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AIBU?

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Original poster

11 year old belly button piercing

141 replies

Momto3smalls · 25/07/2023 20:52

Is it too young or am I over reacting ?

OP posts:
cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 19:47

onlynotafan · 26/07/2023 19:44

@cinnamonfrenchtoast I'm not but society is doing that all by itself. Nobody needs to see an 11year olds midriff

@Lemieux7 cultures where they do belly dancing

Then why are you referring to children as "fresh meat" wearing "tarty street wear"?

onlynotafan · 26/07/2023 19:44

@cinnamonfrenchtoast I'm not but society is doing that all by itself. Nobody needs to see an 11year olds midriff

@Lemieux7 cultures where they do belly dancing

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 19:38

onlynotafan · 26/07/2023 19:08

A belly piercing in some cultures is a very sexualised thing. No way would I allow my 11 year old to be perceived as fresh meat. I don't understand the parents on here saying they have allowed their under 16s to get it done. Do you also allow your daughter to walk the street in tarty street wear. I cringe 😬

Why are you sexualising 11yo children?

Lemieux7 · 26/07/2023 19:35

onlynotafan · 26/07/2023 19:08

A belly piercing in some cultures is a very sexualised thing. No way would I allow my 11 year old to be perceived as fresh meat. I don't understand the parents on here saying they have allowed their under 16s to get it done. Do you also allow your daughter to walk the street in tarty street wear. I cringe 😬

You sound a bit judgmental. I mean in what cultures is belly button piercing 'sexualised'

Riapia · 26/07/2023 19:20

You can’t be unreasonable if you don’t know how you feel about it.

SquirmOfEels · 26/07/2023 19:13

I think it's too young - I'd worry about it catching on something and then tearing (mine was definitely a tear-about!)

And where I live, the terms for holding a license for piercing include "no piercing of u16s except earlobe by gun" (which is annoying - we travelled to a neighbouring borough for needle ear piercing)

onlynotafan · 26/07/2023 19:08

A belly piercing in some cultures is a very sexualised thing. No way would I allow my 11 year old to be perceived as fresh meat. I don't understand the parents on here saying they have allowed their under 16s to get it done. Do you also allow your daughter to walk the street in tarty street wear. I cringe 😬

BashfulClam · 26/07/2023 18:25

It’s a hard one to heal. I had mine done on my early 20’s, it never healed and was constantly yucky. I eventually took it out after a year, took so long as it was really hard to unscrew and painful. I have barely a mark there now, a small red dot is all I have to show for it. I was so jealous of my friend with her hipsters and her belly piercing. She had a spiral shaped ring in and it looked fantastic.

Suckingalemon · 26/07/2023 18:08

I had my belly button pierced twice, the scarring is worse from piercing than the naval exit wound for my laparoscopic gall bladder removal.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 18:06

LuluGuinea · 26/07/2023 18:01

It's unnecessary . They don't have any figure at that stage most of them, also I tend to think it's not a good idea for an 11 year old to look like a 16 year old in little tiny cropped tops. Let them be children until they ready to grow up. I mean, I wore bikinis on the beach at that age, but aside from that, no one ever saw my body no need for it.

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11yo's look absolutely nothing like 16yo's, no matter what clothing they wear Confused

LuluGuinea · 26/07/2023 18:01

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 17:53

Why not? What's so offensive about an 11yo showing their "midriff"?

Show quote history

It's unnecessary . They don't have any figure at that stage most of them, also I tend to think it's not a good idea for an 11 year old to look like a 16 year old in little tiny cropped tops. Let them be children until they ready to grow up. I mean, I wore bikinis on the beach at that age, but aside from that, no one ever saw my body no need for it.

Suckingalemon · 26/07/2023 17:57

Belly button piercings take far longer than ears to heal in my experience. It won't be anywhere close to healing before she's back in PE lessons and she won't be able to take it out.

I signed for my dd to have her ears pierced at 10, the piercer had a chat with my daughter to see if she understood what she was consenting to, and reserved the right to refuse to do it. Which was fair enough.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 17:53

LuluGuinea · 26/07/2023 17:50

Because there's nothing wrong with a young teen or pre teen showing their earlobes. But no child that age should be showing their midriff

Show quote history

Why not? What's so offensive about an 11yo showing their "midriff"?

LuluGuinea · 26/07/2023 17:50

RandomUsernameHere · 25/07/2023 21:31

My immediate reaction was that it's too young, but thinking about, why is it any worse than getting ears pierced? Possibly a stupid question and there may be an aspect that I haven't considered...

Because there's nothing wrong with a young teen or pre teen showing their earlobes. But no child that age should be showing their midriff

Hesma · 26/07/2023 17:50

I believe there is a minimum age of 14.

tillyandmilly · 26/07/2023 17:49

Way too young - what is it with belly button piercings ! I squirm if I see someone with a piercing there - ! They look horrible in my opinion unless you are a belly dancer! 💃🏻

Lemieux7 · 26/07/2023 17:48

In America it's a thing for mums and daughters to get matching tattoos when the dd is 12.

The UK has massive hang ups about piercings of any kind. But somehow doesn't worry about important things like child obesity or drinking too much alcohol.

monsteramadness · 26/07/2023 17:45

No one near us will do a child under 16 without adult consent. Dd asked for hers done when she was 15. I said 'yes, when you can go and get it done without me needing to be there'
She moaned 'I can't believe you said no'
Me 'I didn't say no. I actually said yes'
She went at 17

AngeloMysterioso · 26/07/2023 15:23

Having it done that young it’ll probably grow out quite quickly. I’ve got a lot of piercings but I wouldn’t agree with getting the navel done before about 16.

CaptainSeven · 26/07/2023 15:20

Campbelll · 25/07/2023 22:26

No don’t, at all, ever. It IS permanent as a belly button piercing never heals up. She will regret it massively!

Took my navel piercing out 16.5 years ago. It's healed up just fine. Healed within a few weeks.

CaptainSeven · 26/07/2023 15:17

I'm quite relaxed about this and when my 13 year old DD asked I agreed to find out. The piercer (reputable) refused at that age saying body still changing quite rapidly and there'd be no way of guaranteeing end placement.

Would prefer to wait until 18 as a minimum. DD happy with that.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 26/07/2023 11:50

It's constant cleaning, surveillance, prevention of migration or rejecting, learning about the right type and sizes of jewellery, the risks, healing periods, discomfort etc.

I really think this is hugely OTT and I say that as someone who also has multiple piercings.

I've genuinely never worried about migration, constant cleaning, surveillance or the right types and sizes of jewellery. I just picked what I like from the studio and went with it 🤷‍♀️

Yes, it's painful and yes, you need to keep them clean and make sure there are no signs of infection but that only takes a few minutes a day if that.

NewDogOwner · 26/07/2023 11:48

Be warned: the mark the hole leaves will be permanent. My belly button, eyebrow and nose all have permanent marks/ hollows.

WalkRun · 26/07/2023 11:39

If my child wanted it done at this age, I would think something had gone wrong with my parenting.