Thread: How young is too young?

Angelina Jolie's getting a whole load of stick from certain quarters about having her young daughters' ears pierced.

As Angelina takes Zahara, six, and Shiloh, five, to get their ears pierced - how young is too young? | Mail Online

I thought we could all have a bit of a heated debate this evening!

Personally, I'm not keen on the idea of young children having their ears pierced. When I say young, I mean 2 month old babies. Babies have teeny tiny ears and the ear-rings always seem to just scream out at me because there's no hair to balance it out. It's just my personal opinion though.

Little Miss Bodger badgered and badgered me to have her ears done from the age of about 5 when she started primary school. I absolutely refused mainly because she's a slovenly piece and just wouldn't look after them. She's now 12 and is absolutely adamant that she's never, ever getting them done after wandering through Claires Accessories of a Saturday afternoon and watching children yelling and screaming! Mind you, she quickly realised that she'd be forever taking them out for sport at school and to add to the slovenly she's actually terminally lazy too so it just wouldn't suit her sedentary lifestyle!

So, how young is too young? Is there ever a too young? And is it, as some have said, child abuse?

Discuss . . . . (over a hob nob)

Personally I hate seeing little babies and toddlers with pierced ears. I wasn't allowed to get mine done till I was 12 still young but I was able to make the decision for myself. It bloody hurt me and I'd made the choice, I could never impose that on my (future) children.

I don't like seeing babies and toddlers with their ears pierced either, actually it makes me heave to see tiny babies with their ears pierced.

What I really despise though are when they have their ears pierced two or three times and then right at the top. I think it just looks vulgar. I have to say, my children are actually on a no tattoo or body piercing bonus. If they reach 21 and do not have either they get a lump sum.

TLC x

If one of mine comes back with a tattoo at any age they'll get a lump, but not in a monetary way. I like tattoos, just not on those perfect little bodies I created thank you very much!

I can see I'm going to be very disappointed later in life.

Claire's on a Saturday afternoon is the perfect place to take little girls desperate to have their ears pierced! They soon decide they don't want too. As for too young, no child under 8 but preferably 13 and they can look after their ears themselves. As for boys and earrings, don't get me started...

My daughter was 10, her Dad took her for them doing for her birthday. He hadn't consulted me but I know how long she had been nagging to get them done, personally I would have waited a few years longer but it had been done and she looked after them well and is only allowed the small studded stone earrings.

A friend of a friend had her babies ears pierced at a really young age (as in BABY not toddler) and I always think it looks a bit wrong.

I don't have my ears pierced and have never really wanted them piercing so I probably would have tried to persuade my daughter to wait longer if her Dad hadn't already taken her.

That said, they do look very pretty and understated and she likes them and they have never caused her any pain etc

Don't like it on young children or babies, just my opinion, I was 14, now have 3 and 2 in each ear, but only wear one!

But I would do what my sister did, her boy (yes boy, his friend at school had his done, they are 9!!!!!) he wanted his done, so she agreed, went to get her sowing kit, took the biggest needle out and some cotton wool, told him how painful and long it would take, not to mention the blood, he obviously ran off totally distraught and hasn't asked since!!!- However, not sure what she would have done, if he had still agreed to have it done though...!!!!

I begged my Mum from about the age of 5 that I needed my ears pierced, eventually she gave in when I was 12.
Dad took me off to Debenhams for the latest gun pierced ears, they bled forever studs became embedded, trip to casualty to get the studs removed!
When I was 18 my Mum took me in to very old fashioned jewellers had them pierced with needles and corks hinged sleeper earrings inserted. I stopped wearing earrings when I became a Mummy!

Don't like to see wee ones with pierced ears and boys with earrings???

If they're too young to ask for it themselves then they are too young full stop. I think babies with pierced ears look horribly common ( chavvy ), I'm not keen on them on young girls either.

I think my daughter will have to be in secondary school before I would even consider it, I am happy to say that I think her dad would agree.

Maybe a trip to Claire's is in order in a few years time.

I was 18 months old when my mum had my ears pierced. I don't remember having them done, and they've healed nicely. In a way I suppose it was better like that.
Now my 4 year old has asked, I would let her have them done but I did tell her it would hurt when it was done and then ache for a few days so she's decided to wait until she's 8!

I was 10 when I had mine done.

On the monetary bonus issue... I was given a lump sum by my parents for not touching alcohol until i was 18. Made up for it now like...!

