to think babies wearing earings is totally unacceptable

[PixieAndDixie]

Took kids to indoor playcentre today and my DS 2 was playing with a baby boy that wasn't even walking just doing that standing up holding on to things I am guessing about 10 months old. Anyway he had an earing in each ear - one was a stud the other a hoop WTF?? A hoop for obvious reasons is unacceptable right?

I feel FURIOUS with parents that get their babies ears peirced, I mean why would you want to??

Bluejelly - v.good point, have never considered it in that way before

jewellery is banned at my dd's school so she had to take her earring out (she only ever had one done cause she took the earring out of one ear too soon and it closed up!)

I'm looking at my little one who is sleeping peacefully snuggled into my side, and who has identical but miniature versions of my own ears! Thing is, though, they aren't mine to do with as I please, they're hers, and I think my job as her Mummy and guardian is to do just that; "guard" and keep her safe and perfectly intact until she is old enough to take responsibility for herself. Then, she can do what she wants, whether it makes me grind my teeth or not.

Besides, she's perfect and I can't improve on perfection.

I wonder if there should be age regulations on ear piercing of children in the same way as there are with tattoos?

my daughter is half asian i had family telling me, she should have earings and i should put bows in her hair,i think because she is so beautiful, but i,m not one to dress her up in pink pink,i want her to be comfortable and happy.she,s not a trophy or a puppy to show off, which is what i think it,s(ear piercing) about.

Urban - I too used to think "???" at small babies dressed as animals...

Until DD1 had her first pink fluffy all-in-one rabbit moment...

Too cute!

the thing is, it's all very well to want to distinguish between boy and girl babies, but why not dress them in blue/pink?

much less painful for them.

and yes, it might be only a little pain, that they won't remember, but seriously, why cause them pain at all? pain that is, after all, totally unnecessary?

Urbandad, the cultural thing with the greek cypriots is that it was something they always did. Apparently they used to shave babies heads as well as they thought it would make the hair grow curly. My mum wouldn't let my nan do that either.

Bluejelly it might not be a huge pain at the time, but it can have consequences like infection or accidents like my daughters. I think A&E's have an average of one admission a week due to problems with piercings.
If the wrong material is used ie not gold then there can be long term allergy problems.

i had my ears pierced with gold (at 15) and they still got infected. turns out the only metal i can wear is sterling sliver or 24 carat gold. even surgical steel and titanium brings me out in a rash.

i think an age limit, like tattoos, is a brilliant idea. i mean, no-one thinks that tattooing a tiny baby is ok, do they?

verylittlecarrot your post is spot on, and you can not compare decorating a child in designer clothes and hats with ears, with the cruelty of piercing their ears, its is just wrong and selfish of the parent to do it.

There are so many instances of people being really cruel to children around the world, I cannot get exised (sp?) by earrings.
Think of the children tied to beds in orphanages in romania, the baby girls abandoned in China, the children working in Indian sweatshops.

Agree Bluejelly.

its doesnt make it ok! just because there are children suffering worse fates around the world, that would be like saying its ok to beat my child with a stick because in some third world country there is a child suffering more than mine! there is no comparison, these parents are inflicting pain on their children for there own vanity, doesnt make it OK because other children suffer worse things!

Agree cruel/tacky/tasteless but in some cultures perfectly acceptable.

totally agree with you FireworksInMyLuckyUnderpants why would anyone inflict unessassary pain on thier child unless it was beneficial to their health, madness.

wot fireworks said

But imagine the scenario:

Small child (4? 5?) Running around the park, laughing, shouting, climbing, swinging, playing, blah blah... is appropriately clothed, supervised by parent, obviously adequately nourished, pierced ears...

Small child (4? 5?) Living in S.American sewer with orphaned siblings...

Perspective, that's all.

I am not saying that just because there are worse things going on we should beat our children with sticks. And some so-called cultural practices are cruel (female genital mutliation springs to mind). But really I think we have to keep ear piercing in perspective.

And one person's tacky is another person's cute ( as we established with the ears on hoods thing!)

Agree fireworks.
Between the worse of two evils............what a silly analogy anyway!

perspective?? its a completely different senario, you cannot compare that! we are talking about pierced ears not, thats like condoning child abuse because in S.American some kid is living in a sewer...where do you draw the line?

agree with littlemiss and slim, silly analogy.

this perspective argument is really getting on my tits. Pain is pain. It's not less painful because another child feels more pain.

my position:
before kids: thought it was trashy, because of own snobbery.
Now: don't get as far as the snobbery (still probably under there) bcs too busy feeling shock that a mother could look her baby in the eye while doing that to them.

bluejelly ears on hood is not painful to the child? so how can you compare that?

What I'm saying is there's a lot more to get worked up over than whether a small child has pierced ears or not. If that's what you want to expend a lot of energy and emotion getting "furious" about... (as stated earlier on)

agree onebatmother silly argument, pain is pain to a child regardless, im off to bed.

but my capacity to get worked up is not limited,is yours? I get worked up about pierced ears, I stop getting worked up about child slavery? No.