Pierced Ears?

[angelaartsstudent]

I am not a fan of any piercing in children, unless it is a cultural thing (eg tribal/very old tradition) - and I am heavily pierced myself.

If you want to do it, go ahead, as they are your children and they are too young to make the decision for themselves at the moment....but please get it done at a reputable piercer with a needle. The ear lobe is just skin, so it won't hurt much. I think most of the reason why guns hurt is that the blunt end of the stud is being forced through at great speed, with a lot of pressure. It's like getting a piercing where a clamp is used (navel/tongue) and most people end up with more pain, bruising and swelling from the clamp than from the actual needle. I can vouch for this...clamps hurt! Not on bits like ear lobes though, becuase it's stretchy skin.

I had my lobes done when I was 10, at a chemist with a gun, and I have had endless problems with them UNLESS I wear sleepers (which of course you cannot do right away with a gun piercing). If I even so much as put studs in for a day, they get infected.

It's totally up to you. Personally though, if I was in your position and my DH didn't like the idea, I would wait.

[Boo Boo]

Yeah, gotta say I am totally against it. I couldn't stand to cause DD in what is my opinion unnessary pain, I hate her crying when she falls over let alone when it is something that is of my doing. DD will be alot older, probably 12 /13 before she is allowed. I think kids grow up to quickly and are wanting to look like adults way before their time.

Definitely don't go behind your DH's back, if my DH took my little DS off to get a haircut and cut off all his curls I would be furious and that's an understatement.

Each to their own.

[LimeSlice]

I think the tacky has been used because that is what the op asked.
She said "do you think it's tacky"

:yeahthat:

[MummaSue]

I'm against it, but for this reason: I worked in a jewellery store before I went to uni and once had to pierce the ears of a 3 month old baby.

I'm still traumatised. She screamed the house down. Seriously. I cried when she and her mother left the shop.

No way would I do it to my little one. She can have them done when she is old enough to ask me and know what is happening and what it means.

Each to their own though, they do look very pretty.

[Lulu]

Wow.

Why do people pierce babies ears so young?

[loulabelle]

Wow.

Why do people pierce babies ears so young?

I'm curious. Honestly, the thought never even occurred to me before this thread. No way I'd do it, I just see no need to inflict pain for beauty when a child is so young.

[Phteven]

In some cultures it's the norm.
I prefer the tiny little gold bangles and anklets myself.
http://www.newbornbabyzone.com/wp-co...lls-anklet.jpg

Not only do they look adorable but the tinkle of little bells makes it easy to find them.

[angelaartsstudent]

Sometimes I think maybe it is a gender thing.

Now I am NOT judging here, but I was in the shops on the weekend with P at a cafe at at the table next to us was a Mum with 3 boys and a girl. The girl was the youngest and had a physical disability/slight deformity and was about P's age, maybe closer to 2, but was TINY. She was obviouly happy and well natured but you could tell from her size and physicality that earlier in life she hasn't been well.

She was top to toe in pink with pierced ears.

I say again - I am NOT judging - but I AM curious as to why it was done. If I had a baby with health issues, I wouldn't make it a priority to get her ears pierced. So I wonder why they were done.

I immediately thought maybe that the Mum was so wanting a little girl after 3 boys that she just wanted her to be very girly and 'pretty'. (I write pretty like that becuase everyone's idea of pretty is different!)

Now, I am a bit of a dirty hippy in this regard and just want my kids to be and look whoever and however they feel right being...whoever they feel they 'are'....but I totally understand that some people like the girls to look girly and their boys to look boyish.

[Persephone1]

I had my ears pierced when I was 6. I had two more ear piercings when I was 14. I had my belly button pierced at 18, my tongue pierced at 21, and two tattoos at 22 and 26 respectively. All the piercings and tattoos were reflections of my personality and self-expression (although at 6, I could have waited a few years and arguably wasn't able to comprehend the event) and so I am also curious as to why parents would make that choice for their little babies. To me, it seems to be more about the parents (seemingly from many of the above posts, the mother in particular) and not about the little girls.

[angelaartsstudent]

Ditto Persephone...all my piercings were done when I was older (with the exception of my first lobes at 12, but I asked for them myself)...I started piercing at 16 and now have 22 piercings.

[Rouge]

I guess it's no different to any other type of parenting choice... people weigh up risks and make a decision that is best for them.

