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Original poster

Ear Piercing in children - DD had hers done yesterday

52 replies

SPARKLER1clausiscomingtotown · 29/12/2006 10:34

DD2 (5) has been asking to have her ears pierced for a couple of months now. I was unsure as to whether I thought she was old enough so held back. I was in town yesterday with DH and DD was watching another girl (6) having her ears pierced and mentioned that she wanted them doing again. DH and I agreed but explained to her that it would pinch and that she would have to let me clean them three times a day. She was happy with this.
DD has been as good as gold today. Woke up this morning and said "mummy don't forget to clean my ears". Bless her.
DD1 (7) isn't even going to go there. We have explained to her that we are happy for her to have them done and she only has to ask. She's not ready though - would love to have them done but is frightened of the pain. Poor love.

OP posts:
Blondilocks · 29/12/2006 23:32

My mum told me I couldn't have them done til I was 16, & even at 20 was worried what she'd say as she doesn't like them (although she was fine & says they look nice). ex OH took me & then he took a photo & showed my parents it so I didn't have to tell them. Was all very silly really as I had DD by that point so ear piercing probably wasn't a huge deal to them!!

Ready · 30/12/2006 11:17

4 months????? that is disgusting!

Judy1234 · 30/12/2006 11:42

It's just a cultural issue. People circumcise boys as babies (although arguably that's breach of the boy';s rights as he's hardly consented). Indian babies often have ear rings as babies. 80% of girls in Egypt are circumcised although that is a much much worse practice of course.

Ready · 30/12/2006 11:59

Sorry, I am going to show myself up here. Girls being circumcised... What is that? I really don't want to google it so biting the bullet and asking here instead!!

motherinfurrierfestivefrock · 30/12/2006 12:01

They have part or all of the clitoral area removed, Ready. It is really quite horrible.

Ready · 30/12/2006 12:05

Oh. How disgusting. And wrong. I had no idea such a practice existed.

Tortington · 30/12/2006 12:07

OMGF how could you?

call social services!
its mutilation of the highest degree
your clearly a suasage roll feeder
you chav.

its horrible

blah de arseiness.

Ready · 30/12/2006 12:43

custardo ??? I'm confused. I knew I shouldn't have ventured away from the conception boards again!

Bucketsofdynomite · 30/12/2006 12:51

Sparkler, can I ask why you kept taking your dd to the same shop to look at other little girls having their ears pierced? What did you expect?

Judy1234 · 30/12/2006 12:55

It's done by some communities in London too . It's illegal. I believe we should invade countries that allow it or tolerate it and that that is more important than invitations such as Iraq and issues such as oil. Sadly it is usually the mothers who want it done to their daughters. I would never associate ear piercing with that and I am sorry to connect the two, nor male circumcisum which does not have that effect. Sometimes the whole clitoris is removed which enables you then to control women's pleasure - they are supposed to be less likely to stray and stay loyal to husbands they marry often as children. In some cases they are also sewn up. In this bit of NW London we had had girls at school going to the toilet for 30 minutes at a time because it is so hard to get the urine out. Some of them have to be unsewne before they try to go into labour otherwise they kind of split open.

Nicer parents go to doctors in Lodnon or abroad to get it done (it's illegal here) but abroad many will go to woemn who botch it. Infection is common. It can also cause lifelong problems with menstruation. Sometimes it's just a lesser procedure of tidying up the labia and may be that's cosmetic just like male circumcision. It is very important we all know about it and ensure if our children marry people from those countries where it is done to most girls something is done about it.

That supermodel from Ethiopia has campaigned against it.

nothercules · 30/12/2006 13:47

I read her book. Very shocking.

nutcracker · 30/12/2006 13:49

Mine both had their ears peirced at 2.6

fullmoonfiend · 30/12/2006 14:07

I was a good girl - held out til I was 15 before getting it done, as mu mum didn't approve. Get this, 6 months later, she had hers done, as sheloved all my hippy ear-rings so much
Haven't got girls, so not an issue for me yet (ds's show no interest, though dh has pierced ears)
I mean, it's not like having a tattoo done is it? The holes close up if you don't like it. Though if I had a girl, I'd probably wait til she was able to reason and articulate her desire to have it done.

