Should a 5-year-old boy have a pierced ear?

[jakefrep]

When I was at lunch, I saw a kid, who could not have been more than 5 years old, wearing an earring (pierced). Am I the only one weirded out by this?

[Chan790]

1. I'm sure you're not...

I wouldn't be though...it hurts less at that age than when you get older.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. It hurts less? What proof is there of that?

The kid is more likely to have complications than an adult.

[Chan790]

24. Experience...

but not personal.

My kid brother got one at 8 years old and 2 as an adult. Never felt the one at 8 years old (his choice), the two as an adult a bit more painful, but not a lot more painful. This was backed up by one of my customers at work, a professional piercer/tattoo artist. She said that's not really uncommon, the more tissue or the denser the tissue it has to go through, the more it hurts. That said, she won't pierce children's ears as she considers it a personal choice and one that shouldn't be made by parents for minors.

I was not aware of the likelihood of complications as an adult.

More I think about it, the more it seems like the sort of thing that a parent decided on, not the 5 year old.

[jakefrep]

28. The crazy bit of this is that the father's ears weren't pierced...

...so maybe the kid really did want it. Who knows?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Would you be weirded out if it were a little girl?

[jakefrep]

5. Possibly....

...that seems like an awful young age for something like that. When I was growing up, getting one's ears pierced was pretty much unthinkable for any girl younger than 13.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Really?

Because I can remember my wife taking our daughter in for pierced ears when she was eight, and then her six year old little sister got jealous and wanted hers pierced too. It wasn't a big deal back then.

[jakefrep]

11. For me, it depends on the context....

...as long as they're not tarting the poor kid up in gogo boots, fishnets, and Tammy Faye-thickness makeup, it's probably OK. When I was 8, the girls still had cooties - I probably didn't notice if they had earrings.

[Arugula Latte]

25. It kind of depends on the cultural norm.

In many Latin American and Indian/Pakistani families in this country it's the norm for the baby girls to get their ears pierced.

[dropkickpa]

30. Also depends on WHERE you grew up

there are a lot of cultural and regional variations. I grew up mostly in Florida and Texas, it was more common (at least where we lived) to see babies/young girls WITH earrings than without.

[Common Sense Party]

50. My daughter turns 12 next month. We're finally letting her get her

ears pierced.

We're old fashioned, and proud of it.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

52. Don't get it done with a piercing gun.

See my posts below.

[Zuiderelle]

3. Seems pretty harmless actually.

:shrug: I see plenty of little girls with pierced ears. My sister had her daughter's ears pierced at an even younger age than that. No biggie.

[u4ic]

4. I remember an Italian family

from my childhood - all their girls (daughters, cousins, nieces, granddaughters, etc) had their ears pierced before they were of school age.

[youthere]

6. I have a friend who had both her son's ears pierced when he was a baby..

he's six now and he always wears small wire hoops. It's not something I ever would have done, but it's kind of cute.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. NO, and I've fairly heavily pierced...here's why...

1. The placement will likely be off when the kid is older

2. They can't really consent to it

3. More risk of infections due to them playing with it

4. Likely pierced with a piercing gun, which is dangerous, unsanitary, leads to scarring, yadda yadda I could go on

5. Places that pierce with guns preach improper aftercare

[dropkickpa]

12. Of course,

If, like my kid, the child was pierced at about 3-6 months, they tend to leave them completely alone. And I had my piercer do Dropkid's ears. She LOVES having her ears pierced, and, since they were done so long ago, they've fully healed and, when she chooses, she can go months without wearing earrings (like during her baseball season when we'd have to take them out on a daily basis to comply with league safety rules) without the ears closing up. Of course, having a lot of piercings that were done by an extremely knowledgeable and skilled piercer (and personal friend/ex-coworker), I've always been a fanatic about taking care of them. Placement is still dead center in the lobes, as are mine that were done when I was just 6 months old (though mine are now much bigger, being stretched to 2ga).

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

17. Yeah, getting it done by a piercer is another thing.

Piercing guns are a sign of satan.

[dropkickpa]

26. Shudder

They gross me out. My mom actually had my pediatrician do mine. This was in Miami in the mid 70's, so culturally a LOT of families there pierced their babies ears. The pediatrician said he was sick of dealing with infected baby ears, so he started doing them himself cleanly with hypodermic needles (parents gave him the jewely th day before to sterilize) and telling the parents how to take care of them afterwards. That man must have made pretty penny on that little sideline!

