Those Mnetters who have no problems with very small children having ears pierced.....

[Blandmum]

.....how would you feel about them having nn eyebrow or nose done or a belly button, or even a tattoo?

I don't think Asian babies have their noses pierced (not that I've ever seen). But some young Asian girls have mehndi (temporary henna tattoo).

i personally wouldnt get my babys ears pierced but it is a matter of opinion ?! my neighbour got her dds ears pierced when she was 7 months which wasnt too bad until she then put gold hoops in her ears, a gold bangle on each wrist 2 gold chains AND a gold ring on her finger. erm.WHY??? shes a baby fgs you could let the earrings go but a baby dripping in gold?

I think it's to do with acceptability. Until recently very few people had eyebrows/noses pierced or tattoos. Now it's very mainstream. Pierced ears have been acceptable for a lot longer - though it wasn't always so - my Grandma for one thought they were only for "gypsies".

I think on Mumsnet of the future there are likely to be threads like "Just seen a 4 month old baby have a tattoo - why do people do this?" or "Should I let my 4 year old have her tongue pierced?" And no doubt they will get just as heated as the ear piercing threads and those who object will say it's chavvy (or whatever the term will be by then!) and people who think it's OK will get offended...and it will all go round in interminable circles and no-one will agree.

Only I hope it's not in my lifetime 'cos I'm in the anti-ear piercing camp and my grandchildren get tattoos over my dead body

sorenlorenson-
HERE HERE

its a cultural thing isn't it - about norms and expectations.

i refused to sanction my 16 yo having his eyebrow pierced yet i allowed him to have his ear pierced.

why.

beucase i was afraid that people would make judgements about him on face value. becuase of the stigma attached to a certain class of kid having a pierced eyebrow.

its like asking why wear a kashmire scarf but not a burberry one.

its about cultural acceptance and norms.

I have my ears pierced, in total about 20 holes but only wear 6 earrings, I have my belly, nose, tonugue and upper lip pierced. And I did let my 5 year old have her ears pierced just before xmas, I didn't make her, she wanted them done. I would NOT however let my kids have anything else pierced until they are 16, and as for tattoos, you have to be 18 for them.

I don't see a problem with it here is my son

Nooooooo! Skribble. That's just yuk.

I think it's barbaric to pierce any part of a child, that's just my opinion.

Oh how shocking!

yack and good on this clinic!

Children are not dolls.

sm, this is an honest question. Why did you OK the ears at 5, but wouldn't OK anything else until they are 16? I am just interested as to why we all feel that 'Other' piercings' are not OK for small kids....this is a real question and isn't like the other thread....I'm not making judgments I'm asking a question IYSWIM

personally, I don't like it much but I don't have a problem if other people want to pierce their children's ears. It is only painful for a second, and if its important to them - well why not?
Other body parts are more risky & definitely more painful, so I would be really unimpressed to see a child under 16 yrs of age with anything more than ears done.

My neice had her belly button peirced at 13 yo and her nose peirced at 15 yo. Both with parental consent and her mum acompanied her. I mother couldn't stop talking about how lovely these piercings were. Personally I didn't agree with it but she's not my child. However, her mum wouldn't agree to her having her hair hi-lited until she was over 16 yo as it would "ruin her hair". I'd have less problem with hi-lites at 14 yo that piercing tbh.

i saw a little boy of about 3 once with his nose pierced.
i was [shocked]

Think it's a case of what is the 'norm' in our society.
And when you can just walk into 'Claires Acsessories' with anybodies child and have their ears pierced (don't they even do it for free when you buy the studs?) whereas for other peircings you have to go to a properly trained piercing specialist, it takes time to consider and is not just a spur of the minute thing, I mean how many people have considered getting something pierced or a tattoo, thought it over then decided against it? See clit piercing thread for example.

My kids can get whatever they want when they are old enough to decide for themselves. It's a personal choice to get any sort of piercing IMO and should not be forced on anyone.

Er, has anyone actually seen a baby with a tat then?!

alexsmum - a 3 yo with a nose stud OMG. I thought the 4 mo with the sovereign ring I saw was bad but a nose piercing at 3 yo. I need to lie down now!

There are laws in this country which mean obviously that certain piercings/tattoos can only be done after a certain age, but these do change over time, maybe in years to come, people will be allowed by law to tattoo their children.

I know when I got my ears pierced, at the age of 9, you couldn't just get them done at a shop that sold hair bobbles etc, I went to a chemists type place where they wouldn't do anyone under the age of 8! The lady talked me through it all for a good ten mins and asked me over and over if it was definatley what I wanted.

Not sure TBH, I think that ear piercing is ok, but I know the pain and things that can go wrong with 'body piercings' Yes DD1 cried but she knew that she had to have the 2nd one done or it would look silly. Ear piercing doesn't hurt as much as body piercings and they require a lot more care and cleaning. Ears are the 'norm' where as body piercings are not and they can disfigure (I know that ears can too) but body piercings can be very very nasty when they go wrong. I know there is a chance that dd1 or dd2 might want their nose or belly pierced before 16 but we have both (DH and me) agreed that body piercing is not to be done till they are 16. The piercer here will not body pierce until they are 16 anyway, and as they know me well, they will know my kids ages

oh mb.... that argument simply doesn't follow. There are those of us for whom it is a cultural thing. However, this will be my only post as this will undoubtably become another epic.

I had my ears done as a baby.... no harm no foul!

I was gutted that mum didn't go the full hog and allow me to have my nipples done at the same time. ROFLMAO

I haven't put forward an 'argument'. I have simply asked the question as to why people see some piercings as apprpriate and others inappropriate for small children. what lies behind the choice , if you like. FWIW I don't 'like' piercings of any type on small children and my dd will not be allowed to have her ears done until she is 14...the age I feel she can be relied upon to fully understand her choice...and this is my choice for my child, I am not saying that this should be the norm for all.

and isn't that how it should be, my personal choice was not to pierce my dd's ears as a baby, it would be a choice she would have to made, I put her off for 6 months, she still wanted them done. If a parent thinks that their 4 month baby (I personally think its wrong, but that is MY opinion) needs earrings then that is their decision as the parent. TBH why do we argue about this, its all down to personal choice and what we want to do to our own children.

And FWIW, my DS is 8 and he hates piercings and won't even have his ears pierced, that is his choice and I wouldn't force him to have it done. DD2 is hole-free too, like I said its up to my children when they want their ears pierced, but I am not going to drag them down to the piercers and hold them down, yes I have piercings, but I wouldn't force them on my kids.

Quite, but that doesn't stop me being interested in the reasons behind the choice....part of what makes life interesting IMHO.

I'll be honest, I don't like to see this on little ones, but that doesn't mean that I have a right to make a snap judgement on their parenting and life choices based on one issue. And it definatly doesn't give me the right to be rude about them on MN (or anywhere else).

Sorry you have had a hard time on the other thread sm