5 nearly 6 year old wants her ears pierced. Would you?

[Charsy01]

My only daughter so this is all new to me. She’s mentioned she wants her ears pierced (she’s 6 soon). Would you let her or wait? I was about 7 I think!

A few of her friends in her class have but some will be 7 in the new year school. Dd is one of the youngest. I’m just worried she’ll fiddle with it all the time which totally puts me off as don’t want any infections.

Advice on this please? What’s a good age?

Secondary school is the youngest I would allow (and in the summer holidays to allow healing time). My dad said I had to wait until I was 18 and as a result I've never had mine done. It was more rebellious not to by the time you're a teenager!

From a practical point of view my children were/are very boisterous and pierced ears would be a real safety hazard.

From an aesthetic point of view I think it looks awful on young children, especially babies and toddlers who haven't chosen it, meaning the parents have chosen to stick holes in their baby for their own ideas of what looks "pretty". Yuck. It's not pretty to pimp up a small child. One person's idea of "super cute" is another person's idea of "poor white trash". I'll get called a snob for that and that's just fine.

I have a DD4, who likes to see what earrings I'm wearing, but she hasn't expressed wanting them herself.

But my DH and I have agreed that our rule will be "the summer holidays before senior school" if she asks before then.

@honeylulu

Secondary school is the youngest I would allow (and in the summer holidays to allow healing time). My dad said I had to wait until I was 18 and as a result I've never had mine done. It was more rebellious not to by the time you're a teenager!

From a practical point of view my children were/are very boisterous and pierced ears would be a real safety hazard.

From an aesthetic point of view I think it looks awful on young children, especially babies and toddlers who haven't chosen it, meaning the parents have chosen to stick holes in their baby for their own ideas of what looks "pretty". Yuck. It's not pretty to pimp up a small child. One person's idea of "super cute" is another person's idea of "poor white trash". I'll get called a snob for that and that's just fine.

Slightly more than snobbery there honey.

@MuckyPlucky

Bleurgh. No.

Just the thought of taking my 6yo daughter to get her lovely small young ears pierced with a needle for absolutely no necessary reason is unfathomable to me.

I want her to be able to hang upside down from trees and get filthy in a river without having to avoid the pain of knocking a purely cosmetic wound or fear of germs getting in.

Luckily, my DD also thinks the whole idea is preposterous, as she enjoys being able to play football & muck about in rivers and doesn’t feel the need to decorate herself by injuring her ears for the sake of “feminine beauty”. Basically, she’s got her head screwed on.

What? Why can’t your daughter do all those things with her ears pierced. Would she only wear big dangly things?

Is raising strong daughters not about giving them choices and showing them they’re not limited by their choices? My DD has he’d her ears pierced when she was 8. Her choice completely. She also practices martial arts, climbs trees, swims and enjoys trampolining. I have several piercings and SHOCK a tattoo. I have a job that can be very manual and I enjoy being active in my spare time. Neither of us have never had a problem. To think a piercing will limit anyone’s life, is just melodramatic.

@HoulYerWheesht - my DD just has no interest in changing her body for the sake of adornment. Probably for the same reason she’s happy in joggers, trainers, an old t-shirt and a big grin. She’s just happy as she is (as am I). I too have tattoos like you, but she’s not interested in them either. I used to have lots of facial piercings in my 20’s but have never worn and piercings or earrings since way before having the kids so I guess they just don’t have any idea of the idea of wearing earrings or wanting decorative stuff in their ears as kids. 🤷🏼‍♀️