4 year old getting pierced ears at Superdrug

[Childpiercinggate]

I was browsing in Superdrug this lunchtime and saw a small child getting their ears pierced. It was awful, the mother was holding the child down and she was yelling at the top of her lungs. I was in the makeup section at the other end of the shop and stopped in my tracks as I’ve never heard anything like it.

I asked to speak to the manager as I was so shocked that they do this in store. The manager told me it was nothing to do with me and the mother had given consent.

Ive written to the head office although I know nothing will be done.

Yes you were unreasonable - mind your own business
No you’re not unreasonable - you’re right, children of that age shouldn’t be getting piercings

Ok I’ll bite. Why are they ‘necessary’?

If ear piercings for children were outlawed (as I believe they should be) then the cheap jewellery companies would jump on the bandwagon pdq and produce a range of children's clip-on earrings and they would become all the rage.

The only white British people I've met with babies/toddlers with pierced ears aren't exactly what you'd call glowing examples of excellent parenting 🤣

Is this a joke? Can't imagine someone being that vain or thick that they think earrings are necessary lmao

Waiting for WHO to update their latest guidelines to say "Breastfeeding is best, vaccinations save lives. Children should have adequate access to clean drinking water, food and earrings in order to grow and thrive"

It should be against the law.

What's wrong with the guns? Was always the normal way back in the 80's. Surely they're very quick & it's over very quickly?
As for the age, I totally agree it's too young & should be her choice when she's older.

This is what I'm wondering. I remember getting mine done in great detail, though it was 40 years ago, mainly because I had been begging my mum for years. She'd taken to using the excuse that I went swimming too often for them to heal up. I broke my arm just before my 10th birthday which meant swimming was off the table for weeks, so I kind of cornered my mum into it; I think she felt sorry for me being deprived of swimming for so long.

Anyway, I felt no pain at all from the gun, the holes were in exactly the right place and they healed no problem at all. It was done at a high street jeweller. I still have one of my first pair of earrings, the ones shot in with the guns (other sadly lost) - little gold studs with sparkly white zirconias - nothing wrong with the quality of them at all.

Yes, that's almost exactly my experience l. Had my first ones done with gun in a jewllers, with piercing studs & gun. No issues whatsoever & I don't know of anyone who did. Only problems used to be either some having a nickel allergy & not being able to wear cheap earrings. Thankfully I Hever had that oroblem!, I bought lots of packets of the piercing studs and did my 2nd & 3rds my self just by pushing them straight myvear whilst listening to Duran Duran on my stereo in my bedroom!!

@StarlightLady Thanks, yes, I'm coming to the conclusion that there is either a feature of the law which allows things which might otherwise be assault / ABH to be fine provided the parent/guardian is doing it or has consented for it to be done to the child... I think smacking in England may be like this, or that there's an anomaly in how the law is being applied in this type of parent/child incident. There doesn't seem to be much logic to it.

Nobody should be pinning a child down, no. But I’m highly sceptical that this even happened in the first place.