piercing a young childs ears........

[charllie]

I really don't understand why a parent would want to take their young child out and get their ears pierced!! Having a stranger, or even someone you know, either using a piercing gun to pierce their ears, or using a needle (not sure which one is used for young children) I personally think it should be illegal for a parent to make this decision. Or maybe not that strong, but at least an age limit. Why can't the child make that decision for themselves when they are older. Why take a baby, or even a toddler out to get their ears pierced!!?? In my eyes, its a form of child abuse. Its no different to hitting your child, etc. You are causing them pain, quite often making them bleed, all so they 'look nice' well i think it looks horrible! I've not seen one child/baby that i think awww cute. I have piercings myself and i will not be getting my DD's ears pierced until i feel she is old enough to make that decision for herself and only then, will it be after she has been talking about it for a little while.

Yes but if it was that unsafe as how you are saying, why don't the Drs and nurses feel your a risk for having it done? Do you feel you know better then the NHS on this?

Okay, I don't think it's child abuse, I do feel the way it is done it wrong though and if proper risk assesment of the situation isn't taken then yes, I think it's a bit negligent.

Inneed There are risks with many things in every day life, I have had many, many piercings and have never been treated as being a risk even though I should. Dr's and Nurses do not know how those piercings came about, they do not know if I have had any abroad or in un-sanitary conditions.

For the record, I was 7 when I had mines done, I had been begging since about 4 and finally was given into, in Claire's and have never had any problems with them but it's not just Claire's who use guns, at least they have some training with them and may use a clean guard on the gun to minimise risks. Many places such as small hairdressers and other very small establishments will not be so careful when they are offering each ear for £1.50.

The negligent part imo is the parents who do it because dd has asked for a while, and are under 11. If they wanted to do other things and asked would you let them. "I want to wear make up, especially bright red lip stick". After all piercings are supposed to be an adornment that makes you attractive to the opposite sex, make no bones about it. Why sexualise your dds so young.

Dear lord, have heard it all now.

Tongue piercings are sexual, how are tiny studs in ears sexual?

Earrings are nt sexual. If my dd wanted to wear make up at 11 I would consider it (ie tinted moisturiser etc) they are starting to express their own desires and tastes and I see no issue at all at 11

Totally agree with Schrodinger about the piercing guns, I have a friend who is heavily into piercings but refuses to get anything done outside of a professional establishment which uses disposable guns after researching standard guns.

Claire's also offers minimal training to new staff which in itself presents a risk.

Fwiw I begged to get my ears done when I was 4, sat in the chair happily, got one done and left because I was hysterical. my mum left it to heal for the 6 Weeks then took it out. I then chose to have both "redone" when I was 9 and got my naval done when I was 13.

I would personally ban piercings under 8 if not for personal rayons for the amount of accidents I have seen over the years working with young children due to studs/hoops getting caught, pulled our digging in.

SchrodingersMew They do ask for blood tests its on the same list as have you ever slept with a drug addict, have you ever slept with someone not British and have you had any piercings or tattoos abroad.
Do agree about small hairdressers and the like though.

Blisterpack - random comment I realise but just picking up from earlier Baby Peter's mothe is no longer in prison unfortunately.

Earrings on little children look awful.

How the hell are pierced ears sexual,I've never once heard anyone say a woman looked sexy because she has pierced ears

Kiss.

Why does any female adorn herself with jewellery? To look pretty, beautiful, etc to members of the opposite sex/ same sex whatever you like. You only need to study a little history to know this fact. Whether you or anybody else can't see/ understand it is up to you. However, tis not opinion.

So I suppose those cute little baby bangles you get are sexual too?

There is something wrong with a person who immediately thinks something as simple as jewelery on a child is sexual.

And Men wear Jewelery too, I highly doubt they do it to look sexy.

Men have piercing to btw. My ds looks lovely with his ear pierced. His dad also has about 5/6 on one ear and 2 in the other and its really not sexual. Think there is something wrong with your actual thinking to find little childrens ear piercing sexual.

SchrodingersMew Yeah baby bangles are the latest in the fight against sexualisation (sorry spelling) of our children.

But morethan that comment can be applied to lots of behaviours, lots of things can be described as to attract the opposite sex, and be driven by our desire to find a 'mate' and you can go back further and say nearly everything is driven by our innate primal desire to reproduce which is linked to the desire to survive, I think its a totally obsolete argument, its evidencing the origins of why we did those things not necessarily why (well not consciously) we do them now.

We cut our children's hair, we style it, we put them in clothes which not only are clean but that we like and think look 'nice'. I think you are using that typical feminist argument of the minute you do anything related to your appearance its to feel pretty for men and it is therefore sexualisation, but you wouldn't say that about me plaiting my child's hair or asking if I think she should have a fringe or putting her in a pretty dress. Also what about boys with earrings, are we also sexualising them?

I don't wear it to look sexy either I think my DP would look at me like this if I asked him if I looked sexy because I was wearing earrings and he has his ears pierced aswell and I don't find it particularly sexy, he is just sexy in general though

I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 16 because, in the words of my mother, 'Prostitutes have their ears pierced'.

...As do lawyers, shop keepers, teachers, the Queen, pole dancers and lady farmers.

I was very angry about this rule!

If I am not going to sexualise my dd and turn her into prey for every paedo around and I have considered this and not allowed it. I think there is something wrong with those who haven't.

There is a book I recommend any parent of dds read
"Where has my little girl gone?" Tanith Carey. Also the Home Office Review on the Sexualisation of Girls. Maybe there's something wrong with them too, lol.

Furthermore in my opinion the arguments about the sexualisation of children, particularly girls only stand in regards to overtly sexual imagery or items.

The playboy bunny image for example, if we didn't know its connotations, when placed on a t-shirt for say 7 year olds would not be considered an act of sexualisation, however because we know it is an overtly sexual symbol it becomes sexualisation of girls. Thongs, the word sexy, red lipstick etc are things which are overtly sexual and objecting to them around children makes sense but earrings are not key sexual imagery and are not directly linked to sexuality so I don't think your point stands at all.

I remember begging my mum to let me have my ears pierced when I was 5/6, she eventually gave in when I was 7! It did hurt and I remember thinking I wish I could have had it done when I was old enough not to remember!

I don't think it's child abuse and/or mutilation. It is quite normal for girls and women to wear earrings in the UK and if at a later stage the child doesn't want to wear earrings, they don't have to and an ear piercing is only a dot, it's not like having your eyebrow pierced and taking that out - that's very obvious it's been pierced.

If I had a girl, I think 3 is the youngest age I would have her ears pierced. It's all down to people's opinion anyway, some hate it, some love it and most don't care.

Ear rings are directly linked to sexual imagery as is lipstick its all sexual. Just because you don't consider it like that doesn't mean to say it isn't. Nor does it mean that others won't see it as being sexualised.
You can be offended if you like, I can't help the facts.
When you have read the reports and gained the facts you make your own minds up what to do, its a free country. I made my mind up but gained the facts first as it was important to me not to be negligent. I am the same about clothes and veto many high street stores because of the same.

Not piercing your childs ears so you are not making them prey for paedo's...

Words fail me.

Morethan I don't think you really know what you're talking about, especially when you use the sentence "I am not going to sexualise my dd and turn her into prey for every paedo around".

Also earring are not key or direct or overt sexual imagery, definitely not in the way red lips are.