Mo wants to get his ears pierced.

Sozlet and I have been tossing this one back and forth for a while. She REALLY wanted them as of maybe a year or two ago. Now she doesn't. She found out that you can't take them out for the first X amount of time -- I forget the interval. Months, anyway. And she hates the idea of sleeping with post earrings in. So that's that for now.

I think earrings on men are common enough now that the gender part of it shouldn't be an issue... but I dunno.

I was happy that sozlet gave up on the earring idea, mostly because it's just one more thing to be careful about and I prefer free and easy where possible. Need to take care of them in certain ways while they're healing, need to be sure the earrings don't snag on anything, etc., etc.

No, I don't think it is appropriate for a 6 year old boy to have an earring,
and I am far from conservative.

What if he wants a tattoo next year, because his then hero has one?

It would be wicked awesome cool, especially with his little guitar....but yeah the safety aspect...ouch ya know.

oh for god's sake let him pierce his ears. If he tires of them at his age, the holes will grow back. Take him to a real piercing shop though.

And remember....

Don't sweat the petty stuff.... pet the sweaty stuff.

Mo's still at a rough-and-tumble stage of life (and factor in the puppy!). I'd be concerned about "snags" and ripped earlobes.

Buggered if I know.


I see kids pierced practically at birth....kids pierced when they ask...kids where parents say no piercing until you're 16, 18.....



What harm can you see? Except he'll be able to employ logic against you if he wants his tongue pierced next year, of course.

If he gets pierced now, how will he rebel at 16...

I have my left pierced, as that was cool when I was a teen. ( I rarely wear a ring, and when I do, it really freaks out Gramma) The fashion comes and goes, 1 ear, two ears, which one is gay...

I think Mo is too young just yet, but he ain't my kid. Even my nieces waited later than this for the care and attention factor....

I'm swaying towards BPB on this. They'll close up if it doesn't work out.

I had piereced ears that closed up because I quit wearing earings when Mo was a baby and he was always pulling on my ears.

I won't go have them redone because it means I can't donate blood for a year.

Mo knows all of this.



He DOES want a tattoo but we've steered him away from that because it's permenant. Ear piercing isn't.

I just don't know.

On the one hand it doesn't seem socially acceptable but on the other I can't see any harm done.

Except for the tongue piercing thing.... that's worrisome.

If anyones kid wants a tongue piercing just google "tongue piercing deaths" That'll change their minds.

My daughter wanted a Mariyln piercing. That's a stud on the upper lip area of the face that looks like a Marilyn Monroe mole. I would consider a small nose piercing but am opposed to anything near the mouth.

As far as ears, well, they are pretty safe and will close up if he tires of them. Then you also need to consider if he plays sports. Most refs will sit a kid out with piercings so my daughter timed her ear piercing with the season break.

He's only six. I think he's too young and you're bordering on being way too indulgent. How is that puppy business going, by the way? Is it his puppy or your puppy?

Let me put it this way, if you try singing the National Anthem in too high a range, you'll be popping viens by the time you're done. My point is if you start with ear piercing at six, what will the rewards be when he's eleven?

dunno...my nephew is almost seven... i'd have no issue with him having an ear pierced, neither would his mom i don't think, but luckily he himself is so neat and clean and a worrywart.

i see no real issue with it, especially if it's just a small stud. i have 5 piercings in my ears and one in my nose and have been biking/boxing/running/otherwise working out without any issues. i only took the nose stud out while sparring, as it gives you a bloody nose even if just touched lightly...but i don't presume Mo will be doing anything of the kind. It wouldn't be OK when I was a kid (that whole communism thing on top of everything else), but times are changing. I'd just check whether it's ok with his school or something (we used to have strict regulations)

Boomer, on another thread you mentioned you worried about everything being an "eye poker outer", if Mo gets a pierced ear you are going to worry about everything being an ear ripper off-er. My best friend in the third grade got her earring got stuck on another kid's scarf and when the kid with the scarf pulled too hard to get it free - zip went the ear lobe. It took a few stitches and a lot of crying to get it fixed.

I guess you can check my answer in your "no" column.

sure, green witch. everything is dangerous. this other kid did get his eye pulled out by a pencil, that don't mean that every pencil is deadly and should be avoided.

where i come from, girls get ear pierced, or used to (don't know how it's now) at birth or within the first few years (i was four, and my mom took me to have them pierce because i really wanted it). None of them in my lifetime had an earring ripped off. None. I am sure it happens though, just like eyes do get poked out by pencils.

As far as he knows the answer is "no". He has no idea that I'm rethinking my position.

Many of the girls in his class have pierced ears. If he was a girl would the answer be "maybe"?

Does it make a difference that he isn't a girl?

Would I be overly indulgent or overly permissive if he was a girl and I said "okay"?

There are some HUGE issues when it comes to Mo. Should this be one of them?

Boom, I'm gonna be REALLY honest, and say ....yes. IF he was a girl, he would NEVER have to re-think his position on it.

Is he ready to handle the negative repurcussions possible from the piercing......for the next ???

In a week, he will want something else as bad...

RH

as with most things, it depends on how you handle it. it can be perceived as giving in and let Mo get away with anything. it can be a lesson on gender, social roles, etc.. and on choice and responsibility.... it can be many things.

when a friend wanted to get a tattoo, his father said he'll be OK with it if he waits 3 years and is still sure after that time he wants it. it worked out for both. piercing is of course far less permanent... can you get Mo to own his decision on some longer term schedule?

No!

Whyyyyy?

Because I said so. Now go tidy your room.

Aaawwwww mooom.

You wanna try for cleaning the bathroom?

My son had his ear pierced at six, because his dad had his ear pierced (he had gotten his ear pierced before I even met him in 1979 or something).
My son also had a rattail because he wanted one - if you can picture an interracial kid with kinky hair growing a rattail - but by god he did. When he was about eight, he decided he wanted dreads and he grew his hair until it was long enough to start twisting into dreads...but then it was summer and it got hot.
And then he wanted his ear pierced again when he was about nine, because this guy who was living with us had a hole in each ear. I said no to that, but his dad took him out and got another hole put in the same ear (even he drew the line at having a nine year old boy with both ears pierced). I was kinda mad, but Joseph just looked at me and said, "Mom, you're always telling me to be my own person- well this is what I want to do to be like my own person." How could I argue with that?

Anyway - he's definitely his own person. Makes up his own mind about everything, but has never gotten in big trouble and is a good, kind soul. He hasn't worn earrings in years now and his hair is nice, neat and cleancut.

It was never a safety issue - even though he's the ultimate jock type and played every sport there was- he just always wore studs.