do the actions as the words indicate. Emphasize the words slowly and quickly.

Clap, clap, clap your hands, slowly just like this.
Clap, clap, clap your hands, quickly just like this.

Additional verses:
Roll, roll, roll your hands….
Stamp, stamp, stamp your feet…
Rub your hands…
Pound your hands….
Nod your head…
Blink your eyes….
Shake your hands…
Wiggle your body…
Shrug your shoulders…

(Idea from the book The Complete Planning Guide for a Toddler Curriculum.)

Afternoon
Messy Play
*We will make a mural using potato stamps.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Would you and your child benefit from a weekly activity schedule? I’d love to share with you! Please take a moment to subscribe to my RSS feed for free updates.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Toddler Activities 8 (Ireland). If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Toddler Activity Schedule 7 (Seeds)
2. Toddler Activity Schedule 4 (Hearts)
3. Toddler Activity Schedule 5 (Dinosaurs)

You can also see all past featured videos by clicking on the appropriate link at the bottom of the video widget.

How we treat the child, the child will treat the world.

This week’s video presents information gathered by author Robin Grille about children and parenting practices around the world and throughout history. Here is just a sample of the text:

Our genes don’t decide if we will grow up to be kind and loving or selfish and violent adults. We all learn how to relate to one another from the way we are treated as children. That’s because the way we are treated as children tells our brains how to grow.

When you give us your affection, when you listen to us and treat us with kindness, when you hold us, nurture us, and play with us, our brains make Oxytocin: the hormone of love and connection. Oxytocin helps our brains to grow. It makes us kinder, calmer, and more considerate.

When we become frightened, when you punish us, when you don’t listen to us crying, when you leave us alone, our brains make Cortisol: the hormone of fear and stress. Too much Cortisol and our brains don’t grow so well. This can make us more distressful, more insecure, more sad or more angry when we grow up.

If you have any videos that I might like to feature, please let me know. In keeping with the theme of my site, I’m interested mainly in videos that deal with natural parenting or toddlers.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Featured Video. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

No related posts.

Intact America’s Vision and Mission

Intact America “envisions a world where children are protected from permanent bodily alteration inflicted on them without their consent, in the name of culture, religion, profit, or parental preference.” The not-for-profit organization’s mission statement is:

Intact America works to protect babies and children from circumcision and all other forms of medically unnecessary genital alteration, whether carried out for cultural conformity or profit, in medical or non-medical settings.

We seek to achieve our goals through education, advocacy, public policy reform, and the empowerment of our supporters, partners, and volunteers.

Because routine infant circumcision is a subject that many Americans simply take for granted as part of the birthing process, we need Intact America and organizations like it to draw attention to the fact that circumcision is not the only – or preferable – option (in the vast majority of cases).

Intact America’s Advocacy and Work

1. Petitioning Medical Organizations: Currently, Intact America’s primary focus is on petitioning certain organizations that can have a direct impact on the rate of routine infant circumcision. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have convened task forces to reexamine their policies on circumcision.

There is speculation that in light of studies done in sub-Saharan Africa regarding circumcision and HIV infection rates, the CDC and AAP may be considering whether to start recommending circumcision on infant boys in the United States as a routine newborn procedure. The CDC could also recommend that the federal government require states to cover circumcision through Medicaid (16 states currently do not cover the procedure under Medicaid).

2. Supporting Legislation: On March 2, the Massachusetts State Senate will consider the Male Genital Mutilation Bill, legislation that would outlaw the genital mutilation of both young girls AND boys in Massachusetts. Intact America is currently gathering testimony from people across the country who want to speak out against routine, non-therapeutic infant circumcision. By sharing the stories with the senators, Intact America will have a substantial role in the hearing.

3. Educating and Spreading the Word: perhaps one of Intact America’s most important functions is to educate others about the issues surrounding routine infant circumcision. Intact America has a presence on several social networking sites (see below for links), sends out an electronic newsletter, has information available on their website, and much more.

