Would You pierce Your Babies Ears?

[jellybrain]

There was a phone in on Radio 2 at lunchtime asking the above question. A woman had been in a shop and seen a parent holding down a clearly terrified child (6 months or so) who was having her ears pierced, she was quite justifiably horrified. Those in favour argued their babies looked cute. One woman said her daughter had very little hair and people mistook her for a boy (she had ears pierced at 2) er whats wrong with a dress, something pink or just girls clothes if you're that concerned?
As you can probably guess I am against it babies and toddlers can't give their consent. It made me mad to hear parents saying that their dds looked cute or really pretty . Yes babies are cute but, they aren't fashion accessories . Of course there is a safety risk too.
Ok rant done over to you lot now.

Don't want to hijack the conversation but Piccalilli I can't go up the hill to Kath Kidson or I will spend money(I know it's twee but I bought a lovely lampshade in there for DS room with cowboys on. They did not have the football one). I've got my eye on a really sweet cowboy apron for him (sounds weird but it's so cool)

Don't want to hijack the conversation but Piccalilli I can't go up the hill to Kath Kidson or I will spend money(I know it's twee but I bought a lovely lampshade in there for DS room with cowboys on. They did not have the football one). I've got my eye on a really sweet cowboy apron for him (sounds weird but it's so cool)

sorry - something went wrong with my post message button

"Would you pierce your BABY'S ears." BABY'S, BABY'S, BABY'S!!!

Sorry. Bad night.

Think it looks gross, even disfiguring, on any baby of whatever colour, creed or culture. It is cruel - babies and young children can't make an informed decision about it and have no concept of the pain involved whether it is explained to them or not. It is done purely for the gratification of the parent and therefore cannot be justified.

Just read through this thread a bit. (Replied very quickly before). Just to say, in MY opinion, to do it for beauty or culture is just the same in my book. It's still very very wrong.
So i don't see a white woman or an Indian or African woman and think one is better as she's done it in the name of 'culture' i think they're all cruel equally.

I don't even understand what satisfaction parents get out of it - why do they want their baby to be adorned like that? Babies are pure so to put some horrid jewellery on them looks tacky and unnatural.

don't see the point in babies having pireced ears but i don't see whats so horrific about it in a child of 5? i had my ears pierced when i was 5 because i asked for them to be done. i'm not from a lower class family, quite the opposite! we were living in germany at the time and every other girl in school had them done. when we moved to ireland when i was 7 all the girls in my class here had them done too, posh or poor.

i wouldn't do it to my baby as i think the poor little mite gets enough unexplained jabbing and poking when she gets her jabs but when she's old enough to ask for them, if she asks for them i'll sit her down and explain about the pain and taking care of them and she can have them done (not in claires btw as i used to know some people who worked there with v questionable hygine)

so go on... call me a cruel chav!

btw, i also don't understand why pain and infection are more acceptable if the baby is asian or black?

But the definition of cruelty depends on culture, don't you think? Just to offer a different perspective, most Indians would consider making your young baby sleep in a separate room incredibly cruel, perhaps even equivalent to child abuse. Doctors will happily pierce babies' ears, but will frown on controlled crying, sleep training and all the methods so beloved here. I got a great deal of flak from my parents for making my daughter sleep in her own room from the age of three. That, to them, is cruel. I can see their point of view, even if I don't want to follow it.

Have to admit to a little surprise poppadum that even though it would appear to be for cultural reasons in your case, you do not actually know the reason behind it.

Maybe if you have an ugly baby, you need the distraction in their ears though?

As I said, there are various reasons. One is that Indians believe it hurts much less when the child is young. The other is that jewellery on children is not considered chavvie as it is done here. You would be considered a very poor mother indeed if you did not deck your child with jewellery, at least on special occasions. I have a great deal of jewellery which I never wear, and my father still insists on buying me more. It's a token of love. It's also seen as an investment,because gold can always be sold in India.

I can see that all this makes absolutely no sense to anyone who is not Indian. It's very hard for me to explain coherently, especially with a toddler on my knee.

I am flabberghasted that earlier in this thread it was stated that it was totally wrong to pierce white children's ears, but perfectly OK to pierce Asian or African children's ears because it was cultural.

Female circumcision is cultural too but it is just plain wrong in my mind. Aborting female foetuses in favour of male babies is cultural too but I wouldn't have any part in it.

Is this taking political correctness too far? If you think something is wrong, why can't you stick with your view?

Apparently your ears and your nose are the only parts of your body which carry on growing throughout your life.
Wouldnt you just hate to have unsymmetrical holes in your ear lobes ??

Personally I had my ears pierced at 14 and would not think of letting my daughter make such a decision before a similar age. Too young = tacky in my view.

oh right so if a white baby has pierced ears, its tacky, chav, common, the mother in uneducated, and the child is ugly, but if the child happens to be asian, or african, its fine? what about the spanish, baby girls there usually have their ears pierced? is that ok because its cultural, or all thay all chavs too?

I really REALLY don't beleive it hurts less for babies. More like the babies can't talk and say how much it hurts, silent victims. Much easier!

agree with you, dumbledores girl, it is taking political correctness too far. I have no wish for special allowances to be made for my culture, but as I said, I find many aspects of British culture to be very cruel. The whole sleep training industry, in fact.

Can I ask if you are Hindi poppadum? Just intrigued as I know there is an awful lot more behind the cultural reasons if that is the case.

oh for gods sake - its ear piercing - not fucking amputation without an anesthetic.

I am Hindu, yes. ( Hindi is a language). But ear piercing is common amongst Christians and Muslims as well. In fact, I don't think I know any Indian girl babies who don't have pierced ears. I imagine the practice is less common amongst British Indians, which I am not.

Sorry, that was a typo not ignorance.

Apologies for the questions. I just find it interesting that something like ear piercing, or the jewellery etc can still be so culturally inherent yet the reasoning not understood. There are specific religious ceremonies and reasons for all of these things.

I am not Hindu yet I seem to be more aware of the reasons than you do.

And no, I am not looking for an argument before anyone accuses me. I am just surprised that's all.

i am suprised too.

Actually Custardo it is inflicting unnecessary pain on someone who can't tell her carer not to do it.

is it not worth waiting until your kids are older and you can ask them if they want it done? i just couldnt stand seeing my baby upset over ear peircing would much rather she was able to understand what was going to happen and consent to it. i actually havent even got my baby christained yet as i would like her to decide when she is older.

no need to apologise for the questions, SC. Yes, I am sure there are more specific reasons, religous ceremonies which are no longer observed, or only on special occasions. I don't know what they are, though.

I am going to leave before I bore myself senseless!