Why do parents insist on ear piercings on babies and toddlers?

I decided long ago my girls would not be allowed to pierce their ears before they are 12, are capable of taking care of it themselves and can pay for it themselves. When they are ready we'll got to the piercing parlor here that is run by RNs where they will have a straight needle piercing... NO GUNS. Then we'll go for lunch and movie after, or something like that.
 
RoseRodent said:
You never know, the child may never ask.
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I agree with you. There are some adults who feel that ear piercing is against their religion (and some religion that support it even though it is not a requirement). It is better to leave it alone and let them decide for themselves if they want it. There are other ways to make them more feminine. Pretty hair clips/hand band/ dresses.

btw, I know plenty of adults who never asked for piercing.
 
I actually remember getting my ears pierced. I remember I was young(four or five or something I think), but not too young that I couldn't remember. The anticipation was far worse than the actual piercing, and being a bit used to physical pain at that time, it was rather small potatoes. I had to go for a second piercing after the holes closed up when I took off the earrings for a little while. My mother said she was going to take me as a baby but she never got the chance when we still lived in the same house as her in-laws. It was worth it, I didn't cry, although beforehand I felt anxious because I thought it was be insane unbearable pain. After the first one I wasn't anxious anymore and I was happy because I got to choose which earrings I got to wear first.
 
I had to wait until I was 10 to have my ears pierced. It made it that more special for me because I wanted it so much. At that age, I was able to care for them myself.

My mom is almost 70 and still doesn't have pierced ears. Her mom did, though.

I wasn't supposed to have anymore piercings, but I double pierced mine when I was about 17. My parents didn't fuss, which surprised me because I broke their "rule."
 
i have one cousin had her ear pierced when she was a baby because many people thinks shes a boy but no shes a girl so she went ahead and got her ear pierce... its varies on parents opinions....
 
I got my ears pierced when I was 7 or 8 something like that, I had asked mum if I could get it done... That was the only piercing she paid for...

I'm 27 now and have 13 piercings hahaha :D (would be like 21 if some didn't get close up) and they're all very tasteful :)
 
I've seen older children who want the piercings cry at the top of their lungs. It's more traumatic for them than babies. It's the same with circumcision. If you're gonna get it, it's better to get it when you're a baby.
 
I wish my parents had gotten my ears pierced when I was a baby because I had very low pain tolerance when older and would preffer to not remember it. I think it is good if parents insist on pierced ears to do it yhoung because its easier for parent to keep baby's ears clean than active toddler or rely on older child to do it themselves. My friend got her ears pierced at age 5 with guns and did both at same time and one gun got stuck. No matter what I would go to a professional to get it done. I had my ears pierced finally at age 16 with a gun and it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I expected. But I changed the piercing studs out for real earrings too early and ended up having an allergic reaction and my ears started growing closed over the earrings so I took them out and haven't had any piercings since. I wish I could though.
 
My philosophy is wait until they're old enough to pay for it themselves and to do the after care and maintenance themselves.

When I was a kid, it wasn't common for WASP women to get pierced. They wore clipn on or screw back earrings. By the time I was in my late teens, the hippies made piercing more popular.

I was 23 when I got my ears pierced. I was the first person in several generations of extended family to do so. :lol:
 
Reba said:
My philosophy is wait until they're old enough to pay for it themselves and to do the after care and maintenance themselves.When I was a kid, it wasn't common for WASP women to get pierced. They wore clipn on or screw back earrings. By the time I was in my late teens, the hippies made piercing more popular.

I was 23 when I got my ears pierced. I was the first person in several generations of extended family to do so. :lol:
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I didn't let my girls get theirs pierced until I felt they were mature enough to take care of them themselves.
I've never had mine pierced. The rare occasion I wore earrings they were usually the french back/screw on kind.
 
LoveBlue said:
I've never had mine pierced. The rare occasion I wore earrings they were usually the french back/screw on kind.
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I remember wearing those, but they were antiques. Does anyone know if they still sell them?
 
marcyp06 said:
I remember wearing those, but they were antiques. Does anyone know if they still sell them?
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My husband had pierced earrings made into frenchbacks for me years ago. That's probably your best bet.
 
shel90 said:
Got my ears pierced at 3 months old. Dont remember being in pain so I wasnt traumatized. :dunno:
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Ditto.....

Piercing babies is the norm in my family. Doubt anyone went to see a shrink for that when they got older....
 
Tousi said:
Maybe, just maybe feedback if there's enough metal?
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Nah. I'm pierced all the way down both ears, and the only problem you get is if you have the little flap on your ear- the tragus- pierced, or the anti-tragus, the little ridge across from the bump, or anywhere that also interferes with earmolds. Lol. Don't know is this would get in the way of the slim tube/done/open fit kind though, don't wear them.

http://www.navelrings.biz/ear-face-piercings.html
 
My sister and her husband had my niece's ears pierced when she was about 4months - and she cried a whole SINGLE tear.

They did them at the same time, and it was literally over in less than a second - and hurts much less than the multiple routine shots they get.

In their case is was mainly a cultural thing - his family is from Argentina and (with Spanish and Italian roots) and it's a cultural norm to pierce infant girls ears.

I have to say, she's had no problems what so ever, and if she decides later for some odd reason she doesn't want to wear earrings she doesn't have to (everyone else in the family on both sides has at least one set of earrings though - I have 2 sets and got them done at 6years old and 9years old ...only because we wanted to wait until all my ear surgeries were finished with first because I typically got the pressure bandages to wear for weeks post-surg .. not great for earrings.

My niece has the kind of earrings with a flat back that really locks (it might also screw/thread on - I'm not sure, I haven't changed them out since she usually stays with the gold ball studs)... she can lay on them and they don't leave any mark at all anywhere (even my studs leave a little mark if I sleep on my side all night) and she's never ever complained of fussed with them.
Every once in a while if she's looking in the mirror and someone else is wearing the same gold balls as her she'll touch her earrings and the other persons and go "ohhhhhhhhh" and giggle (like "heey you have the same earrings as me! neat!"). The rest of the time, she treats them much the way I treat mine - as part of my ear. (I wear plain studs, either gold/silver balls or small "diamond"/cubic zirconium inset stones)

Like everything in life - it's important to respect other cultural norms, even if we don't want to apply those norms to ourselves :)
 
I cringe at the thought of my daughter asking me for a piercing. good thing she too young to know right now anyways.
 
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