How You Can Help

Intact America can only be as strong as the people who support the campaign against routine, non-therapeutic infant circumcision. Here are a few ways you can get involved:

1. Educate Yourself: Visit their website to learn some common myths and facts about circumcision. There are other websites that provide excellent, well-researched information on the subject. I’ve included links to many of them in my series on “researching circumcision.” (Please read them if you haven’t had a chance yet: part one, part two, and part three.)

2. Sign the Petition: Intact America has a petition on its site that you can personalize (if you so choose) and sign electronically. It will be sent to the CDC.

You can also use their form “letter to the editor” to send to a newspaper in your hometown.

And if you are feeling really inspired, you can take the tools they have provided and start petitioning on your own: the AAP, your local legislature, your pediatrician, and more.

3. Connect on Facebook and Twitter: Become a fan of Intact America on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Share their status updates and retweet information to your friends, family, and followers. The stronger their supporter base, the greater their impact.

4. Make a Donation or a Purchase: Wear your convictions by shopping at the online store. If you don’t feel like sporting intactivist gear, make a tax-deductible donation in any amount you can.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Profile: Intact America. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Researching Circumcision, Part 3: Common Concerns
2. The Locker Room Argument
3. Researching Circumcision, Part 2: What Is Circumcision?

Intact v. Cut: Common Concerns

There is an abundance of misinformation floating around about circumcision. Some of this is due to outdated (and subsequently proven untrue) “scientific” articles, some to current studies that were not conducted using scientifically acceptable methods, some simply to old wives’ tales. Thankfully, there are several trustworthy sources available that can help parents sift through the misinformation to discover the truth about circumcision and its consequences. Following are facts and links to more resources on the topics that often concern parents about intact v. cut penises.

1. Circumcision does not prevent HIV/AIDS: “Transmission of HIV infection is caused by risky behaviors, such as multiple sex partners, failure to use condoms, and contaminated instruments or needles.” Recent studies, however, claim that circumcised men in Africa have a lower chance of contracting the AIDS virus than men who are intact. Aside from the fact that scientists and scholars have questioned the methods and results of those studies, there are several compelling reasons that the African research is inapplicable when discussion routine infant circumcision. (1)

First, other studies provide evidence that the exact opposite is true: circumcised men in Africa are actually more likely to contract the AIDS virus than are intact men. (2) Second, it makes no scientific sense to compare the behavior of adult men in Africa to the behavior of infants in the United States. The populations “have too little in common . . . .”

Third, “the US has the highest rate of medically unnecessary, nontherapeutic infant circumcision in the world – about 56 percent of male babies today undergo the procedure, . . . and yet the HIV infection rate in North America is twice the rate in Europe, where circumcision rates are low.” If circumcision prevented HIV, it should logically follow that the United States would have some of the lowest rates of AIDS, since men have traditionally been circumcised here. That is not the case. (3) Fourth, the average sexually active heterosexual American male has a 0.03% chance of becoming infected with HIV in his lifetime. If that heterosexual male was high risk? He still only has a 0.3% chance of contracting HIV in his lifetime. Circumcision has no effect on that number, but the use of condoms will drastically decrease the risk. (4)

“Circumcision cannot prevent the spread of HIV; circumcised men contract HIV, transmit HIV, and die from AIDS. ” Moreover, circumcision does nothing to prevent the transmission of HIV to a female partner. (5) Circumcision is not an HIV vaccine. To protect your children from HIV and other STDs, educate them about safe sex practices and teach them how to use condoms.

2. Circumcision does not prevent STDs: Again, the United States “has the highest rate of circumcision of any Western nation (by FAR the highest as our rates are about 50% and the next closest is Canada with a rate around 10%). We also have the HIGHEST rate of all STDs of any Western nation (including HIV). Developed nations where 98-99% of their boys/men remain intact have the lowest rates of STDs (including HIV). If circumcision ‘protected’ against diseases[,] . . . we would NOT see these figures to such an extreme and obvious degree.” (6)

To be more specific, here is a collection of scientific research on circumcision and STDs:

