How long between asking and getting ears pierced?

[AmIreallyBeverly]

Assuming you are happy they are old enough to make the decision and look after them, how long was it between your child first asking to get their ears pierced and you letting them get it done?

Please no discussion about piercing babies or toddlers ears. They are too young to decide or give consent so it isn't relevant to this discussion.

The problem with his stance is it can backfire. My Dad was very anti piercings and tattoos so as soon as we were old enough to get them done without permission my sister and I went off and got loads of both because we could.

I agree. Ear piercing isn't a fad - in my world it's the norm for most females and a lot of males. If your kid asks, just go ahead with it.

This - I think secondary is a good time to get them done but as they have to take them out for PE start of summer holidays is by far the best time to do it. Mine had been asking for ages but I felt that this was the most sensible.

Do your kids immediately and always get what they ask for? You wait for ear piercing because it’s expensive and a treat, just as jewellery is.

OK. Fad is the the wrong word. A temporary desire that she may regret then. 😊

DD asked when she was in year 4. So we waited until she was in yr6 and if she still wanted to she could. So I took her over the summer holidays. Not realising that her senior school has an absolute ban on all jewellery including small studs 🤦🏻‍♀️ she had to remove them at school the first day! Which lead to trouble with infection and now wears invisible studs so she dosent have to remove them.

My daughter asked, and we went and got it done.

Not sure what kind of 'making them wait' game you are wanting to play, but we don't do any of that.

mine is too little yet to ask but id probably wait until the summer holidays so p.e. removal isn't a issue for a while. My mum said I had to be 16 but she relented when I was 11 in the summer before secondary school.

I wanted mine doing after starting secondary school. My mum said not untyI was 17 as that was when my sister had hers done.
She eventually relented and said I could have them done at 13 if I paid for them myself.
My sister paid for me to have them done and my sister-in-law took me. Had them done at a jewellers with a needle and gold sleepers put in. This made them easy to clean but doesn't seem to be a common option these days!

Still highly unlikely though. I know you had a bad experience but I don’t know a single adult woman that doesn’t wear earrings regularly. And so what if she doesn’t want them anymore, take out the earrings and that’s that.

Waiting for the holidays I can understand. Making it a birthday present also not a bad idea. I get it if you need to save up. Of course school policies have to be considered. But once they reach the age of being able to care for them themselves and have asked then I really don’t get why you’d make them wait just for the sake of waiting. Maybe I’m really missing something but it makes no sense to me.

Really? I had mine pierced when I was 9. Don’t think I’ve worn earrings since I was about 22 so imagine they’ve healed up now. Thinking about my group of friends I’d say about half wear earrings.

It is not a making them wait game.

the piercers we use will not pierce any child under 14 in any way. They will only pierce lobes between 14-16 and only with a parent present and written consent and photo ID for adult and child. After 16 they don’t need the adult but they do need their passport and to sign consent forms and they can still only have a few more, nothing intimate until 18+

Im not sure how 13 year olds can pop off for a rebellious nose piercing unless they are doing it at a friends with a hot needle

Easier to get done over summer holidays.

DD asked at almost 15. We booked an appointment about a month later. She wore the earings for about 9 months but then stopped bothering, so the hole has mostly closed up. She hasn't had any issues with it though. If she wanted to start wearing earrings again she would need to get them re-pierced. She is prone to 'fads', however (autism) and this turned out to be another example of one.

I can only think of one of my friends who wears earrings. Most of the older women at work do though.

I had my ears pierced at 10, they healed over and I had them done again at 12. Looking back it was probably a reaction to the jewellery. They are the only piercing I still have issues with today. My piercer put some flat backed jewellery in for me a couple of weeks ago so I could try and fix them up. I have several other piercings and tattoos but these are the only ones that cause issues. I say this because now that we know better than to use guns everything else has heeled better so there's every chance your DD would have a better experience.

My daughter first asked about age 5. We thought that was too young, so we made get wait until her 10th birthday.

If you're happy to have it done at the age she's at now, I'd just take her, I wouldn't make her wait

I asked for them at 7. Had them done at 14. Looking back it seems ridiculous that I had to wait another lifetime for something fairly basic. After all those years waiting they got infected the minute I put different earrings in. Tried again and happened again. Gave up.

It’s expensive so I wouldn’t do it as soon as they asked regardless, just like I wouldn’t buy an expensive toy or gadget as soon as they asked. They’d have to wait until their birthday or Christmas.

That depends on family circumstances; I didn't consider it expensive, so if my daughter had asked when she was already 10, I said l would have just taken her.

Yes of course, I’m sure there are plenty of families who buy their children everything they want as soon as they ask! Although to be fair I wouldn’t even if we could afford it. As you say, depends on the family. It’s around £60 where I am so definitely birthday presents territory for us.

My DD was around 7 or 8. It was definitely more expensive than I'd expected so I think 'saving up for it's (you or the child) is no bad thing. She's 16 now and doesn't bother with earrings but she has had her septum done.
I wasn't allowed til I was 17 as my stepmother thought it was common (she thought that about a lot of things to be fair) . I've got multiple piercings in both ears now.

Even if you don’t consider it expensive- and it’s £60 where I am, which I think is a lot - it’s still something special and serious. That makes it special occasion territory for me, not something you just do like that. My local piercing place will do lobe piercings on under 16s but it needs passports or birth certificates for both parent and child. They take it seriously and so should parents.

Why do you regret it? If you don't want to wear earrings, just don't. I've read all your posts so I saw what you said about piercings being permanent, but even if people do see the holes in your ears, they'll just think you have pierced ears but aren't wearing earrings...hardly unusual.

Most people with pierced ears don't go piercing or tattoo crazy. And if they do, so what? That's their choice and nobody who loves piercings and tats is going to be dissuaded because their parents made them wait a bit. They'll do it sooner or later.

Mine was around 8 when she started asking. We agreed when she turned 12 but she hasn’t got around to arranging anything yet (it’s been over a year) or asked about it since. So, despite her vociferous advocacy, I think she was more bothered that we’d said no to something!