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→How do I care for my young son's intact penis?: Add reference.
The foreskin should never be retracted by force.
During the first few years of a male's life, the inside fold of his foreskin is attached to his [[glans]] by the [[synechia]] , very much the way the eyelids of a newborn kitten are sealed closed. The tissue that connects these two surfaces dissolves naturally over time - a process that should never be hurried.
The foreskin can be retracted when its inside fold separates from the glans and its opening widens. This usually happens by age 18. Even if the glans and foreskin separate by themselves in infancy, the foreskin still may not be retractable then because the opening of a baby's foreskin may be just large enough to allow for the passage of urine.
The first person to retract a child's foreskin should be the child himself.<ref name="Wright1994">{{REFjournal |last=Wright |first=J.E. |title=Further to the "Further Fate of the Foreskin" |journal=Med J Aust |volume=160 |issue= |pages=134-135 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/wright2/ |quote= |pubmedID=8295581 |pubmedCID= |DOI= |date=1994-02-07 |accessdate=2020-09-13}}</ref>
A very young boy usually pulls his foreskin outward. This is normal and natural and no cause for concern; he won't hurt himself. Once a boy discovers that his foreskin is retractable (a wondrous discovery for an intact child), he can easily learn to care for himself. Telling your son about retractability beforehand will keep him from becoming alarmed the first time his foreskin retracts.