My husband is Jamaican and I had a dog when I met him. He was mortally and permanently offended by the fact that my dog slept on my bed and was allowed on the sofas!
It's incredibly ignorant to say that all other cultures are wrong and you are right. Cultural traditions stem from somewhere, there is a reason behind them. There's a reason why so many non - western cultures pierce early and I highly doubt it has anything to do with aesthetics.
If you take the example of dogs and cats, where other cultures might think it is completely vile and a total risk to keep them in your house, what reason might a Western dog/cat lover give in response to the hygiene concerns? Well it's fine just because I love them? And yet people who CHOOSE to pierce early offer valid reasons as to why they've chosen to do this and they are (on this thread) widely ignored.
At least HeadoftheHive, whilst she may not agree with early piercing, is demonstrating that she has heard other people's points and responds to them and is not being offensive. I have no problem having an intelligent, adult discussion with a person like that despite the fact we may disagree. However, there are others on this thread that there really is absolutely no sense in wasting time trying to 'discuss' anything.
noeffingidea I think I have already explained that, but let me try to elaborate. In MY opinion, an extremely large percentage of women/girls do want their ears pierced at some point in their life. I'm aware that others disagree with this, but from my own personal experience (which is all any of us really have to go on when making decisions) it is EXTREMELY unusual to meet an adult female who does not have pierced ears or wear earrings. Therefore, in my opinion, it is HIGHLY unlikely that my girls will not have to go through piercing at some point in their lives. Does this explain my use of the word 'inevitable'? I use the word 'bad' because I don't think anyone can deny that ear piercing at the very least hurts a bit, and at the very worst can lead to infection, more pain and further problems. I believe I have saved my children from that experience, because since they have no memory of it, it is as though they have never experienced it at all. And I believe that their is no risk of infection when the new piercing is properly cared for, which is far more likely to occur when the piercing is being taken care of by and adult rather than a child.
All things in life carry risk and in this instance I believe I had considered them and made the decision that I felt was best for my children.
Whether you think I was right or not, you SHOULD be able to recognise that my intentions were good. And you should also be able recognise that it is not your place to make judgements on how other people raise their children. As mothers we are all just flying by the seat of our pants, trying to do the best we can for our children. And in my opinion some of the vile, nasty, judgemental comments that have been made on this thread are not only unjustified, but immoral. Maybe some people should take a long hard look in the mirror before they start questioning others