Did I pierce my ears for myself? No I didn't. I did it because I had it done when I was little I don't remember it and I've never ever ever thought to myself I wish my parents hadn't put me through such awful mutilation... not once. I sat with my friends at 6, 10, 12 and saw how terrified they were, how some got infected because they played with them with dirty hands etc and the rejections.

I just asked my daughter in a very unbiased way if she wished I hadn't got her ears pierced (now keep in mind we've never talked about it before) and her response was "no way!" I said but would you have preferred to choose it for yourself. To which she replied "Mum you know what I'm like with needles/pain... if you didn't do it I don't know that I ever would have."

So maybe I'm just lucky but that is why I did it because that is how I felt too.

So not all mothers do it out of their own selfish reasons. I know I didn't. And can I just say I've heard mothers say the opposite too... I have a gf who said she wasn't going to get it done because she wanted to take her to get it done when she was old enough to feel and remember the pain so she wouldn't go nuts and get herself pierced all over in her teens. And I know this isn't the case as I know plenty of people who never had their ears pierced but went on to have many piercings.

Just because it is not something you would do please don't make assumptions about another persons reasons for why they make the parenting choices they are. I am not a monster nor am I ignorant or sadistic.

[toomanyshoes]

I had my ears pierced when I was 6. I had two more ear piercings when I was 14. I had my belly button pierced at 18, my tongue pierced at 21, and two tattoos at 22 and 26 respectively. All the piercings and tattoos were reflections of my personality and self-expression (although at 6, I could have waited a few years and arguably wasn't able to comprehend the event) and so I am also curious as to why parents would make that choice for their little babies. To me, it seems to be more about the parents (seemingly from many of the above posts, the mother in particular) and not about the little girls.

hahaha I'm so not listing my past piercings

I had my ears first done when little, with a gun and had nothing but problems and took them out. I wanted to have them redone in year 11 and went to a qualified piercer and never had a problem.

[MummaSue]

My friend is from Goa, but she lives here now. She has a 9 month old daughter and her family have been pressuring her to get her DD's ears pierced since birth
That's the norm in their culture. She was shocked to hear my thoughts on the matter and how I expressed the pain that the little girl was in when I pierced her ears. She didn't think it hurt!!

[briggsy's girl]

Wow.

Why do people pierce babies ears so young?

for me, it was because we wanted to. plain and simple. it wasn't cultural, it wasn't due to pressure, it wasn't to make her more girly or anything like that. we simply wanted to do it. and we did. no different to a parent choosing to do anything else with their child - it's their choice, they do it. we chose to do it when she was young as our niece had been HARPING for earrings from the age of three til her dad said yes at 6. she fiddled, she pulled, she messed about with them - and she had infections for weeks. we decided to get DD's ears pierced when she was young enough that she wouldn't play with them - she was 12 weeks, didn't get a single infection, never showed signs of pain (and she was quite clear at letting us know when things hurt by that stage). she reacted less to her ears being pierced than she did to immunisations!

like immunisation, circumcision or anything else, it's all about personal choice

ZF - don't ask your DP's cousin to cover for you or get it done. the last thing you want is to have dramas within your family. if you and DP can't agree, you either need to keep working on him, or do it and cop the blame yourself. personally i think if he doesnt agree , let it slide. too much conflict there already.

[Lulu]

but why?

It was never on my radar until this thread either! Just curious. I'm not thinking along the lines of mutilation and I know it's sometimes cultural.

I LOVE those little bangles too, they rock my world. If I could have afforded that beautiful gold Beth would have been adorned from wrist to ankle.

It just seems so young to have them done before....I dunno - 5?

[Rouge]

Lucy in my experience its best young or older. In between are more susceptible to infection because kids fiddle. DD never touched them EVER. Still doesn't.

I don't know how else to explain it other than I already have.

[barney]

for me, it was because we wanted to. plain and simple. it wasn't cultural, it wasn't due to pressure, it wasn't to make her more girly or anything like that. we simply wanted to do it. and we did. no different to a parent choosing to do anything else with their child - it's their choice, they do it.like immunisation, circumcision or anything else, it's all about personal choice

.

couldnt have explained it better myself.that just how it was with us.

[Lulu]

Fiddle factor? I get it.

I was happy to make DD wait till she was 11, I spose I don't think it's that important.

However 26 piercings from the age of 16 to 18 prove that they are rather important to HER