Today my seven year old became a man

Monday, December 17, 2012

Today my seven year old became a man

Assalamu 'Alaikum

Today my seven year old became a man

It was a nostalgic journey as I drove my circumcised son out of KL heading for home. I recall vividly this same journey 46 years ago when dad was the driver and me and my immediate elder brother the passengers. My elder brother was in pain and let dad knew about it. Dad chided him for not being like me who was not groaning and taking it like a man. Of course I did not remind Dad that elder brother was circumcised a bit earlier than me and therefore his anaesthetic has gone off while mine is still strong! In brotherly rivalry I still gloat over that day until today.

Times and things have changed tremendously compared to those days. Our circumcision was done somewhere on the premises of GHKL but the stiches were real and had to be pulled out with much agony many times in the weeks that follow. Today the stiches will evaporate, sort of, and doesn’t need to be pulled out.  Dr Zain my classmate advised that Zahir would fare better under laser cutting than clamp. I am informed the clamp is less painful but takes longer to heal and vice versa for the alternative. I took his advice unreservedly, although I would have like to brag the clamp which could have been used on Zahir was actually invented by another classmate of mine Dr Ismail Salleh! Dr Zain is a family doctor of sorts and has been of much service to me and family especially when we had to comply with all minutiae of medical examinations the Saudis require before allowing me to work there many years ago.

Praise be to Allah all went well and in sya Allah the boy will recover soon. It took quite a few postponements due to Papa’s busy schedule before Zahir can have his big day. He saw on U Tube how the parents of the boys in TTDI arranged for the Bomba to hose them down before the collective circumcision in the local mosque. I apologised I could not arrange that but Zahir already had his fair share of inducements. It was actually his own decision to be circumcised at the ripe age of 7. I thought it was because of rivalry at his local Agama school but mum revealed the bravados of Upin and Ipin did have a little to do with it.

The hanged sarong over the bed of the circumcised boy to cover his genital area is customary in the Malay household. When we arrived home I realised we had not prepared this. We improvised by tying the sarong to the wall lamp and Zahir laid on the sofa instead of his bed, in the family lounge, so that Astro and family around him will make him forget any pain. Ice Age 4 and Transformers VCDs to be watched on the laptop next to him, plus a tablet, and Mama’s handphone to play games on, the 2012 little circumcision patient hardly feels the pain anymore. Anyway he showed exemplary bravery with hardly a tear except when mum and I made a mistake with the first iodine swab. Mum is the better doctor and nurse then dad especially when dutifully following the hospital’s stern instruction to remove the gauze on reaching home.

Alhamdulillah all’s well that ends well in sya Allah. My friend Alambo said there are now two men in the house; that’s a delightful statement to a proud dad.

Zahid