Cook et al. (1994) were unable to show a definite benefit for circumcision—finding a slight tendency for non-circumcised men to have more syphilis and gonorrhea, but less tendency to have genital warts. Donovan et al. (1994) reported no significant difference between non-circumcised and circumcised men. Van Howe (1999) found circumcised men may be slightly more likely to have urethritis and uncircumcised males may be more prone to genital ulcer disease (GUD). Dickson et al. (2008) found more STD in circumcised men but the difference was not statistically significant. The Fetus and Newborn Committee of the Canadian Paediatric Society found that “circumcision had no significant effect on the incidence of common STDs.” The AAP Task Force (1999) reported that “behavior factors appear to be far more important than circumcision status.” The medical evidence does not support the practice of neonatal circumcision to prevent STDs. (7)

3. Circumcision does not prevent cancer: “Circumcision is ineffective for the prevention of penile cancer.” Scientific research has shown that it makes no difference whether a man is circumcised or intact – his risk of getting penile cancer is virtually unchanged.

What about cervical cancer? Same story. “The risk factors for cervical cancer are infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) and smoking. Risk of infection with HPV is increased by early onset of sexual intercourse and multiple sex partners. There is no clear evidence that male circumcision decreases the risk of infection.” (8)

The American Cancer Society has actually written a letter to combat the myth that circumcision prevents cancer in either men or women. The American Cancer Society’s purpose in writing the letter was “to discourage the American Academy of Pediatrics from promoting routine circumcision as a preventive measure for penile or cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society does not consider routine circumcision to be a valid or effective measure to prevent such cancers.” (9)

Do you still need to be convinced? Think of it this way: “Men have a higher chance of getting BREAST CANCER (0.7% likelihood) than they do of getting penile cancer (0.09%).” (10)

Cutting off an infant’s foreskin to “prevent cancer” is ludicrous.

4. Circumcision does not prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs): UTIs are very rare in boys, whether they are intact or circumcised. “[I]n the first six years of life, the incidence of UTI in boys [is] 1.8 percent[;] in girls it [is] 6.6 percent. . . . When UTI does occur, it is easily treated medically. . . . The consensus of medical opinion is that circumcision is of little, if any, value in reducing UTI.” (11)

The most effective way to combat UTIs in boys and girls? Breastfeeding. Studies have shown that “breastfed infants have only 38% as many UTIs as non-breastfed infants.” (12) The following sticker is incredibly apropos:

Get this sticker and more FREE (or leave a donation) at http://www.tlctugger.com/prodStickers.htm

5. Intact penises are actually cleaner: I love Dr. Dean Edell’s response to this argument:

The most common myth is that it’s cleaner to be circumcised. It’s hard to imagine how this has persisted in an era of soap and running water. But certainly it’s understandable that people do get upset with moist places in the body.

A woman’s reproductive tract is certainly moist and contains lots of bacteria, yet no one would suggest circumcising females to make them cleaner. Intact boys and children have nothing to ‘clean’ and a post-puberty man can rinse his penis just as he would wash any other part of his body, and just as a woman washes her genitals. (13)

The intact penis has special properties to keep itself cleaner than a cut penis. Both the immunological properties and the design of the foreskin help keep the penis properly rinsed and moisturized, much like the eyelid does for the eye. (14)

6. Intact penises do not require special care: The number one rule in raising an intact son? Only clean what is seen.

As mentioned in the last article in this series, the foreskin is actually attached to the glans of the penis at birth, much like your fingernail is attached to the bed of your finger. Parents should NEVER retract an intact penis, the foreskin will separate naturally over the course of years. Remember, the glans is meant to be an internal organ – you do not need to expose, touch, or clean it.

Retracting an intact child before he is ready is painful and can cause bleeding and infections. Parents must be vigilant that no one – not babysitters, doctors, or other well-meaning but ignorant individuals – retract their child’s foreskin. (15)

7. Fathers and sons are not identical – their penises do not have to “match”: We differ from our children in many ways, there is no reason that an infant should be circumcised to “match” his father. Many enlightened circumcised men are raising intact sons.

You do not need to repeat the cycle of ignorance.

