Health & Safety Gone Mad - Ear-rings related

[michglas]

DD2 (10.5) has been deciding for the past few months whether she wants her ears pierced and we told her to have a good long think about it. We didn't think there was any pressure to get it done over the summer holidays as in previous years girls have covered their ears in plasters for PE.

Gone back to school 2 weeks ago and girls with newly pierced ears are being told to remove them for PE in line with Council policy. I rang the school today and they confirmed and said there would be a letter going out about this later this week, asking parents to refrain until summer holidays. They said if i chose to remove her from PE, there was nothing they could do about it but they wouldn't be happy. I rang the Council today to confirm and they said it has been policy for 10 years and obviously the school haven't been conforming. They also said that they had emailed the schools before the end of summer term asking them to let parents know that any ear piercings should be done in the summer holidays.

Given that i made DD2 have a good long think about it, I am not about to tell her that she has to wait another year. If the school had put the newsletter out like they were supposed to then we would have got them done in the summer. So I damn well letting her get them done this weekend and i will remove her from PE in the interim - getting them done with needle opposed to gun, so they should heal quicker.

Am I unreasonable?

Why not homeschool? You can play basketball all day with earrings in then.

This was the rule when I was at school. Years ago.

Sheesh, I hate "health and safety gone mad!!!" type statements. I would never imagine that children should be wearing any jewellery in PE, no matter what the school say.

I know that our school handbook (in Glasgow) has always said that all jewellery must be removed (not "covered up") for PE.

I wonder how many PE lessons the OP's daughter will miss before she decides that she's rather take them out and play with her friends.

oh and elphin get your fact straight, really funny how they are and the piercist confirmed that by law she has to accompanied by an adult

In my opinion, this isn't anything to do with your dd's age. My dds are five and seven and both have their ears pierced.

You do seem to be missing the points about common sense and the value of education. It is common sense to get ears pierced at the start of the holidays (I didn't need any school rules to tell me that) so you can care for them and allow them to heal on time for when school starts.

Education is important and you will not be doing your dd any favours by letting her miss school lessons just so she can have her ears pierced. The school is simply following the rules it is supposed to follow, and they aren't exceptional rules either, they are very standard, sensible rules.

It's toe the party line, by the way.

Does it make any difference to you that in 5 pages not one person has said they think what you're doing is ok?

'It's toe the party line, by the way.

'

Better if it was tow the party line though, then you could just drag it to wherever you thought it should be.

"I`m going to take my child to the tattoo shop that me and DH got our last tattoos done"

O-kaaay!

By the way, who's in charge in your house? You can't possibly tell your DD that there's been a change of plan? Why not?

I could almost understand the belligerence on OP's part if she'd had the child's ears done already and THEN been penalised ('AIBU, dd has been BANNED FROM PE, am FUUUUUMING with school' etc). But they haven't been done, so why on earth do them now?

'Malcontentinthemiddle ' I agree; the OP should feel very relieved that she know the rules now, and has time to tell her dd that she has to wait until the next school holidays.

I taught a child with a mother like OP a few years ago. Every boundary pushed, etc. in the name of producing a free thinking, independent child, showing the school who is the boss, having the right to decide which rules mattered and in making the child feel special.

Let?s just say the child had a very rough ride through school. (Not because the staff disliked the child or held a grudge, before you ask. In fact we all felt hugely sorry for her). Rules are there for a reason, not just to p### children and parents off. Learning when to conform is a life skill, especially when making and keeping friends, getting and doing well in a job, staying safe. And the poor child just didn?t get that. I don?t want a class of robots, I really enjoy working with a class of spirited, thinkers, but I do want to help my class prepare for a good path in life.

The OP is annoyed at the rule, annoyed that she is subject to rules, annoyed that the school didn?t inform her when she expects they should have done; she clearly sees no value in school rules or in PE lessons, so the voice of MN reason will not change her mind. All I can say is poor daughter (and poor school!)

Abigail - 'poor daughter (and poor school!)'

Quite!

This happened to me once when I taught Y2. The mother was outraged that I made her dd take her hoop earrings out, and actually left the school over it! She then found that the rules were exactly the same everywhere else, and tried to bring her dd back. Unfortunately, the place had been filled. Her poor dd was lovely, felt very sorry for her.

I knew some parents who took their daughter out of year 10 because she had a tongue stud fitted one weekend without checking the school's rules. She wouldn't take it out and her parents supported her decision. They took her out of school but then couldn't get her into the other local school either.
They decided to home educate her rather than realise that waiting 18 months would make more sense.

She was half way through her GCSE courses and no one ever asked for her coursework. Pity really, she was on course to get some good grades.

I never understood how having a tongue stud was more important than her education.

Obviously MigratingCoconuts you don't have a personality of your own unlike the OPs daughter and are a robot and civil servant who toes the party line

translation you are a reasonable responsible adult

I'm not getting involved in this thread, I'll have enough of the real thing starting on Tuesday. Sigh.

ps i think Op is trying to justify the fact that she is just scared saying no to her DD

Indeed - and I am off to get R. Daneel and R. Giskard their school uniforms this very day....

@ ProfessionallyOffendedGoblin

I think somef parents are scared of being the responsible big bad adult and not their child's best friend by making unpopular decisions.

I have permanent scars from an earring-related accident when I was a child.

Not the end of the world but wouldn't have happened if I'd had them done a bit later instead of primary age, when I was running around and playing.

YAB very U.

My daughter's friend has an ear lobe very like this caused by earrings in an after school gymnastics club when she hid her earrings under her hair ... which is why I feel strongly that there is a good reason for removing them during any physical activity (not just PE)