4 year old getting pierced ears at Superdrug

Ah fair enough! What's the legal age for consent for children?

@Childpiercinggate saying she wouldn't have done it doesn't mean that regrets it.

I don't regret it letting her make an age-appropriate, low risk, reversible decision about her own body.

I didn't give in to nagging. I made a considered decision to aw her to make a low risk choice about her own body. We had repeated conversations about the pros and cons, risks, how we would manage things if it didn't go well etc.

Ear piercing is something mumsnet goes bananas about but in real life its just not a big deal. Plenty of kids have their ear pierced from Year 1.

As a HCP it's not standard practice to give a child a non-emergency injection if they are screaming.

To say it's OK that a parent has consented despite the child's loud and clear unhappiness (i.e. visible lack of consent) to make a permanent, painful change to their body for 'beauty' reasons is totally unreasonable.

Mean is not the same as a slur. And some people really should get their priorities straight.

I don’t agree with parents who put their child on the naughty step. I don’t like parents who shout at their children. But I don’t start threads about it or call them child abusers. Or compare it with FGM ffs.

You may not like it but it’s not something to get so worked up about that you call people m* if they don’t agree with you.

Parents don’t necessarily have to parent like you and that’s tough. If you want to report them to social services because you’ve nothing better to do then go ahead.

When I was a teenager I saw a toddler getting their ears done in Claire’s and it really upset me. The kid was bright red and screaming. I really don’t think it should be allowed at that age I’m sure people will say I’m unreasonable for cultural reasons. I found it hard enough causing pain to my babies when they were getting their life saving injections. I find it baffling that people do it for cosmetic reasons.

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz I think the most important words in that post you quoted were "most WOMEN". Women are adults and able to understand and give consent. A very young child is vulnerable and relies on it's parents to make the decisions about what's best for them. Just buy them a fancy hairband or hair clips if they want to wear something sparkly!

As I said above, my mum said 16 which is probably too high as well. I think secondary school age.

Your mum is a moron

Oh it's European abuse. That's ok then.

Apart from me, I don't know anyone (female) without pierced ears. So not sure what evidence your comment is based on.

Bloom yes get that FGM is on another level but I was anticipating the "In our culture we do this at birth " comments which sure enough followed.

So just because something is culturally accepted it's still not ok. Ear piercing is the thin end of the wedge I agree. And actually the fact "some cultures " have it done in hospital (by a medical profession I'm guessing?) after the baby is born is even worse.

My 3yo asked for well over a year and I sourced a professional, reputable body piercer who refused until she was 5

I wanted mine done and my mum said I could have them done when I was 16! When I was 16 I didn't want them done anymore and have never had them done.

No body piercer who does 5 year olds is professional or reputable.

To be fair the Pro Pierce Brigade have chucked both Snowflake and Karen into the mix

So mean words on both sides

Just because it's "normal" doesn't mean it's ok. We used to think marital rape and smacking children was ok.

Shops such as Claires and Superdrug should be ashamed to allow this, and I am surprised the staff tell other customers to mind their own business. They should be having a look at themselves when they think it's ok for a small child to scream.

And you can't compare it with vaccination. Vaccination is aimed at preserving good health and saving lives. Piercings are cosmetic and should wait until secondary school age.

Same - I was 8 and had begged for a couple of years. I have never heard of anyone in real life have such a visceral reaction to this

I don't think very small children should have it done and not if they are upset but you're conflating very different things here. FGM and child marriage are not the same as ear piercings FFS

I think it should be banned until a child is old enough to consent.

Straw man argument if ever I saw one!

Such a horrible thing to do to a child all for the sake of vanity.

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Absolutely this

100% agree. I got mine done with a gun when I was five (begged and begged my parents. And my mother being from a culture where it´s quite common to do the ears of baby girls / toddlers ultimately agreed).

But I had so many issues with these piercings. Didn´t heal well, infections (not related to improper care) and they´re also a little too high on the lobe. Do not take children to get this done at highstreet shops or even pharmacies (done in various countries). A qualified piercer should do it!

Of course children can consent (or not consent) to loads of things before the age of 18! Where did you get your law degree?

I am so sick of the snobbery about ear piercing in the UK as though it makes you superior. People need to get a life, seriously. Ear piercing is not barbaric - it's a tiny flap of skin that most women end up piercing 🥱🥱

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I think it's very sad that some parents feel the need to stick holes in their beautiful babies ears just to plonk a piece of jewellery on that they want their child to wear. Why? It's purely cosmetic.

As much as l deplore the piercing of young children, l think it’s important to get the facts straight. The age of consent for sex is 16.

Why mutilate their little ears! I have lots of piercing and got them all as a (stupid, sometimes drunk) young adult. My body my mistakes!

All of the above!!

I’d also like to add that being verbally able to communicate something and able to understand what that actually means and entails is something different
A very diluted example but when I was a child, my dad kept saying the word ‘tosser’ around me. I thought it just meant to throw something so I was playing a game throwing leaves and kept shouting it, not understanding why I suddenly got really told off by my mother.

For me too, I really question what 4 year old actually asks repeatedly out of nowhere (so much that you as the parent feel you have no choice but to relent) to get their ears pierced unless it’s been shown to them or the seed planted already by their parents? If my son has been curious about a few tattoos I have, I explained to him they’re on my skin forever, can’t come off and that you have to be 18 to have them. End of discussion and he doesn’t mention them again, he hasn’t started chewing my ear off asking for a tattoo…