Similarly, there is no merit in the “locker room argument,” or the belief that children should “match” their peers. Circumcision rates are falling: in the United States, your intact son has just about as much of a chance as “looking like” the boy in the neighboring locker as he does “looking different” – nationwide, only 56% of our boys are cut. (16)

The decision to physically alter your child’s genitals should never be based on aesthetics. It should be an informed decision based on your child’s lifelong heath and well-being, and it should only be made if there is a valid medically necessary reason.

What Are the Benefits of Circumcision?

Are there benefits to circumcision? Its advocates would have you believe there are, and for some men circumcision might be preferable to staying intact.

Whether there are benefits of circumcision, and more importantly whether those benefits outweigh the risks, is a question that each man should be able to consider himself. Circumcision should be an option for a fully informed individual; it should not be a routine, medically unnecessary procedure performed on infants.

More Resources on Circumcision

Are You Fully Informed? (a comprehensive list of articles and websites devoted to circumcision; the author of “peaceful parenting” holds a PhD in Human Sexuality – she works to educate the public on and put an end to this unnecessary medical procedure)

Circumcision: A Response to Skeptics

The Intactivism Pages

National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers

Third Year Medical Student Describes His First Circumcision Surgery

____________________________________

On Code Name: Mama, I share information, resources, and my thoughts on natural parenting and life with a toddler. Please take a moment to subscribe to my RSS feed for free updates.

Please see the following sources and the citations within for more information:

(1) Fauntleroy, Gussie, “The Truth About Circumcision and HIV,” http://www.nocirc.org/2008-07_Mothering-Fauntleroy.pdf
(2) Okwemba, Arthur, “HIV Increases in Africa Where Most Men Circumcised,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/hiv-increases-in-africa-where-most-men.html
(3) The Truth About Circumcision and HIV
(4) Coias, Jennifer, “The Nuts and Bolts of HIV in the USA and Why Circumcision Won’t Protect Men,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/08/nuts-and-bolts-of-hiv-in-usa-and-why.html (The percentages given in the article are actually based on the risk of contracting HIV over a span of sixty years; I said “lifetime” for ease of discussion. Please read the article for clarity.)
(5) Preidt, Robert, “Circumcision Doesn’t Lessen HIV Transmission,” http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=8105119&page=1; The Truth About Circumcision and HIV
(6) “Circumcision: A Response to Skeptics,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/07/circumcision-response-to-skeptics.html
(7) “Doctors Opposing Circumcision Genital Integrity Policy Statement, Chapter 3: Alleged Medical Benefits of Circumcision,” http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/DOC/statement03.html#n18; see also “Circumcision and Sexually Transmitted Infections,” http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/STD/
(8) Doctors Opposing Circumcision Genital Integrity Policy Statement, Chapter 3: Alleged Medical Benefits of Circumcision
(9) “Letter from the American Cancer Society,” http://www.fathermag.com/health/circ/acs/
(10) “A Dad’s View of Circumcision,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/dads-view-of-circumcision.html
(11) Doctors Opposing Circumcision Genital Integrity Policy Statement, Chapter 3: Alleged Medical Benefits of Circumcision
(12) “Position Statement: The Effects of Circumcision on Breastfeeding,” http://www.nocirc.org/statements/breastfeeding.php; see also “How the Foreskin Protects Against UTI,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/12/how-foreskin-protects-against-uti.html
(13) Edell, Dean, M.D., “Dr. Dean Edell Statement on Circumcision,” http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/dr-dean-edell-statement-on-circumcision.html
(14) “Functions of the Foreskin: Purposes of the Prepuce,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html
(15) “Raising Intact Sons,” http://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/raising-intact-sons.html; see also National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers, “Answers to Your Questions About Your Young Son’s Intact Penis,” http://www.nocirc.org/publish/4pam.pdf
(16) “United States Circumcision Incidence,” http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/

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Related posts:

1. Researching Circumcision, Part 2: What Is Circumcision?
2. Researching Circumcision, Part 1: What Is the Foreskin?
3. The Locker Room Argument

So in the spirit of anonymity, I am opening up my site today for anything you, dear readers, want to get off your chest. Maybe you don’t have enough sordid fodder for Arwyn’s series, but surely there is something you’d like to shout from the rooftops without repercussion.

