First and foremost - please don't turn this into a debate on the evils or virtues of ear piercing. Thank you.

DD1 is talking more and more (and more and more and more . . . ) about having her ears pierced. There are quite a few little girls in her pre-primary class that have pierced ears and its becoming a subject she won't let go of. I personally think she's too young at 5.5 and had more in mind age 10, but I can see there is no way we'll last that long - I have told her many time that it hurts when you get them done, that you have to look after your ears with bathing etc, can't change your earrings for ages etc but she still wants them. I have started to question why I've put an arbitrary age on it anyway and am wondering if maybe I'm taking the very mature stance that if I had to wait until I was a teenager then she will too

Anyway, I digress. I remember when I got mine done when I was 13 that it was in a hairdresser's, they used a gun and it hurt like hell. I still remember sitting there not wanting to have the second one done. I've read in various posts people saying that you can get both ears done simultaneously so just wondering where everyone goes these days (all the mums of the preprimary kids had their girls done as babies, so not up to date info).

There seem to be more specialty piercing places popping up - either stand alone places or within shopping centres. Would I be right in assuming that these people would do a much better job than the local hairdresser, or have things changed since I was a wimpy 13 year old?

Thanks ladies.