[Dora]

27. Piercing guns are indeed an instrument of the devil.

I'm always asked - "Did that hurt?" - by people curious about my nose piercing. I am nearly always met with disbelief when I tell them that having my ears pierced with a gun at 13 hurt FAR MORE than having my nose pierced with a needle by a pro in a piercing salon.

[jonnyblitz]

33. my foolish sister had her nostril pierced with a gun.

Also this beautician in my parents tiny hick Maine town was piercing girls' belly buttons with a gun in her beauty salon in the 90's, the one girl I talked to who had this done showed me the horrific scar, of course it got infected and she removed the jewelry. I even met somebody who had their NIPPLES done with a gun.:scared: guns should be made ILLEGAL.

[ghostsofgiants]

35. Sweet zombie Jesus, that is not pleasant.

[Dora]

40. I agree: Piercing guns should be ILLEGAL. n/t

[MountainLaurel]

65. When I was in undergrad

My roommate worked in one of those cheap jewelry for teens places that also did piercings. For a couple weeks in a row, she frequently had this skeezy guy come in later in the evenings trying to get her to sell him a gun, offering $500 and more. I mention this because he wanted it to do, among other things, genital piercings.

[jonnyblitz]

75. that is truly scary!

:scared:
a skilled piercer can pierce any body part with a sterilized needle swiftly with minimal pain. usually you feel lots of pressure and just when you think the pain is going to come it is finished. of course you are sore for a few days. I just can't imagine a gun on anything but ears.

[MountainLaurel]

78. No kidding

My roomie was very adamant that she would not, could not sell him a piercing gun, but he came back a couple of times.

:hide:

[jmm]

85. When I was 13 I had a friend who

wanted to get his ears pierced at a mall Clarie's but they said he was too young without an adult present. He was however old enough to buy a piercing gun from them :crazy:. I only think it cost $15. That weekend he pierced himself and a number of our friends. I declined his offer to pierce my nose for free and went to a "professional" who admitted right after he did mine with a gun that it was the first time he had ever pierced a nose. I swear I would've been better off letting 13 yr old friend with more experience pierce me. It took a few more failed piercings but I stay away from guns now.

[ghostsofgiants]

34. This is the correct answer.

On that note, I think I'm gonna call up Trouble Bound and book an appointment for some hole-poking action shortly.

[YankeyMCC]

37. Thx...I actually had to have this discussion about my own son last week

He's older than the kid in the OP, he's 10 and I felt he was still to young.

My opinion in general is I'm going to let him do whatever he wants in regards to fashion/style (as long as he's a minor) as long as it isn't permanent and piercing can usually heal over but...it's still more permanent or risky than say letting his hair grow long.

Perhaps in a couple of years if he wants it I would not stand in his way.

I think you've given a good list of relevant points.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

44. Well, whenever he ends up getting his ears pierced...

Make sure you take him to a real piercing/tattoo studio. They'll pierce him with a needle, not a gun. It's just as fast, heals better and is more sanitary. Those piercing guns can't be sterilized.

[Midlodemocrat]

48. WOW! I never knew that about guns.

I had mine done by a doctor when I was 19, but TeenMidlo had hers done at Claire's when she was 9. I thought it was safe. I won't make the same mistake with BabyMidlo, who so far, shows no inclination to get her ears pierced.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

49. Yeah, while the "piercing" earrings is sterilized, the gun can't be.

There can be all sorts of bloodborne pathogens on the gun itself, plus the piercing earring causes blunt trauma, whereas a needle basically cuts a clean hole, which the piercer follows through with the earring. A good piercer is just as fast with the needle as the gun is.

The best stuff to clean a new piercing with is a mild solution of sea salt and warm water. 2nd best is diluted dial soap.

Whenever BabyMidlo or MidloBoy start bugging you about it, take them to a piercing studio. It may be done by a big guy with lots of tattoos and piercings, but he likely knows what he's doing, unlike the girl at Claire's. And you can always PM me about what to look for in a studio when the time comes.

[GirlinContempt]

59. Sorry

I don't like the guns either, but they've developed autoclavable guns, just fyi.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

63. I wasn't aware of that, but the other dangers still stand.

And do all places in the US have autoclavable guns?

[GirlinContempt]

67. All I know is

Every place in my (canadian) city that I am aware of is using the new guns.
I'm not saying stop decrying the use of guns, just thought of it when I read your post.

[dropkickpa]

77. Also,

ask for certification of blooborne pathogens training. And APP certification is another thing to look for.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

91. Yep, I forgot to put that in.

[City Lights]

10. It's none of my business.

I work in a school (K-5) and see lots of young boys with pierced ears, some of whom are in kindergarten. I'm not weired out by it at all. :shrug:

[mockmonkey]

13. Different

pokes for different folks. I wouldn't let my child have anything pierced, but thats just me.

