Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to want to punch the mother I saw yesterday getting baby's ear's pierced?

477 replies

ElleBelly · 21/08/2013 11:59

Was in Claire's Accessories yesterday with my 4yo daughter, and there was a Mum getting baby's ear's pierced. Bab must have been about six months, and was screaming her head off, made me feel sick. Cannot for the life of me understand why people put their children through that at that age. It's so cruel. And mother was laughing with friends about it! Have got DS second lot of imms this week and dreading it, pathetic,over emitional,hormone befuddled woman I am, and just think its so wrong to put a baby through that pain uneccessarily.
Sorry for the rant but I so wanted to give her a slap.

OP posts:
ICBINEG · 21/08/2013 23:50

I heard it was 16 with parental consent or something...(may have been drunk at the time)

spottyblanket · 22/08/2013 00:45

Piercing needs to be a matter of personal choice - of the person being pierced.

Babies have no choice, which is why it is fundamentally wrong.

littlemog · 22/08/2013 00:45

usualsuspect why is 16 'ridiculous'? Hardly reasoned debate.

mummysbigsmiles · 22/08/2013 01:14

Why would you want to inflict pain on a tiny baby??? ?? I totally agree it angers the fuck out of me!!!! If my daughter wants holes in her body when shes older then fine but that should be your baby's choice when he or she is old enough! Its not necessary so why do it?!?!?! My daughter has eye drops for conjunctivitis just now and i actually cried the other day because she was screaming when we were holding her down out of absolute fear.... Imagine the absolute fear THEN followed by , what would seem to a baby , excruciating pain?!?!

Dont agree at all!!

Dominodonkey · 22/08/2013 01:21

OP YANBU

Anyone who has their baby's ear pierced is superficial at best, sadistic at worst.
How could you willingly inflict pain on your child for no good reason at all?

The only excuses (I refuse to call them reasons) have been 'it's cultural' (so what, so was footbinding..) and 'so they don't have to experience the pain later' (a bizarre excuse suggesting that ear piercing is as inevitable as tooth growth).

Dominodonkey · 22/08/2013 01:24

And the number of people who have said 'it's up to the parent's MYOB- it's legal' is actually quite terrifying. So it's none of anyone's business if people want to inflict pain on a child for no reason, is it? It's not actually illegal to (for example) give all your children chocolate but leave one out because you don't like him - doesn't make it ok and something not to judge.

MissPiggiesLeftTrotter · 22/08/2013 01:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

littlemog · 22/08/2013 01:28

The school I teach at does just that.

BlingBang · 22/08/2013 02:03

dominodonkey - so are you saying that all these millions of parents all over the world where it is the norm are superficial or sadistic? Wouldn't do it myself to young babies or children, mostly probably because I was born in the UK and it's seen as off here. You would possibly to it yourself if you lived somewhere where it was accepted and quite normal or had been raised in that culture.

Dominodonkey · 22/08/2013 03:15

blingbang perhaps I should have offered a third option of sheep-like'. It's not a cultural practise which is enshrined in a holy book as far as I am aware - what prevents people thinking for themselves?

Mimishimi · 22/08/2013 03:33

YABU. It's none of your business and in our culture, we pierce early.

MissPiggiesLeftTrotter · 22/08/2013 03:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EmmaBemma · 22/08/2013 05:24

"Can anyone think of a good reason for the age limit not to be the same as for tattoos?"

Tattoos are permanent, piercings aren't (usually)

PeriodMath · 22/08/2013 05:34

Since when was "it's part of our culture" a defence for assaulting female babies?

Don't tell me piercing a hole in someone's ear when they haven't given consent isn't assault.

If you pierced my ear against my will, held me down screaming to do it, I'd be able to have you arrested.

theodorakisses · 22/08/2013 06:14

These threads make me laugh. Nice try op, hope you get all the congratulatory pats on the back you are looking for. Get a life and learn to spell and punctuate and once you are literate you can use the search facility and then you will know, as if you didn't already, this a a tedious, smug and done to death festival of smug tedium.

Ketoile · 22/08/2013 06:14

Is there a lexic of abreviations somewhere on mumsnet? What DD means? Sorry new here..

Ketoile · 22/08/2013 06:19

Mutilation is a bit of a strong word for an ear pierced isnt it?
Im not found of it and find ridiculous the way baby look with jewels at an early age but it is part of some culture as well as circonsision and not a big deal

Original poster
ElleBelly · 22/08/2013 06:41

Wow, piss taking about spelling and punctuation. Little bit smug yourself to be honest? Yawn. I'm quite capable of it thank you, typos easily made when typing on phone one handed. I wasn't after pats on back and have been interested to see what other's views are, although kind of surprised how unpleasant some people can be to each other. I didn't realise it would be such a problem to post on something that's been covered before, that rules out quite a lot surely!

OP posts:
theodorakisses · 22/08/2013 06:58

Threads like this are nothing but goading and you know perfectly well that anyone who doesn't agree will be attacked. Child abuse, assault? Jesus, get a life.

theodorakisses · 22/08/2013 07:10

And saying you want to punch someone who hasn't actually done anything to hurt you is pretty bloody unpleasant.

Original poster
ElleBelly · 22/08/2013 07:18

Well she was hurting her child actually,(or paying someone else to) which yes did make me angry. As I've already said, "wanting to punch" was a little tongue in cheek, I didn't realise people were so sensitive.

OP posts:
mynameismskane · 22/08/2013 07:25

I personally wouldn't do it, but I have grown up in a culture that does and had mine done when I was very young. Some people/cultures approach this differently and I doubt the mum was 'laughing' at her baby. The baby won't remember it and will be fine.

mynameismskane · 22/08/2013 07:28

But OTT to say its 'terrifying' for a baby. I know loads of babies who have it done - I had it done - and they get over the pain very quickly. Like I said, I haven't done my daughter's ears, but don't have an issue with it really. I think it's better to wait, but in some ways, having it done when younger gets the pain out of the way and you don't remember it whereas if you are older, you definitely do remember it!

autumnsmum · 22/08/2013 07:29

As someone who has many tattoos the parental consent thing is a myth it is eighteen and all the shops I have used insist on seeing identification which is photocopied

glossyflower · 22/08/2013 07:35

I highly doubt the OP really wanted to punch the mother for upsetting her baby intentionally.
If some of you are picking that up and running away with it rather than the actual concern OP has then you are being very pedantic.