I was 15 and had been begging my mum and dad for years, in the end they gave in and I got them done, 2 days later I was at the doctors having them removed and gold sleepers put in as the studs had infected me due to being poor quality, it hurt like hell and I had to wash them in surgical spirits for ages until they healed but it didn't put me off and I have worn earrings every day since, although I still can't wear studs or anything that isn't good quality gold. My daughter is desperate to have hers done, she is 8 in December and we have kind of promised her she can have them done for her birthday although I'm thinking maybe it would be better to wait until the summer holidays.
Sorry, have edited this as I realised I didn't really answer the question...... I think that once a child is old enough to know what they want and old enough to understand how to take care of their pierced ears and keep them clean then that is when they should be allowed. I don't agree that any child under the age of at least 6 should get them done and I think babies just look plain ridiculous with their ears pierced!

Originally Posted by moomin

I was 10 when I had mine done.

On the monetary bonus issue... I was given a lump sum by my parents for not touching alcohol until i was 18. Made up for it now like...!

Bonuses for not drinking, not getting tatoos, not getting piercings... my parents well and truly robbed me!!! I didn't even get dollar for GCSE's and A-Levels! Gosh, I must have been a goody two-shoes child! Although Mom did take me to get my ears pierced when I was 12 and I did trick her into buying me a bottle of Vodka when I was 14, but no cash incentives were offered if I chose to do none of these things, oh well next time I'll barter when they want something
Hx

my two pence worth - I think when the child is old enoug to understand a) the pain it will hurt initially and b) has saved their own money to pay for it, the earrings, and all the gubbins to keep it clean - that way they can understand and learn that they can make decisions but all those consequences come with it, even for little things like peircing ears

as for tattoos my son saw my big burly bloke get his last one done (and he has about 7 now) and after watching a man he worships whimpering and clearly not in some pain annouced he would wait til he was 100! hes only 6 but that will last us a fair few years worth yet lol

Currently I live in a country where it is normal for baby girls to have their ears pierced before their 1st birthday, so my daughter is the odd one out. Personally I am not fussed at what age she gets her ears pierced. I was 3 when I had mine done.

In relation to boys, well my son has been asking occasionally since he was 7 and I have told him not until he is 16 (I know I am a hypocrite).

I can't really say anything in the way of tattoo's because I have 8 myself.

I don't like to see young girls with their ears pierced, especially babies and toddlers. I always worry about the safety of them too. I've heard so many stories of toddlers ripping them out of their ears. Not pleasant.
I was 7 or 8 when I had mine done. As I remember, I nagged my mum and she eventually gave in but after all that nagging, I never took my studs out or wore fancy earrings, so it was kind of pointless! Even now, I'm not fussed about earrings.
My daughter turns 8 on Saturday. She asked a few months ago about having her ears pierced. I said no, she stropped, I showed her a you tube clip of how ears are pierced, she changed her mind and seeing as she's a big drama queen, I can't see she'll be getting them pierced for a long while yet!

Crikey, I was old when I had mine done - 22 and only then because my sister got fed up of my hypothesising about the pain and marched me in to the shops. Dad always said I could have them done when I was 16, which conveniently turned to 18 on my 16th birthday! I nagged a lot when I was 8 or 9 but got bored of the idea and only really got in to it again at uni when all my friends had fab earrings.

I think I'd be happy with 14yo+, I'm not convinced little ones really appreciate the pain or how much they have to look after them to start with. I draw the line at ears though - no tummies, tongues, noses etc etc, completely a matter of personal taste but I really don't like it.

I think it looks bloody awful, especially when the put hoops in, my half-very distant sister is a gypo, and she had hers done 4 times asin up the ear before she was 4. I had mine done at the age of 10 purley to piss my dad off ( single parents family) and he liked to think he could tell my mam what we where and werent alowed to do. If it hadn't been for that reason I would have waited til maybe my teens, possible 16, i never wore ear rings at comprehensive school so it was pointless gettin them done to just have holes.

I was such a coward... I wanted them done, just didn't have the courage. It took me till I was 17 and living away from home to go and get them done. I still have problems now though, and can only wear certain earings, there's no metal preferance, they either do make my ears itch and puff or they don't.. trouble is I never know until I've brought and worn them... it's got to be quite expensive.

Just a word from across the pond. As some of you will guess from the user name I am male and was a USN/USNR husband for 22 years.

Some young people get things other than ears pierced. One of the waitresses at my local pub/restaurant was a university student, a bright girl, 20 and really nice cute kid. She had her tongue pierced, God knows why but some American kids like that. Two weeks after the piercing she was dead, an infection became meningitis and despite care it a top shelf Boston hospital the poor kid died. Apparently the circulation in the mouth area can affect the brain.

Sorry to jump in with a sad/scary story but every time I get dinner at that restaurant i think of poor Katie.