Don’t be shy! Leave an anonymous* comment to gripe about whatever you’d like. And yes, I will comment anonymously too. You’ll just have to guess which one is mine.

Please, ladies and gentlemen: no names or identifying information (if you happen to be venting about someone).

Go!

*When commenting; if you use the email address associated with your gravatar, even if you type “Anonymous” in the “name” line, your gravatar will show up. Use a different email address if you have a gravatar!

(And I am verifying my blog for Technorati: 6WEW8BW2QT2N)

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The recipe is from The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil, M.D., and Rosie Dahl.

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp grapeseed or expeller-pressed canola oil
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/2 c upoatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
2 tbsp millet
2 tbsp poppy seed (Acacia sub’d sunflower seeds, which were delicious)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Directions

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
*Whisk the egg, sugar and oil together in a bowl.
*Mix the lemon zest and all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir witha wooden spoon until all of them are evenly dispersed throughout.
*Slowly add the dry ingredients into the egg, sugar and oil, and mix to create a thick dough.
*Add the milk and mix well.
*Lightly grease a baking pan.
*Scoop up tablespoonfuls of the dough and drop them one by one in mounds onto the baking pan, leaving 2 inches of space between. You should have 10 scones.
*Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the crust is barely golden brown and the dough is dry.
*Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

The book has a recipe for a Zesty Lemon Topping, but Acacia has never made it. The scones we ate were scrumptious without a topping.

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
With a fork mix the Lemon Topping ingredients until the sugar is completely melded in.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon over each scone.

*Acacia said that she usually uses succanat instead of sugar and some other seed or nut in place of poppy seeds.  She also has done half unbleached white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour with a little wheat germ and a couple tablespoons ground flaxseed.
*The book also notes that the recipe will work dairy-free by substituting soy milk for the cow’s milk.

On Code Name: Mama, I share information, resources, and my thoughts on natural parenting and life with a toddler. Please take a moment to subscribe to my RSS feed for free updates.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Multi-Grain Scones. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies
2. Homemade Wheat Pizza Crust
3. That’s How We Roll

What will you plant in your garden this spring?

Monday

Morning
Monday Fun-day with Jax & Sarah

Afternoon
Pretend play
*Sing this song to the tune of “Farmer in the Dell” and act out each verse:

It’s time to plant the seeds,
It’s time to plant the seeds,
Heigh-ho, the derry-o,
It’s time to plant the seeds.

Other verses:

The warm sun shines all day…

The rain comes gently down…

The plant pops through the soil…

We need to water and hoe…

We help our garden grow…

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Tuesday

Morning

Fun with numbers
*We will play Hi Ho Cherry-O, possibly replacing some of the fruit pieces with seeds.

Afternoon
Language/pre-reading
*We will create sequence cards (or a sequence book). The first card will be a seed (or a picture of a seed) with the word “seed.” The second picture will be of dirt or someone planting the seed (we will cut pictures out of magazines) with something like “I plant a seed.” The third picture will be a flower or vegetable along with its name (“carrot” or “rose”).

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Wednesday

Morning
Wacky Wednesdays with Molly & Jenny

Afternoon
Exploring our World
*We will buy and examine different seeds, comparing them to the vegetables they will eventually grow into.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Thursday

Morning
Science Adventures
*We will plant starter plants and watch them grow over the coming weeks before we move them to the garden.

Afternoon
Library & grocery store
*I have a hold on “The Carrot Seed” by Ruth Krauss, and “A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant’s Life Cycle” by Pamela Hickman.

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

Friday

Morning
Kid Swapping with Melody

Afternoon
Messy Play
*We will make scones (the recipe includes seeds! Thanks, Acacia!)

3:00-4:00 – outside
4:00-5:00 – Music & Movement

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1. Toddler Activity Schedule 4 (Hearts)
2. Toddler Activity Schedule 1
3. Toddler Activity Schedule 6 (Winter Olympics)