Lazylou · 30/12/2006 14:22

Personally, I don't like young children wearing any jewellery and that includes bracelts and necklaces. Earrings are slightly worse for me because I agree it is mutilation. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but I just couldn't do it. DD had chicken pox around this time last year, one of the spots scarred her back and I was so upset, as she wasn't born with it.

I know that sounds daft, I just don't like it

MKG · 30/12/2006 14:52

I had mine done when I was eight. I remember asking my mom for a while and she took me to get it done. I remember there were two teenagers there watching, my mom said they were talking about watching me cry, and they were disappointed when I didn't.

I don't like it on babies, my sil pierced her dd's ears and she's only six months.
It looks unnatural somehow.

nothercules · 30/12/2006 15:07

Looks unnatural because it is!

Ready · 30/12/2006 15:38

Xenia, thanks for the info on the female circumcision, that is something I had never heard before, and find sickening.

Lazylou, I completely agree with you, I don't think it is appropriate for small children to wear jewellery. My friend whose little girl has pierced ears always wears a necklace, and I have always thought it was rather dangerous.

It's all about opinions isn't it. Other people's answers have made me stronger in my resolve to not give in too soon (that is if I have a dd!)

janeite · 30/12/2006 17:01

We gave in this summer, when dd1 was 11. She loves them and has been really good about cleaning them, turning etc. DD2 is only 9 and will have to wait at least 2 years, although tbh has shown no interest whatsoever anyway.

I really don't like to see very young children with pierced ears, sorry.

paulaplumpbottom · 30/12/2006 17:28

I agree that its awful when people let very young children do this. I hate seeing little babies and 2 or 3yr olds with pierced ears. Its sooooo tacky.

carlsberg · 30/12/2006 17:57

Its not only girls. Ds2 is 11 and wants his done as ALL his friends apparently have, but I have told his he has to wait for his 13th birthday. He just wants the one done.

suedonim · 30/12/2006 18:16

Where we live in Africa baby girls have their ears pierced as newborns, which I think is sad - a newborn is perfect and needs no embellishment. Dd2, who is v girly and has hair down to her waist, has had a job convincing some Nigerians she's a girl because her ears aren't pierced. I had my ears pierced when I was 22, for a bet and it bl%dy hurt for ages!

oxocube · 30/12/2006 18:34

told dd she has to be 16. She is now 9. TBH, I don't think she'll bother by then - I never did

moonshine · 30/12/2006 18:35

But it's not only embellishment. I had mine done at 6 months - when I say done I mean my parents (Catholic Italians) pushed a needle through them. Apparently it's very easy with young babies because the lobe is so soft. And I certainly haven't been mentally scarred by the memory of the pain! But wearing gold was/is to ward off the devil and bring good luck. I was given loads of gold earrings for my dd when she was born by their friends (as it happens I have no desire to get her ears pierced yet as I don't believe in all that crap, but hey, they thought they would send me to hell if they didn't do it so am not resentful).

lanismum · 30/12/2006 21:42

I had mine done at 6 weeks, as did my 3 cousins, still have my original set 27 years later!

Sparkler1 · 01/01/2007 22:22

Bucketsofdynamite - just read my post back and it did sound a bit odd didn't it? I didn't mean I took her back to the shop just to watch the piercings. It was in Claire's accessories and whenever we go into town dd1 loves to browse all the "crap" like little girls do. Both dds had vouchers from a friend for christmas this year so we were in the shop to spend those. DD2 always headed straight for the chair where they do the piercings and asked me everytime if she could have it done. She is still very good with them and still tells me not to forget to clean them. I will admit I would not have done them any earlier than age 5.

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