[bluethruandthru]

14. It bugs me when parents get their kids ears pierced at such a young age.

The ears belong to the kid...not the parent and the kid isn't young enough to consent. I think putting holes in a body is a decision best made by the person who is getting the holes.
By the time a kid is about 13...they can make those decisions themselves.

[jonnyblitz]

19. i would assume if the kid didn't like his piercings as he got

older he could just remove them. it's not like they are permanently embedded and they can't be removed. :shrug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. this is how i feel about it. if you dont like it as an adult close it.

its not irreversible surgery.

[bluethruandthru]

22. You're right.

I have nothing at all against piercings. I just think it's up to the person getting pierced when, where and how many piercings they want.
I've been in the mall and seen parents piercing their screaming babies ears. If the parents want holes...they should put them in their own bodies.

[China_cat]

15. Although I bit my tongue and didn't say anything

I wanted to smack my son upside the head when he allowed his 6 year old son to make the decision as to whether or not to get his ear pierced.

Girl or boy, 6 years old is not old enough to make those kinds of choices.

And yes, I consider the parents who have their daughters' ears pierced at birth (or within the first 2 or 3 years) in the same way I consider those who insist on circumcision for their sons.

[GirlinContempt]

60. But, one is irreversible

the other isn't.

[China_cat]

70. It's still the alteration of a body not your own for cosmetic purposes.

[trof]

16. I saw a baby girl with pierced ears the other day.

Less than a year old.
Not even a toddler yet.
Little gold stud in each ear.
Barbaric.

[Arugula Latte]

29. Barbaric? Really?

It's a very common practice around the world, and earlobes don't have many nerve endings, so it's not particularly painful (maybe a few seconds to a minute of discomfort). As long as they keep it clean and make sure it doesn't get infected, I don't see anything wrong with it. :shrug:

[trof]

74. So is female circumcision.

woopee

[Arugula Latte]

76. Yes -- but talk about a huge difference w/ the nerve endings

:scared:

[AlCzervik]

31. i see lots of toddlers here with pierced ears, never saw a little boy with them

but baby girls i see all the time. My kids is 12 and she still hasn't gotten her ears pierced, i told her when she turned 12 she could but when her birthday rolled around i guess the novelty wore off and she declined.

[xmas74]

62. My friend did my daughter's ears.

She was four and nearly everyone else in her class had them done-both girls and boys. My friend is a hair stylist and she's trained as a piercer (no guns-she does the real deal). She said to just do it now, before my daughter became involved in sports and had to take them out. (They are very strict about jewerly around here.)

She did her son's when he was seven. He's fifteen now and the piercing looks great-better than any of them from the mall.

[dropkickpa]

32. Thhhbbbbttt!!!

I had mine done when I was 6 months, and got my daughters done at 6 months. My mom tells me I barely twitched, and I can honestly say that Dropkid didn't seem to notice it happening at all.

[MsKandice01]

39. I was pierced at 6 weeks old...

And I'd probably do the same with mine if I ever have a daughter.

[Katherine Brengle]

45. Actually...

a lot of pediatricians offices will do infant ear piercing - generally younger infants will not have the urge to play with their earrings, which means less infection, less danger of injury from pulling at them, and infants have very very short memories - a month old baby girl will forget her ears are pierced and the entire experience fairly quickly and a little infant Tylenol will ease any temporary discomfort.

[trof]

72. To all who replied to my comment:

1. Excuse me for having an opinion, but, personally, I think piercings, tatts, etc. are indicative of some deep seated (and not real healthy) need for an individual to be seen and recognized as being "different".
A cry of "Hey! LOOK AT ME! I'm different! REALLY!"
Granted, ear piercings are the most generally acceptable in our culture. Miz t. has pierced ears, as does our daughter.
Their explanation is the 'security' needed for expensive ear adornments.
OK, whatever.

2. My wife and daughter were somewhat of an age of consent when they underwent this procedure. Miz t. was 20 and our daughter was 16. They expressed the desire, and so be it.

