I recently came across a lot of debates about how a parent piercing their child’s ears is either completely fine or absolutely wrong. In my opinion, it is your child, so you should be able to do what you want, and others should not judge parents on their decision. On another note, I do tend to be on the side that supports getting piercings at a young age. Read on below for my reasoning, along with a few outside opinions from people who have had different experiences.
Some are concerned about the possible lack of consent from a young child, but piercings aren’t permanent.
I completely understand why people would prefer to wait until the child is older and can give verbal consent that they want their ears pierced. At the same time, I also believe that young children aren’t mature enough to make that decision themselves. Also, if the child decides later on that they do not wanting his ears to be pierced, they can easily take them out. Piercings are not permanent, I see it as giving your young child a haircut, he can’t give consent but it is not permanent, and his hair will grow back.
They will not remember the pain.
Let’s face it, piercings, and the healing period, are painful. When you pierce your child’s ears at a younger age, they will not remember that painful experience. This means there’s a good chance they will not be as scared of piercings when they get older. This also lessens the chances of them constantly playing with their piercings, and slowing the healing process. The parent is completely responsible of cleaning and taking care of the newly pierced ears, which leads to a better chance of an easier healing process.
It is the parent’s decision.
I strongly believe that until the kid is old enough (legally at 16 in Ontario), it is completely the parents’ decision. I also believe that if the child decides later on that they want to remove the piercing, that the parent should respect also that. It follows that if the parents decide to not get their children pierced, and they grow up wanting to later on, that should be respected as well.
I have yet to find someone mad at their parents for doing it.
I have not met anyone that was mad at their parents for getting their ears pierced when they were babies. However, I have met multiple people that were mad at their parents for not getting their ears pierced when they were younger. I know there are some special cases, but since piercings aren’t permanent, usually people simply decide to take them out.
I got my ears pierced at 5 months old.
I got my ears pierced when I was barely half a year old and I still love it, I was able to wear different earrings all throughout my childhood. Even when I became conscious about having pierced ears, I was already fully healed and able to change them when I wanted. Also, when I look back at my baby pictures, I adore my cute pierced ears. I know I would’ve been mad at my mom if she had decided against getting my ears pierced. I don’t believe it was purely for my mom’s vanity that she got my ears pierced. I love that my baby self was sporting cute earrings for almost all of my life and I do not believe this is a form of torture and suffering, as the pain wasn’t that severe, and I also do not remember any of it. I do however, remember loving my sparkling ears.
Here are some opinions from different people who have all gotten their ears pierced at different ages.
Q: How do you feel about parents who pierce their child’s ear when they are young?
A: “I’m 100% for it. That way they don’t remember the pain and they aren’t forever scared of needles.” – Alixe, pierced at 6 years old.
Q: Are you mad at your parents for piercing your ears as a young boy?
A: “No I’m not really mad about them giving me a piercing that young, but I would’ve preferred for sure not to have one because I don’t like piercings. I guess we can say I don’t mind because I was able to take them out.” – Randy, pierced at 2 and half years old.
Q: How do you feel about not having your ears pierced when you were young?
A: “I’m glad that I was able to get them pierced when I was older because I was able to choose when I wanted to get them, and I was able to speak up when I got an allergic reaction and something went wrong. I first got them done when I was younger and it hurt me so much that it scared me into not doing it until I was older. I would not have been mad at my parents if they had done them when I was a baby because I would’ve been used to it.” – Véronique, pierced at 17 years old.
Q: Are you annoyed at your mom for not getting your ears pierced when you were a baby?
A: “Yeah, I would’ve preferred if my mom got my ears pierced when I would not have remembered the pain. My mom decided I could get them pierced when I was 6, and I was so stressed. I got one ear done and freaked out and decided not to get the other one. That happened about 4 times before I got my other one done at 12.” – Samuelle, got one ear pierced at 6, and the other at 12 years old.
What we can take from this is that no one is inherently mad at their parents for either deciding to pierce their ears, or not. However, some are annoyed that they got them done at an awkward age where they were young, but could feel the pain and experience the healing process. Nonetheless, it is the parents’ decision, and most children will accept those decisions, and express themselves how they want when they grow up. We should not judge a parent on their decision, nor should we treat a child differently based on whether or not their parent has gotten their ears pierced.
Now, if you do choose to get your child’s ears pierced, always go to a professional piercer. Do not go to cheap stores like Claire’s where they have no professional piercing experience, and use dangerous piercing guns that can carry bacteria and diseases. Professional piercing shops are the best place to go.