To get my 7 year old’s ears pierced?

[ToPierceOrNotToPierce]

My 7 year old DD has been desperate to get her ears pierced for ages, since starting school. Have always said no, not until you’re a bit older. So many girls younger than her at school already have their ears pierced.
Would I be a terribly irresponsible mum if I allowed her to get her ears pierced at 7?
I’m worried about them getting pulled when she’s playing but equally it’s not as though she’s a baby or even a toddler and I’m thinking of getting them pierced.
Genuinely interested on others opinions on this as I’m so torn on it.
Thanks!

Wait for the summer. Having them done now would be troublesome at school in PE. We aren’t allowed to touch earrings and they get pulled out , pushed on too hard, get dirty and itchy. Not nice for the children.

My dd got hers done age 7.5 at the start of the summer holidays. IMO if she's asked for a sustained period of time she obviously wants them and it's not a whim. Had no problems.

Her body her choice imo. Show her video's of what to expect so she is fully aware of her decision.

Also as others have said better to wait until the summer hols so they have 6 weeks to start healing before school restarts.

I wanted at the same age and didn’t get, ever. Eventually sorted it aged 20!

I don’t think they just get what they want just by pestering. Personally I think 10/11 seems appropriate.

I’ve said to dd just before she’s 10 (Sept birthday). This is because I think she’ll be able to look after them herself pretty well by this age. Plus school go swimming at the end of yr4 so I’ll have them done after during the summer hols. She’s been asking since reception when others started having them done. Some in yr6 have two piercings now. I was only 3 but it was the 80s so times were different back then. I think people would judge now. I think 7 is fine if you want the responsibility of looking after them.

I think it's fine if she wants it done. English people are funny about this whereas in Ireland (and I think most of the world?) it is normal to let little girls wear earrings.

Summer holidays before senior school was my compromise.

I had to wait until I was 16!

Her body her choice if she wants a tattoo as well?

I always thought once old enough to understand it hurts, and it’s permanent. My daughter decided to have them done age 10.

I made my DD wait until she was 11. Most of her friends had to wait too though.

Mine were 7 but I did them in the summer holidays so they didn't miss PE.

Bit chavvy at primary school. Why the rush to modify your child's body?

Whilst I don’t agree completely with ‘her body her choice’ because I wouldn’t let DD decline her vaccines or other necessary medical stuff, a tattoo is a ridiculous comparison. For starters it would be illegal for an under 18. Also, take your earrings out and they’ll close up with only the teeniest of dents you can barely see. My mum had hers done at 16, didn’t wear earrings during the first covid lockdown and had to have them re pierced as not a trace of the original piercing! You definitely can’t say the same for a tattoo.

I would leave it another couple of years. Only because we did our 7 yr olds earlier this year. Firstly because we did it properly, with needless, they were done one at a time. After the first she freaked and was fussy with the second. Secondly her ear bed for absolutely aaaaaaaaages. The ear piercing was fine but the tatoo/piercing bloke said it must be because she got herself in a state after the first one. Thirdly we left it 8 weeks then took them out, then she would never let us put them back in again. Screamed terrified. So I assume she’ll need them done again.

It was a pain for gym and ballet too.

My dd was desperate to have hers done by about 7

I got her to wait and she had them done in the school holidays between leaving primary and starting secondary (so was about 11)

She felt very grown up and it was like a right of passage-they healed in the 6 week holidays

My father said I had to be 18 and I had 3 sets by the age of 16!

Depending In what your schools policy is for PE (ours has recently changed to not letting them take part in PE with earrings in whereas they used to be able to still take part of they had tape over them) I’d maybe wait until the summer holidays can then be removed for PE. My 3 girls all had them done very young so could always just remove them for PE

Why the need for a word like ‘chavvy? You just sound like an elitist fool.

I insisted my DS stopped biting his nails first, on the grounds that if he didn't have enough self control for that, he couldn't look after a piercing properly either. But mainly as an incentive to stop nibbling. He stopped and had an ear done when he turned 8. Some years later he's let it grow over and you can barely see the spot.

Get them done if you want but not because other kids in school already have them...silly reason.

My DD asked last week (she's nearly 6) and I told her about my experience getting them done at 5 and how painful it was especially getting my hair caught in it. She's been put off for now! Though I won't allow her if she asks until she's at least 10/11

My 5yo DSD mum's got her ears pierced despite my DH saying he was against it as she was too young.

We're just past the 6 weeks mark and she wanted to take them out. There was a lot of puss and one of them looked particularly red. She wore a new pair of earrings (same metal as the original ones) for a day then wanted them out because her ears were sore. We've tried a few times to put earrings back in, used ice and everything but she just keeps crying and saying they're too sore. They're now probably going to close up but I'm not willing to traumatised her by continuing to try.

I think kids should be allowed them pierced when they're old enough to change the earrings themselves, clean them themselves and aren't going to burst into tears at the slightest pinch.

This with bells on.
Hope your DSD is ok

Exactly this.

My 11.5 year old daughter just had hers done for Xmas. She does all the daily cleaning etc.

It's a tiny piece of precious metal , hardly 'body modifying'

My DD had hers done in the Summer before Secondary as the Juniors weren't allowed to wear them at all in school.

Cartilage piercings aren't considered permenant either , different boroughs have different rules .
DD couldn't get hers done in London Zone 1 but could in Zone 6 .

My then 7 year old got them done at Christmas (because her sport she wears a helmet for was on a 6 week break)
Not a big deal most of her classmates have them done (I'm in Ireland too)
We also made the cardinal sin of getting them done in Claires..(no issues/infections after)

Tiny pieces of precious metal don't spontaneously appear on one's ears, so of course it's body modification.