Many of you either had this decided for you at less than a year old, or decided it for your child.
What, exactly, was the rush? Did you think it would be just 'cool'? Could you not have waited until you were old enough to make that decision on your own?
:shrug:

[dropkickpa]

80. Well

95% of the time, my tattoos are not visible, I just look like a chunky dork with long sleeves. I've wanted tattoos and piercings for as long as I can remember, and it never had anything to do with being "cool" (and no, my parents definitely do NOT have tattoos or are memebers of any subculture, they just felt that stifling us and imposing archaic standards on us wasn't "healthy" for our overall family well-being, which is probably why we are so close now, because we never grew to resent them for stifling us. I should dig up the pictures my mom has of me and a doll I gave tattoos to when I was 3. I get them for me and me only. Both of my older brothers and one's wife make fine livings as tattoo artists, and it IS an artform, requiring years of learning, and they are always learning and improving themselves, striving for perfection of technique and art. There is something about a beautiful and well-executed tattoo that moves my soul, always has, just as much as Monet's Waterlilies moves me.

As for piercings, it IS a cultural thing for many many people, and who are you to judge anothers culture?

Your first point is truly offensive to me, not to mention others I am sure. We don't feel the same as you, so there must be something wrong with us. Do you feel this way about buddhist monks, car aficianados, people who like creating elaborate gardens, artists, history buffs, etc? The only "deep seated" needs I've ever had were to procreate, eat, sleep, and shit.

Does wanting something that isn't generally accepted in our culturemake a person have deep seated unhealthy needs? I want people to be able to openly love and marry whomever they want. Am I abnormal for wanting this because it is generally not accepted in our culture? Do you count other things that aren't generally accepted in this culture as being the result of some unhealthy deep-seated needs?

The reason I pierced my daughters ears at the age I did were many fold, but I'll give you a few. One was because of the minimal pain and fuss during healing. Another was because, in my family, all girls have always had their ears pierced as babies, just as, in many families, little boys are circumcised because it's always been done in their family/culture.

Your wife and daughter are not members of my family or community, so I cannot be judged by their standard, nor should others. Their experience was not mine.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. in india its common for girls to have their years pierced at a very early age.

i got mine when i was 6. its been fine so far.

if my daughter wants her ear pierced at an early age i will let her do it.

[Kali]

20. yeah but was he circumcised?

:hide:

[jakefrep]

23. Well,

If I had done that particular examination, I wouldn't have been able to post this. (Although the kid nearly displayed it himself when he ran out of the bathroom without zipping up) Plus it was in a restaurant - people don't need to see that when they're eating.

[Tikki]

36. Betcha five to one he's got......

Older Sisters.....:P

ps..did you notice if he, also, has a manicure and a perm.

Tikki

[Phillycat]

38. Why not?

Most of the Latino families in Philly get their baby girls' ears pierced in infancy. I know one little one who had her ears pierced at 2 weeks. :)

[ileus]

41. My wife and I agreed that when our little girl

Asked to have her ears pierced we'd allow it...Our boy now I'm not so sure about that.

[mzteris]

42. Why not?

Why did this "weird" you out?

[jakefrep]

46. For one thing,

I'd never seen it before on a boy that young. Out here in metrosexaphobic NW Ohio, that's practically an invitation for a playground beatdown. A girl that small, I could understand somewhat.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

47. Well, that's a dumb reason.

[idgiehkt]

53. good point

you really have to consider these things that you shouldn't have to consider but do.

[dropkickpa]

82. I live in an urban area

And it is very common to see boys with their ear pierced, sometimes both.

[mzteris]

92. my older son

begged for a pierced ear for about 4 or 5 years! When he was 9 I relented and said, 'ok'. His little brother - of course, had been wanting HIS done & he was 4 at the time. Did he really want it done, or just want to copy his brother? :shrug: Well his brother had been wanting one since was about 4 yrs old - so maybe.

My older son was homeschooled by that point and he never gave a rats patootie about what other people thought about his choices in life. My younger one goes to PS - but they've both been in self-defense since 3 & 8 yrs of age (respectively). Besides that, my younger one is a lot bigger than most kids his age - so I don't really think he had anything to worry about. ;)

My older one has long hair, too. Up until August of last year, he also had one very long braid. Did he get teased? Sure. Sometimes. No big deal though. Of course kids will always find *something* to tease another kid about - if it's not one thing, it's another, ya know? :)

Having the self-confidence to 'do their own thing' & shrug off other kids' attempt at a put down, or stand up to a "threatened" beat down, are traits I admire in both of my kids.

edit to add a couple of things: my sons are now 13 & 8. Also, I have an older daughter. I had HER ears pierced when she was 6 months old. I wanted it done in the hospital, but they wouldn't do it in a Navy facility.

Also here's a pic of my younger son a few years back (he has dreads, now. lol) :

[Katherine Brengle]

43. Why not?

Earrings can be taken out - it's not like he had a tatoo lol.

[dysfunctional press]

51. only if it's his ear.

otherwise, i'd make him give it back.

