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.

[corythatwas]

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

No, it's not. In Scandinavia not allowing it until 15 or 16 would be perfectly normal.

[DrCoconut]

My mum left getting mine done until I was 2. I'm not sure why because its usual to have them much younger (we're not "chavs", "tacky" etc either). I was fine, my mum dealt with aftercare and I had no infections (unlike some people who were forced to wait then left to it). I'd say there are definite advantages to being younger and have no regrets. 6 and requesting them is fine if bodily autonomy is an issue

[Cecilychampagne]

My DD had hers done at 8 1/2, mainly because of a middle school ban on earrings so it was then or wait till 13 at high school. She was too young to manage the cleaning and earrings herself and they took months to heal. Bit of a mare. Would have been better to wait till ten when she could manage herself.

[MotherofA]

My first DD had it done for her 8th birthday but was asking from around 6. I don't doubt I will be a lot more laid back with DD2 haha .

[VestalVirgin]

I'd make her wait until she's 16. The brain doesn't mature until 25, so ideally I'd want to wait until then, but since they get to do everything anyway at age 18, there'd not be much point in it.

Of course, you should explain why she can't have her ears pierced, not just forbid it.

Parents have a responsibility to prevent their children from making decisions they might regret later. A child's brain isn't fully matured and allowing a 6 year old to make decisions about her whole future life would be unkind.

When I was that age, I wanted to start smoking because it seemed like a cool thing to do. Good thing I had parents who didn't agree (and also didn't smoke themselves).

[NattyBatty]

It's impossible for Claire's to be hygienic because it's impossible to clean those horrendous piercing guns properly. Add the fact that they make the wound more traumatic (in a physical rather than emotional way) and they are generally a bad plan. I've never met a self-respecting piercer or pierced person (as in, body-mods are part of who they are) who will use one of those things. If you want a piercing then go to a studio and get a fully licensed piercer to do it with a sterile needle.

[Funnyfarmer]

Thank you @natty. I honestly thought everywhere did them with a gun.
When the time comes I'll look around some proper studios.
Anyone got any advice about them?
Never set foot in one in my life.
Things to look out for? Thinks to walk straight out if?

[user1497357411]

I was 13 and quite honestly I think my daughter will have to be close to that age before I let her.

[dotdotdotmustdash]

"I love my baby and think she's the most beautiful person on the planet"

"Hmmm, there's something not quite right about her, something that makes her look a little bit plain....what can it be?

"I know! I've got it! I'll stick some holes in her and hang some metal from it - that's going to do the trick!"

Is that really the thought process? I must be broken because I didn't get past the first sentence when my children were young.

[LottieandMia]

'If you want a piercing then go to a studio and get a fully licensed piercer to do it with a sterile needle.'

Places that have these licenses cant do piercings for under 18s

[LottieandMia]

'I'd make her wait until she's 16. The brain doesn't mature until 25, so ideally I'd want to wait until then, but since they get to do everything anyway at age 18, there'd not be much point in it. '

How ridiculous (and controlling).

[JacquesHammer]

Places that have these licenses cant do piercings for under 18s

That's incorrect. There's no legalities surrounding the minimum age for non-genital piercing

[JacquesHammer]

Posted too soon but studios impose their own age limits, there's no ruling so a piercing studio willing to do lobe piercing on a 11 year old isn't acting in breach of their licence.

In fact genital piercing may also be covered thus - can't remember the current rules

[Hammondisback]

Personally, I think it looks awful on young children. I'd wait until she's a teen.

[endelessworries]

It's her body and her choice. You should not interfere. She's big enough YABU

[Highalert]

6 is fine, Claires is fine too, You can always take the earrings out if she doesn't want to keep them in.

It's not really that big a deal.

[Highalert]

Lol at making them wait until they are 15, By 15 my DD had several ear piercings and a nose piercing..

[endelessworries]

corythatwas

We should be comparing countries. In my country earring are totally normal and a teenager getting drunk in the park is totally unacceptable. In the U.K. Is the opposite.

[endelessworries]

Shouldn't *

[Crumbs1]

We always went with 16. Definitely quite common for very young white British to have pierced ears. No real harm but it looks so awful.

[paxillin]

It's her body and her choice. You should not interfere. She's big enough YABU

Is she though? What about a lip piercing? Nose? Eye brow? Belly button? Nipple? Why not, if it is her body and her choice?

[NotTheDuchessOfCambridge]

Claires is fine for ear piercing, the gun type of piercing has been around for a very long time and is nothing new. I have had both types of piercings and the needle definitely hurt more.

[paxillin]

But if the gun cannot be sterilised, you can catch blood-borne diseases, including, among others, syphilis, HIV, HepC I assume?

[endelessworries]

paxillin

I was being sarcastic. There's a recent thread where 15 years old are encouraged by their own parents to drink alcohol from young age and that's fine to offer alcohol to someonelse child without consulting the parents. So I do not understand the big fuss about earings.

[paxillin]

I see endelessworries . Im which case she can chose her drink, too. Her body after all.