Ear piercing ..... what age?

I have had several children who wore ear rings to school prior to the ban needing help taking them out before PE lessons and then putting them back in again gilly - it is bad enough for anyone who is used to doing it to themselves let alone people who do not wear them - I often ended up doing them for girls in the next door class too!

I agree that children (especially young ones) should not wear them to school for all welshwife . The problem would be that if they, for example, allowed studs then someone would probably turn up wearing hoops !

I'm horrified that my 7-year-old granddaughter has had hers done, she is wearing tiny diamond studs and already has a collection of quite expensive earrings. I'm not sure whether DG wanted them done or whether Mum/other granny persuaded her. They have definitely caused her some pain and she did complain a couple of times.

My parents thought pierced ears were "common" and I didn't get mine done until I was 34. (I do wear earrings every day, so the horror of the staple gun wasn't in vain!)

So many people saying that they think pierced ears are "common" and yet they have had their own done at some point. ???

Why would anyone be horrified at their DGC having their ears pierced? They wouldn't be able to just walk into a shop on their own and have it done so presumably mum or dad must have taken them.

Also, I can't imagine any responsible shop piercing the ears of a reluctant, fidgeting, screaming child.

I had my ears pierced in a jeweller's when I was 16 in 1970 because as others have said, there were no neat little clip-ons available then. I even had a piercing in the top part of one ear (cartilege-ouch!!) a few years back, but have allowed this to close up. I would be mortified if DD let 3 year old DGD have hers pierced. We both feel that it looks tacky and it will be her own decision when DD feels she is old enough.

My daughters had theirs pierced when they were around 10 years old but I insisted they weren't worn for school and they had to be either silver or gold studs. No cheapies. I didn't have mine pierced until I was 45.

If you'd seen the state of the ear of a girl whose earring got caught and ripped half her earlobe off you'd think twice about this form of self mutilation.

There have been some horrific injuries caused by children cycling, climbing, scooting, swimming, diving jumping, running and (probably) walking Jaxie perhaps we should think twice about allowing any of those too?

I have NEVER condoned children wearing earrings in school. End of.

My DD had hers done at 16. When she was 20 she came in with a second hole in each ear plus a stud in her nose. The same day, my youngest son decided to experiment with hair bleach at a friend's house and came in with white hair! I hit the roof (can't think why really) until DD pointed out that she had hardly been a rebellious teenager and that her brother's hair would grow out. Both true. Still agree though that the teens are quite early enough for ear rings and glad that neither son decided to have theirs done.

Thirty odd years ago, when my daughter was three years old, she had tantrums because I wouldn't let her have her ears pierced. To shut her up I told her that she could have them done when she was six. It was never mentioned again, but on her sixth birthday she reminded me! So, off we both went and had them done! I have worn earrings ever since, whilst she abandoned them at the age of about eight!

Had mine done at 30 as I was fed up with the agony of clip ons. DDs were in their late teens.

No, no, no. It should be something that a teenager has to look forward to. I used to say that to my DDs. Along with a host of other things even a TV in their bedrooms, not until after GCSEs. Children are given things far too early. Don't I sound old fashioned? But there's nothing wrong with that!

My DGD then aged about 3 once admired my earrings and said Mummy wouldn't let her have her ears pierced but she'd like to. (DiL does not ha e pierced ears) i said something on the lines of perhaps she could get them done when she's grown up. She asked how old she'd be then, so I said 21, hoping that would be ok with DiL. Little 3 year old them asked innocently-' are you 21 then Grandma?' It was the nicest thing anyone had said to me for ages! BTW DiLand I had a good laugh aboutbit. Dgd is now 9 and still unpierced.

I don't like them on small children, either. Apart from anything, they're a hazard. Young children rough & tumble and fall. Imagine catching an earring on something and it gets ripped out?

Hate seeing babies and small children with pierced ears. Who would inflict unnecessary pain on their child? I worked with someone once whose 5 year old DD had one ear pierced, then refused to have the second one done. So her loving mother arranged to have it done as the child slept. it was weeks before the poor child would sleep easily!

Both my girls had their ears pierced at 4, they were dancing from 2, and it was common for many of the girls who attended the dancing school to have pierced ears. They had no problems although I did the after care. No one batted an eyelid at the time. Now they only wear earring occasionally. I had mine pierced when I was 34 (between eldest DD and youngest ear piercing) to go to my brothers wedding, I have worn earrings ever since. I would have had them done in my teenage years but my parents couldn't afford such luxury, and after I started work I knew I would only afford one pair,(always worn gold). But I really wanted to change them dependent on what I was wearing!!

Really baby ear piercing is a 'cultural' practice. So common in very many parts of the world to pierce babies' ears when tiny, quick to heal and too tiny to fiddle..so it makes sense. The British generally associate babies with earrings as 'foreign' or gypsies and so think it is "common". I know my mum did.
My paternal grandma wanted to do my ears but was not allowed to. My mum and I went together when I was about 26! Wish I had been brave enough to have a nose stud.

I don't mind who has piercings or where and would not 'judge' them if they do. I am not however tempted to have hoops in my ears to create extended ear lobes

I was 21 when I had my ears pierced, my husband paid for me to have them done and I got the tiniest pair of gold studs I could as I knew my Mum would create a fuss when she found out. Mum thought pierced ears meant you were on the slippy slopes to total ruin. When I let my daughter have her ears pierced when she was 12 that stirred things up again with Mum. My daughter has let my granddaughters have their ears pierced at 9 and 6 years old. I personally think that was a bit too young but they are not my children.

Dare I say it.....I was 52 when I had mine done. {blush]

I had to wait until I was of an age to make my own decisions and when I could pay for it myself and I subsequently made sure that DD also waited in the same vein. My own DM also thought it was 'common'.

Other piercings are often done to shock and/or to ensure others look only at the piercing rather than at the person one is facing. One girl told me that it is something to hide behind. Sadly many piercings clearly look grotesque and are acknowledged to be a form of self abuse. It is good that surgery is available for those who are recovered.

There is a safety issue with children having their ears pieced, especially if they wear hoops. They could get caught and tear the ears.

I am surprised it has not been seen as child abuse before a child is old enough to make an informed choice as I am sure if holes were made in other parts of a child's body it would.

When a female child is old enough to know whether they want their ears pierced, around 8 is acceptable, because at that age they like pretty jewellery, but they have to be well prepared for how it's done and how to look after them for quiet a few weeks until the ears have settled down. Any younger than 8 is cruel in my opinion.

Had mine done at 21, I don't agree with children being done, its cruel and unecessary

Let us not demean child abuse by including ear piercing. That is ridiculous.

Good for you, ninathenana - babies and toddlers can't truly be said to have consented to piercings. There's a safety aspect too. When I taught infants the school had a rule that children had to remove earrings or studs before PE lessons, as they could get caught and tear the ear. Teachers were not allowed to remove or replace children's earrings in case they accidentally did damage and the school got sued, so children who couldn't do this for themselves had to miss PE lessons. Some parents used to get quite upset about this.