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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To dislike seeing young children with pierced ears.

381 replies

Singsongsungagain · 21/12/2015 19:10

Inspired by a picture on FB today of a friend's young child (6 years old) sobbing her eyes out whilst getting her ears pierced.
Why the hell would any decent parent hold their child steady to allow their ears to be pierced? What is it all about??

OP posts:
TaliZorah · 27/12/2015 11:08

Sausage why can't you understand why anyone would want to? I understand YOU don't want to but surely you can see why someone would Confused

sausagepoo · 27/12/2015 13:27

No, I really can't understand why someone would want to, I just don't get hanging bits of metal and jewels from earlobes. I think humans are fine as they are without adornments. I do however believe people should be able to do whatever they like - whatever floats their boat. Each to their own, if people want to pierce anything they own, they can, it's not up to me to decide for them but I really don't understand why they would want to.

TaliZorah · 27/12/2015 13:31

Sausage because they think it looks nice? I'm baffled you can't understand that some people like the look of pierced ears.

I understand that you don't find earrings attractive, because to you they don't look nice. Can't you understand that to some people they look great?

DisappointedOne · 27/12/2015 13:35

But that doesn't give them the right to make the choice for others then! A newborn baby doesn't have any awareness or ability to consent!

DisappointedOne · 27/12/2015 13:36

I rather like the way green fences look. Doesn't give me the right to paint all my neighbours' fences!

Original poster
Singsongsungagain · 27/12/2015 13:39

"if people want to pierce anything they own..."
Exactly agree. And it goes without saying that we don't own our children. It should be their choice to make when they are genuinely old enough to fully understand that choice, and to do all the self care that goes along with it.

OP posts:
TaliZorah · 27/12/2015 13:40

I'd say a lot of children are old enough to understand and care for ear piercings. It's not like it requires difficult care.

Disappointed I've said loads of times I'm on about children not babies. Although pierced ears on babies doesn't bother me at all.

Original poster
Singsongsungagain · 27/12/2015 13:45

Tali, mine became infected at 19. Bled like mad, puss etc. Very painful. My sister had hers done at around 12 and I remember the screams she let out when my mum tried to turn the earrings as per instructions. Not good at all.

It's nice that you have no issue with parents putting holes in the ears of babies without their consent or understanding and regardless of the pain.

OP posts:
TaliZorah · 27/12/2015 13:55

singsong that's not common though. I turned my earrings myself at 8, no screams no pain. I also had 6 piercings by 16, no pain apart from the one I did myself. If it was so painful no one would have it done.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience but clearly that's not what happens often

Bambambini · 27/12/2015 15:17

I had awful problems with earings as a child. For that alone, i don't think it's great for babies and young children - especially if the decision is made for them and not their choice.

I'm surprised it still is allowed from infant age and is not banned till about 10 if not older.

I can't get too excited about it though and recognise that peer and cultural norms and pressure plays a big oart so i can't feel all superior about my non piercing views.

tiredofbadwifi · 27/12/2015 16:27

I was 3 when mine were pierced and honestly I think it depends on the child. My Mum and I were shopping and she asked me if I wanted to get my ears pierced. I said ok, so we went to the piercers. She got hers done first, I watched and liked how they look ed afterwards so I did as well. She held my hand and it was over perfectly quickly. I'm glad I had it done at that age.

Bambambini · 27/12/2015 16:48

I had no problen getting them pierced when i was 5, i was quite insustant as we were there for my older sister. No tears, it wasn't that bad. Same Sister and i took my niece when she was about 7. She very much wanted it done. She cried and made a fuss. We told her she didn't need to get the other done. She stiil went ahead, crying and making a fuss. We were mortified as it was very public in the muddle of the shopping mall and passers by were giving us daggers for putting the poor child through that!

DisappointedOne · 27/12/2015 17:48

We were mortified as it was very public in the muddle of the shopping mall
Sounds delightful.

What with those public beauty services? Do people really have no problem getting their teeth whitened or faces threaded in the middle of a public place? I wouldn't shave my legs in the middle of a kids' playground........

Original poster
Singsongsungagain · 27/12/2015 18:17

You only need to google for a few minutes to read lots about the risks of piercing the ears of young children. The fact that some people have no problems doesn't mean that there are no risks.

OP posts:
IceBeing · 27/12/2015 20:30

op there really isn't any point arguing with people who are so self-centred that think that as long as they were fine with something, nobody else's problems with the same thing matter.

There have been people on here who have had everything from pain, through infections, to becoming critically ill...but as long as their's didn't hurt there can't really be a risk...

IceBeing · 27/12/2015 20:31

happily they are probably the same people who will smoke/drink themselves into an early grave on the basis that some great aunt of theirs smoked and drank and lived to be 90......

EnthusiasmDisturbed · 27/12/2015 20:44

Oh yes those wretched uneducated souls they are really beyond our help so why bother Sad

TaliZorah · 27/12/2015 20:47

It's ear piercing not giving your child cocaine.

bigbuttons · 27/12/2015 20:55

cocaine, earring piercing, greggs, fruit shoot, I can't see the difference.

IceBeing · 27/12/2015 22:49

what other option is there when faced with endless repetitions of 'activity (a) is risky - I was injured severely by it' followed by 'oh well I think it is fine because I did (a) and it didn't hurt me'.

It's fine to take risks on behalf of your children when there is a tangible benefit to them. Its fine to take risks WITH YOUR OWN BODY even if there isn't any tangible benefit. But taking risks with other people's bodies for no tangible benefit is just appallingly entitled behaviour.

Far worse than Gregg's or fruit shoots.

Babies and children are people not fashion accessories for their parents.

Serioussteve · 27/12/2015 23:32

Please don't get children's ears pierced with a gun. They cannot be steralised and therefore retain airborne bacteria, blood and tissue spatter. It's unhygienic and unsafe. They also operate by forcing the earring through the ear. Claire's et al staff also receive minimal training. Don't get me started on cartilage piercing with a gun which carries a (not insignificant) risk of shattering cartilage.

It's far safer to have any piercing done at a piercing studio with a needle. Staff are fully, and properly, trained, the needle clears a pathway for jewelry to fit and hurts less, and as needles are fully sterile carries no risk of blood borne disease and overall a much lower risk of infection.

Headofthehive55 · 27/12/2015 23:43

What causes least harm? To pierce on the assumption that they would want it doing and making the baby take an uncertain risk, or to wait thus risking that the baby might have to make its own decision?

Some of the babies will grow up to not want earrings, thus they would have been exposed to possible infection, and pain, for no benefit whatsoever.

On the other hand if you wait, some babies will grow up and choose to get their ears done, thus choosing to undergo the procedure and subsequent possible consequences, at a time when their immune system is better developed.

Bambambini · 27/12/2015 23:45

"
Babies and children are people not fashion accessories for their parents."

Obviously babies and toddlers are different but what age are you referring to? I wanted mine done, was insistent at 5 yrs, my mum didn't encourage me at all. My niece was around 7 and had been asking again and again as many of her friends were getting it done. No amount of explaining the negatives that it might hurt a little or get infected put her off.

Parents aren't always the ones doing the pushing.

DisappointedOne · 27/12/2015 23:48

My 5 year old loves drawing tattoos on herself with felt pens. Perhaps I should let her have them permanent. She's clearly mature enough to decide on a permanent modification to her body now.

[/sarcasm]

DisappointedOne · 27/12/2015 23:49

*permanently

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