to think it should be illegal to get your childrens ears pierced...

[CklarahAndMarbellasMum]

...before they're of an age where they can soundly make their own sensible decision?

Babies in earrings look vile

Totally agree TalkingBiscuit. I wonder what a child would prefer - a dignified mother who had their ears pierced young or a gutter-mouthed embarrasment? Oooh toughie.

my daughter is 5,had constantly asked for her earrings in [stick on gems]which she had from a magazine,she realised this wasnt the same as earrings and on again for the peirced ones,i ignored and ignored and it wasnt untill her daddy went on one of his overprotective rants that his little princess wont do this or this or this sort of thing that i thought the poor kid will be in a convent if he had his way,so the next time she had a moan about her earrings off we went,we paid alot of money and asked for the best safety wise {i know none is the answer] needless to say she never flinched,never played with them,never had an infection and was just perfect,but you know what when she turned to face me the day she had them done i felt sick,a little girl with earrings in its not right i have a younger daughter and will put it off as late as possible,let the stick to the stickons!!

Am a bit at the 'it looks disgusting' comments.

A lot of views seem to be based on some form of faux-snobbery ie the we're all so middle class, we're SO much better that those common council estate types who pierce their babies ears etc.

I am of the view that if you don't like it, don't do it. But I fail to see any need for it to be illegal.

From my own experience, my ears were pierced when I was young, but for ill-health they would have been done as a baby. I remember going to my GP to have them done. It hurt no more than a pin prick. It never became infected or sore.

I had another piercing done when I was an adult at uni, didn't bother cleaning it properly, it got a bit sore, took earring out and hole closed up. So being an adult is no guarantee of 'safe' ear piercing, just as being a baby doesn't mean it will all end in pain, infection etc.

I have DSs not DDs. If I had DDs their ears would have been pierced as babies. With my DSs, I have left it up to them as whilst almost every woman I know has pierced ears, very few men do. So far, DS1 is not interested, but DS2 had his done at 7.

The OP is having a laugh ain't she?

I know, let's have some more legislation which forbids the sale of chocolate to anyone under 21. How about legislation preventing people from buying fish and chips or McDonalds?

I'm in a bad mood tonight. But really, more legislation taking power away from parents? Gimme strength.

Interesting.

Why on eath is it legal to pierce a child's earlobes when it is illegal to pierce any other part?

If eyebrow/tongue/navel piercing was only briefly painful, would that be OK too?

"If you don't like it, don't have it done. Simple"

But the person having it done is the baby and no one asked them if they like it.

Does anyone know how big a hole you can cut in a child before the law does take notice? You can make holes in their ears and you can cut bits of their genitals off (as in this other current thread). Is it based on the depth of the hole or the width?

seen this debate too many times on MN

Yanbu, obviously.

A teenager deciding they would like their ears pierced is one thing. Shoving bits of metal into infants' ears for your own aesthetic satisfaction is another.Why not tattoo them while you're at it?

'benign' earpiercing is an oxymoron, surely?

I have sympathy for those with dcs of the tweenie years but doing it to trusting babies, don't get it, sorry.

Like AnarchyAunt's rite-of-passage theory, where the child can request it or not.

Message withdrawn

I don't care how it looks - personally I wouldn't prefer the look of my DCs with earrings but that's a personal thing. The thing I have the issue with is punching a hole through someone's body without their consent when there is no medical need. What's the argument to that? That is doesn't really matter and it's none of my business!

I had my ears done at 16 but DH really dislikes piercings so I don't wear earrings. We have told our girls they can do what they like to their ears when they are over 18.

I think that piercings should be an informed personal choice and not done before the age of 16. I feel the same about children being forced to join religions.