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

I think 4 is a stupid age to get ears pierced.

I know in Spain the midwife will do it when the baby is a day old and a child would never wear anything except studs.

That seems to me better than at 2 - 8 years when they are old enough to remember and not really old enough to care of the piercing and don't know how painful it can be.

I agree it does not compare with FGM, which is obviously much worse. But this is not the point. Two wrongs do not make a right.

We (hopefully) teach our daughters about consent and then we do this to them.

l have 3 ear piercings, a nose piercing and l am going to get my nipples pierced. The difference is l have thought about it, read about it, discussed it and taken myself to the studio of my own free will and choice.

I don't believe this. In Claire's they pierce both ears at the same time

I am so sick of the snobbery about ear piercing in the UK as though it makes you superior. People need to get a life, seriously. Ear piercing is not barbaric - it's a tiny flap of skin that most women end up piercing 🥱🥱🥱😵

In some countries, they pierce a little girls ears in the hospital after birth.

That's absolutely shocking that poor little girl.

My DS is 9 and we only got his ears pierced this past Saturday, in a proper piercing shop, he'd been asking for a couple of years but I'd kept putting it off until I thought he was ready, and because he's usually very sensitive to pain, even though I gave my consent the lady doing it made it very clear that if he changed his mind and even thought the word no she'd stop.

After the first one she asked him if he was OK for the second one and gave him as much time as he needed before doing it.
Forcing it on a kid is awful, especially in a place where they use the guns.

What's even more shocking is that 29% of voters think that this is OK.

Did the 4 year old even want her ears pierced, or was it the mother's wish?

The are at least 2 issues here you are ignoring.

1. Consent.
2. Piercing should not be done with a gun.

Can someone explain to me how this isn't an assault / ABH? How would the police deal with a situation like this if it was reported as an assault?

You sound ridiculous honestly.

I'll bet there are more than a few posters on this thread who do things like punish their child for perceived misdemeanours in a way that I would consider to be less than good parenting.

But I don't start threads about it because it's none of my business. If you're so worried report people to social services - you'll be laughed at 🤣

@StarlightLady in your opinion. All this snobbish nonsense about piercing not being done with a gun is a brand of pearl clutching found only in the UK.

Like most people I know, I had my ears pierced with a gun in the 90s in a hair salon and never had any problem. Most people did.

People need to get their priorities straight.

Surely this is assault?

I have a relative with needle phobia and unless she can be calm and still for vaccination etc, even medical procedures cannot be done. If she were protesting; screaming, crying, trying to move away, I've been told by the nursing staff that they are not allowed to continue. I have medical POA and can give consent for her, but she still has her own consent rights and if she does not demonstrate it, it's not taken as given.

So how can this be allowed?

Piercings should be subject to the same age and legal restrictions as tattoos.

Complained to the manager?! Okay calm down Karen. Not your child not your business. The child probably asked for their ears pierced. A lot of girls do want them done you know

100% agree my girls have never had problems with theirs either

Gorks?

Off to google

God Only Really Knows

I would imagine they'd laugh and tell you to stop wasting police time

Abuse of children is everyone’s business.

Yes 4 year olds are full of great ideas aren’t they! My 4 year old regularly asks for sweets for dinner and to go to bed at 10pm!

Inflicting pain on children for vanity reasons is cruel and frankly stupid.

Looks bloody awful on children too.

@Childpiercinggate you have an interesting username

I am so sick of the snobbery about ear piercing in the UK as though it makes you superior.

@Dollenganger333 If not piercing a small child's ears because they don't want them piercing makes me a snob and superior it is fine by me. Why does anyone think that small children need their ears pierced? It's just a cosmetic adornment, not a life improving medical procedure

People need to get a life, seriously. Ear piercing is not barbaric - it's a tiny flap of skin that most women end up piercing 🥱🥱🥱😵

Women who want to pierce tiny children's ears need to get a life. Adults get their ears pierced because they choose to do so.

In some countries, they pierce a little girls ears in the hospital after birth.

That doesn't make it OK. In some countries small boys are circumcised and girls undergo FGM. These aren't OK either.

YANBU. People piercing their young children's ears (worse even babies) is such a trashy thing to do and automatically screams "I'm a shit parent who is only interested in vanity and ensuring my daughters are girly girls who like pink frilly dresses" at worst. At best, screams "I'm a shit parent because I don't think carefully about what I'm doing to my child before I do it"

My mum didn't let me pierce my ears until I was 13 which I think was too late personally, I'd let my daughter get hers pierced at whatever age she is mature enough to understand its going to hurt, she has to look after them, clean them etc - not sure what age that will be as we're not there yet, but I won't be putting a strict age on it, rather a "Is she mature enough yet?" limit. I'm going to guess around 10 maybe, but who knows 🤷‍♀️ She may never want them pierced and that's fine too, I'm only going to take her to get them done if she tells me she wants it!!

Comparing this to FGM is ridiculous and frankly, offensive.

FGM is a form of violence which is inflicted on girls so that they grow up, unable to experience sexual pleasure.

For adults yes, not children I remember multiple times being pinned down by medical staff as a child because it was for my own benefit and my parents decision. Obviously piercing and medical procedures are very different but it's not assualt

Can we please not misuse the word child abuse its insulting to people who have actually suffered child abuse

So I personally loathe ear piercings and earrings on babies and very small children but it’s likely this girl wanted and asked for her ears pierced. Liking it to an assault or child abuse is silly and offensive to those who have experienced actual child abuse. Also getting your ears pierced doesn’t really hurt? It’s maybe stings a little, and as long as they are kept clean they shouldn’t get infected.

Would I force a child to get them done who specifically didn’t want too? No, but in the situation when your child has asked, and already had one side done and they become upset and need to do the other then it would be a case of just get on with it and she will be happy later with two sparkly earrings.

In lots of countries it’s a cultural thing to get them done as babies, here in the UK it’s chavy especially on babies and very young children. I would likely support a ban until legal consent was given like tattoos.

Interesting. I'd like to see the legal side reconsidered for these purely cosmetic procedures.

Can you explain why babies is worse even? I have zero recollection of it done.

It is much worse to do a screaming terrified 4yo?

Maybe because your opinion is all about snobbery, and how it looks on babies?

In lots of countries it’s a cultural thing to get them done as babies

That's no justification for having them done.

When DD was a small baby she often sicked up a feed. As she was lying on her back the sick often went over her ears. Keeping a piercing clean under those circumstances would have been just about impossible.