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Ear piercing: right or wrong?

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You may have seen from my #project365 post or Instagram that last weekend I took Anya to get her ears pierced. Meanwhile in the news, Kylie Jenner has been criticised for pictures showing her 5 month old with pierced ears. So what are the rights and wrongs of this situation?

Firstly let me tell you about my own experience. I was DESPERATE to have my ears pierced when I was little but my mum point blank refused and told me I had to wait until I was old enough to give consent. (She is currently horrified that I have taken Anya to get hers done…)
My childhood best friend and I spent hours trying to push her earrings through my ears but I ended up with tiny scars rather than beautifully pierced ears šŸ™ I gave up.
I got my belly button pierced when I was 17 and again my parents were cross. I didn’t actually get around to having my ears pierced until I was 21 and I LOVE them! I am happiest with dangly earrings but these are not practical when you have small children!

 

Anya is 5. She is old enough to know her own mind. She had commented that she’d like them pierced but not made a big deal about it. I decided it would be nice for her to have sparkly earrings for our wedding next month and she was really excited. I had doubts as she sat in the chair but she didn’t even flinch! I was very proud and she looks and feels very grown up.

There have been a couple of incidents which have terrified me, such as when she grabbed Matthew’s school tie and put it on when they were supposed to be getting dressed then they argued and it was yanked over her head, knocking her earring.

I am not sure if there is a perfect age to get ears pierced. Whilst part of me thinks that infants will forget the pain in the same was as their routine vaccinations, I have concerns about keeping the piercings clean and safe with little ones. Six weeks of special cleaning might be tricky for sleep deprived parents!
I certainly wouldn’t want Anya to try to pierce her ears herself and risk infection or scars so I think I have made a balanced decision waiting until she is old enough to express an opinion and take some responsibility for the piercing.
What are your thoughts?

Categories: Motherhood.

/ 14 Comments

14 comments

  1. Poe

    I got mine done at 7 after asking my mom for them. I took very good care of them and though I rarely wear them now (I don’t want my toddler to grab them and I’ve also become rather allergic to cheap metals) I still have the holes as they are permanent now. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The slip on ones were just not what I wanted.

    #globalblogging

    Reply
  2. Veronica Lee

    I don’t have daughters but I I think ear piercing is a highly personal parenting decision that is getting a lot more controversy than it deserves. I never had mine pierced but I remember my sisters getting theirs done when they turned 8.

    #GlobalBlogging

    Reply
  3. Kim Carberry

    I think as soon as children can say whether they want them done or not is fine but I do not agree with babies getting them done.
    My mother made me wait until I was 16 years old to get them pierced and I did just to annoy her. They lasted a few weeks until I got bored of them. lol

    Reply
  4. Laurie

    I didn’t get mine done until 17, but I think if your daughter wanted the earrings, she should be able to have them. It’s really no one else’s business! One of my sons got his ear pierced when he was a teenager, but he has left it grow closed now that he is a grown-up responsible daddy!

    Reply
  5. Heather Keet

    I guess Iā€™ve always just thought that if the child didnā€™t like them later in life, they just wouldnā€™t wear earrings. I had my ears pierced as a child and had to re-pierce them several times. The holes are completely closed up and I havenā€™t worn earrings for the past 15 years. I guess I just figure itā€™s nothing as permanent as a tattoo so why not let the child get their ears pierced if they want them?!

    Reply
  6. Jacqui

    WE have given our daughters the choice to have them pierced when they are 6. I myself had mine done at 6 as well as piercing my own belly button. So I get what you are saying. 5 months is a little too young for me, but hey, that’s just my opinion. Not a judgement. #globalblogging

    Reply
  7. Sons Over the Yardarm

    I had mine done at 7 for my birthday (though somehow my 5 year old sister managed to get hers done at the same time). Looking back, it seems young, but then if kids are only wearing little stud earrings, I think it looks quite nice. Better than some of the revolting slogans I’ve seen on little girls’ t-shirts, certainly! #globalblogging

    Reply
  8. Katy

    I had always told my daughter she had to be 12. Arbitrary, but I just wanted her to be able to take care of them herself. I’d seen too many of her friends get them pierced and then have problems cleaning them.

    Long story short, she persuaded me that at 11 she was ready –and she was! I don’t think there’s a right or wrong time, just whatever is right for you and your daughter.

    #globalblogging

    Reply
  9. Tom @Ideas4Dads

    They look absolutely beautiful and well placed – I have daughters who are 8, 6 and 4 and my eldest is persistently badgering me about getting her ears pierced – many of her friends have had theirs done which adds to the pressure – Jury is still out on this so will have to see….. #globalblogging

    Reply
  10. Lydia C. Lee

    My mum made me wait til I was 16 – but I think that was based on class/racism – tho she would never admit that! Ha! My youngest got hers done for her 9th birthday. I just don’t think it’s a big deal, myself. I think there are opinions based on old ideas, in the same way when I was growing up no one had tattoos and now they’re normal…#Globalblogging.

    Reply
  11. Random Musings

    I think we’re all too quick to judge everyone else and while personally I find the idea of piercing a baby’s ear wrong, I wouldn’t judge anyone else for it. I think for little babies, it becomes more of an accessory for the parent – why else would they get them done if not to “decorate” their baby, it’s not like their baby wants them.

    I do think once the child is old enough to ask for them done, then there’s no harm in it as long as they understand that turning them might hurt a bit at first. I think I was about eleven when I got mine done and my mum didn’t have any objections, in fact, she’d just been waiting for me to ask lol. Like you said in your post, if they want them done badly enough, they’ll do them themselves or get a friend to do them. I’ve pierced other people’s ears with earrings as a teen and a clean salon with a professional is a much better option at any age!

    Debbie

    Reply
  12. Noleen Miller

    Personal preference is what it is. Some wait until their kids ask them to do it – others just do it on their behalf. I got mine done when I was 5 back in 1981 – I was so scared but after seeing that all the other kids had I also wanted earrings. Then when I had my daughters I did their’s when they were both 2. Both ears were pierced simultaneously so they didn’t feel anything #globalblogging

    Reply
  13. MomOfTwoLittleGirls

    My girls both want theirs done, but not enough for me to go and actually get them done. If that makes sense. I think it’s a personal parenting choice to have babies ears pierced. I wouldn’t, but my kids, my opinion matters. Their kids, none of my business!
    #globalblogging

    Reply

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