6yo asking to have her ears pierced...

[Whatsername17]

Wibu to let her? I'm thinking at the beginning of the holiday so they have time to heal ready for school. I didn't anticipate her asking this of me so young.

No I won't allow it until 13. Then they can look after them properly. (And that's when I had mine done too 😀)

I really doubt many people regret one set of earrings. I don't get the pearl clutching / snobbery about it looking 'chavvy' (horrible word and not true anyway)

The UK is the only place where people are like this about it. Making a child wait til 16 is incredibly controlling imo.

It's pretty much the least invasive thing you can have done. It's nothing like a tattoo- people are much more likely to regret that.

'I was in a jewellers once when a child was having her ears done, she was about 5. She had already had one ear done and was hysterical with the mum and I think the gran holding her down. I said I felt like phoning social services'

Social services wouldn't do anything about that. And you can't force people to parent the same way you do. Most places try to pierce both ears at once so it's over quickly and avoids a scenario like the above.

My 5 year old recently had hers done, I warned her it would hurt. Few tears but she was fine, she understood they must be cleaned and turned daily which she do without any fuss.
I had mine done at the same age so perhaps that influenced my decision.

I'm of Asian (Indian) origin and generally we think it's weird to do it after 1 or 2 unless it's a second piercing. Toddler ear lobes are softer and so they can be pierced with less force and faff than older kids. The older a child gets the more difficult it is to pierce their ears, and the trickier the complications.

Suggest you go to a recommended tattooist/piercer.

When they get them done earlier, it is much easier to keep an eye on them. My DD was seven, old enough to take care and young enough to let be keep an eye!
I wouldn't trust a teen !
But... in all honesty ~ l don't think there is a right age as such.
I agree that the UK is the only place that seems to be concerned about 'chavvy' connotations.
You can have it done by the doctor in the US.

What, ear piercing age is a class marker, too? Is there anything that isn't?

Pax, can't remember if you were one of the posters who lives outside the uk but pretty much everything is a "class" marker in the U.K. If you have enough time on your hands to think about it.

No, I've lived in the UK for ages. Not British myself though. There should be numbers, 12+ for ABC1s, 6-11 for C2 and Ds,

I'd let her have it done as long as she understands that it'll be painful and the need for careful hygiene afterwards.
DS had his ear pierced aged 10 - personally I don't like to see boys with pierced ears but it was his decision - after about 3 months the novelty wore off and he stopped wearing it anyway

"In the olden days when I was a child having your ears pierced was seen as "common" and a sign you were a bit rough"

My DMum tried that on me back in the 1980s. I pointed out that the Queen has pierced ears.....

Def depends on your daughter. I took my daughter to have hers pieced when she was 2 and she completely understood what was happening. She didn't cry, and she was so good at boy touching them. She was only 2 but I explained if she touched them it would hurt and we have not had any problems.

I do think so many children get them infected as we do it when they are too old in the uk so mess around with them too much.

but a child might not enjoy that so much / might find a tattoo shop a little intense

Then they're not old enough to have them done.

Sorry but I wouldn't be happy taking a child into a tattoo parlour. Just doesn't feel right somehow

Why on earth not?

Many tattoo studios also offer piercing - safe piercing in a way that doesn't damage ears. DD is having hers done this summer (she'll be 6 weeks shy of 11) - she knows its either piercing studio or nothing.

I'm another one who doesn't understand the angst about ear piercing. If my seven year old asked to have them done I'd be fine with it.

Mrs Terry Pratchett

My DD is the same but 4 and a half.

Said no to the piercing and yes to the snake. We are now proud owners of a python 😊

It's up to you. I would probably wait till they were a bit older though, and they would definitely have to be able to look after it themselves. Faffing about cleaning piercings and putting earrings in isn't my thing.

I always said when they are old enough to understand the pain, take proper care of them themselves and be able to take out and put back in.

If she could do all that I would go for it.

My DSD's were done when she was 3. She didn't like the piercing bit at all, was screaming the shopping centre down by the time we collected her, but has never had a problem with her piercings since the day they were done. Her mother's choice. I wouldn't have, but doesn't seem to have done DSD any harm.

If DP and I have another girl, we will wait until they ask for them. Be that 3 or 5 or 17. When they ask. DSD hadn't asked and wasn't at all bothered about getting them.

DD had hers done just before she was 7 and she had it at Claire's. Please shoot me now. I hated being made to wait until I was 13 and so I let her when she asked. No issues, no ripped ears, no infections and she dealt with it all herself

My daughter is 5.5. I got clip ons for party bags for her last birthday and started asking. I decided that I would let her. I thought I had mine done at that age and if she's brave enough then why not. She had them done and is so proud of them. She has tiny studs. Not quite sure why people think it should only be done on an older child. The only time I ever had problems was when changing earrings for ones that irritated my skin.

OP I work as a scientist - this didn't stop my DD telling me aged 3yo that girls can't be engineers.

Just because your DH has earrings doesn't mean your DD isn't wanting earrings to look pretty and be like the girls she sees on TV and in adverts.

I was going to say not until 16, but everyone else seems to be ok with younger. I think I was 16.

Kids are growing up too fast, kind of wish they would slow down a bit for their own sake.

I know of babies with pierced ears, now that to me is way too young!

I would go to a proper piercing/ tattoo studio and have them done with a needle, much less painful and heals much quicker than a gun. I am speaking from experience after having cartilage pierced with a needle and my earlobes pierced with a gun, the cartilage healed ina couple of weeks, whereas my lobes were really painful and got infected and i had to take them out

I would wait until secondary school. Also, you decide, not her.

My personal choice would be to say no, too.

Time enough for small children to be making permanent changes to their bodies in the name of fashion / decoration / adornement / creativity.

Good for your dd with her new hair cut. It sounds great! Kids often look fab with short cuts.