DD 9 wants her ears pierced as a Christmas treat

[lljkk]

I know it's been done, am just selfishly starting a new thread to prompt me to mull it over thoroughly. I am mostly worried about practical aspects,

1. Can a 9yo really be relied upon to look after it? I think DD probably would be very good on the self-care side, she is very attentive about her hair most mornings and I never have any input on that. Are newly pierced ears a lot more work than either of us know?
2. Do teachers find it annoying to find tape for pierced ears every PE session?
3. Does anyone want to convince me why they think it looks cheap or nasty, other than proclaiming it as such? (I don't come from a background of believing things are wrong because they are "common" or "chav" or "redneck", so those mere words don't mean anything to me).
4. Anyone with experience want to play up the pain side of it for a child? I fret that she might really find the first ear too painful to bear and then would wimp out on getting 2nd ear done.

Hiya
We finally gave in last Christmas after years of pestering from DD to have her ears pierced. She was 9 as well nearly 10. We got her a ear piercing gift card from Clares and she got them done on Boxing Day. Now she is the biggest drama queen ever but she was fine - went a bit white when she sat in the chair though!
One thing I will say though is to watch when you go as it was a Sunday we went and there was only one qualified ear piercer (is that the term!) so she had to get them done one at a time so there is always the risk that she will get one done them refuse to get the other but as i say my drama queen was fine. Most places have 2 people and do both ears at the same time.
She took care of her ears every day with the lotion we got from Clares and I just checked them to make sure there were no problems and she has been fine.
As for the tape she just had a roll of it in her PE bag and stuck it on quickly every time she had gym and i don't think there were any problems - she didn't say there were.
Don't think they look cheap and nasty. Depends on the earings they wear i suppose - DD is not allowed long dangly things or hoops much to her disgust!
She did get a bit squeamish at first changing them but now she does it no bother.
My only problem is she now wants them done a second time and we have started the pestering for that - she does not have a hope by the way!!
Hope some of that helps x

I would let her, i had mine done when i was 7, my older sister at 9 and my little sister at 4, all seperately and all at our own request. It doesn´t really hurt for long, does it? Bit stingy and maybe kind of throbby that day but then that´s it. Not much to it maintenance wise, from what i remember, certainly wasn´t an issue. You just have to wipe them and keep turning them don´t you?

Didn´t have to tape them when i was at school (sidenote: REALLY?!). Don´t think its cheap or nasty either.

DD had hers done for her 11th birthday. No probs looking after them, though she did say it hurt but more of a shock than pain.

After the 6 weeks and a right old faff trying to get the original ones out, she now wears studs every day for school and doesn't have to take them out for PE and no tape.

She had them done at Claires - first thing in the morning when they were quiet and 2 of them did both at the same time. SHe is now enjoying buying earrings for out of school!
I don't think they look cheap and nasty, but I guess that could depend on the style of earrings they choose.

My 11yr old DS2 wants his ear pierced. I would prefer for him to wait until he is 13. Which is the same age i have told DD1 and DD2 they can have theirs done.

Ooh ta for the tips!
(I don't think it looks cheap+nasty, either, in spite of many long MN threads to that effect, but I guess I wanted to think it thru thoroughly).

So Claire's is a reasonable place to get it done? Any other chains or types of places that do it that I could know about? I am quite concerned to get her good quality first studs, are they all the same sort of quality?

I think a lot of jewellers do it but everyone I know seems to get it done at Claires. The girl there was really good and explained everything and all the studs are good quality. DD got small sparkly studs - sterling silver i think and she was fine.
They were a bit difficult to get out the first time cos there is a sort of safety grip on the back but she changes hers all the time and goes between cheapy fun ones at the weekends to little sterling silver ones for school.

Think Claires start at about £25 and goes up depending on the earrings she chooses

check whether school are OK with taping for PE. ours insists of them being taken out so beginning orf the summer holidays was the best time to get them done.

fwiw DD1 was 9 and was fine looking after them herself.

Our DD had hers done at Claire's when she was 6 and a bit. No problems what so ever despite us losing the bottle of cleaning gear on the way home. how? She did go a bit pale when the two girls approached her, but it was over and done with in about 15 seconds or less. She tends only to wear the gold ones she had her ears pierced with. She does have others but i hide them they are too glittery for school.

Ta, may I tag another question on?
DD got it in her head that this would be an extra Christmas treat in addition to her usual presents.

I am not sure that I should be so generous, especially as other DC may ask "Hey, if you spend 30 quid on her for that, what extra thing are you going to get me?"

Do you think I should ask DD to contribute some of her spending money to the cost of ear piercing and studs? TIA.

The ear piercing was DD's main birthday present, but then we are very stingy!

If there are other things she also wants / you have already got, why shouldn't she contribute, or wait and have it done as her birthday present?

DS1 just received a load of new sports clothes (not part of birthday or Christmas) so I think we will have the initial piercing for DD as a treat on us; DS1 can't complain after what we just spent on him!

Do not get them done at Claire's.

They use piercing guns, which are more dangerous and less sterile and the staff at a professional piercer's will have had much better training! I know it'll probably feel strange taking your DD to a piercing salon (I know they look quite intimidating) but it's safer and often costs less too!