[last_texas_dem]

54. I don't think I've seen a boy with it that young

I've seen a couple girls who couldn't even walk yet who had theirs pierced. My main objection would be that the kid wouldn't really be mature enough to give consent to having that done yet, but I don't know if there's a magic age where a kid is suddenly mature enough to. Most of the guys I've known who had earrings got their ears pierced in their teens and have since taken them out and let the ear holes close up.

[bigwillq]

55. I'll leave that up to his parents

I have no right making a decision like that for a child that's not mine.

[MrSlayer]

56. Sure, why not?

I know lots of people who have had their kids' ear pierced. It's no big deal.

[bertha katzenengel]

57. Not my five-year-old, because it's painful and my kid would be allowed to

wait until he decided to experience the pain.

But that's just my kid. I can't say what any other parent should do.

[wildhorses]

58. pierced ears do not bother me on children

left ear for a boy and both for a girl...little studs, silver or gold depending on their complexion.

perhaps i am weird:shrug:


anything else DOES weird me out!!

[Lyric]

87. Why just the left ear for a boy?

Why not the right ear? Or both?

As for me, I have a little boy who's almost seven. If he wants his ear or ears pierced, I'll make sure that he understands that there is pain involved, that it will take a bit to heal, and let him decide for himself. I had mine done when I was 4 with a piercing gun--it barely hurt, and the holes are perfectly placed, even as an adult. I've never had problems with them, and they've never closed up, even though I rarely wear earrings.

[wildhorses]

95. that is fine--just my personal perference.

either ear is fine--usually see the left ear more often. both is fine. actually the nose does not bother me but, the tongue, lip, eyebrow--etc...that gets to be a little much

[SKKY]

61. Sure, why not? I would however draw the line at a Prince Albert...

...that would be a bit much.

[bigwillq]

66. LOL!

:rofl:

[Fleshdancer]

64. I personally think pierced ears on kids of any gender is odd

It seems strange to decorate a body by piercing metal through flesh when that body isn't your own.

I plan on waiting until I think my daughter is old enough to take care of cleaning her pierced ears (assuming she chooses to have her ears pierced to begin with) before I even consider getting it done.

[uppityperson]

68. If he and his parents agree, no skin off my back.

how about infants?

[Left Is Write]

69. If it doesn't bother his parents, it doesn't bother me.

[Kat45]

71. Does anyone remember "sleepers"?

A lot of my girlfriends in high school got theirs done with sleepers. I believe they were earrings of a sort that would work their way into the ears to pierce them. As far as pierced children are concerned, I remember seeing lots of baby girls with families from "the old country" who were pierced.

[ripmolly]

73. I respect personal choices

No for my daughter, but that's just me.

[doc03]

79. I have seen them piercing 1 year old's

ears at the mall and them screaming their heads off, I think the parents should be arrested for child abuse.

[dropkickpa]

90. Mall piercing huts should be closed down

They are cesspools of infection, and the people doing are rarely trained in bloodborne pathogens, sterile procedure (I've actually seen a lot of dentists who are lax in this department, too), and proper after-care - NOT the crap they sell/give away at those places. Most of the solutions they sell contain alcohol, which is irritating, or contain benzalkonium-chloride, which is intended for first aid use only, as prologed use (such as one would need for the healing of a piercing) causes irritation, skin flaking, and actually inhibits the healing process.

[davsand]

81. My 9 year old Daughter is not pierced.

I doubt I'd have a nine year old son pierced either.

For me it is a matter of them being able to make the decision to do it and the commitment to taking care of it afterward. I've been telling Material Girl she is gonna have to wait until she's 13. Frankly if she could just remember basic hygiene stuff every day without prompting (like deodorant) I'd probably relent and let her have it done sooner.

I honestly don't know. Hell, maybe I'll just tell her to wait until she's 45 and finally able to date...

:)



Laura

[Skittles]

83. no

I don't think so, not at all

[ikojo]

84. I've seen little boys with pierced ears.

I just wonder what kind of grief they will get once they get to school. Can't imagine there are a lot of little boys with pierced ears.

[dpbrown]

86. No.

No piercings until sometime in the teen years or adulthood.

[Redstone]

88. Not if he's my kid. Someone else's kid? It's their decision.

Redstone

[LeftyMom]

89. Some of you guys have some really old-fashioned ideas about this stuff.

LK's five, almost six.

If he asked for a while to get his ears pierced and understood that it would hurt, and I had a good idea that he really wanted it, I'd let him. It's not like it's a tattoo, they aren't branding the kid. You decide later you don't want pierced ears, you take the earrings out the holes close.

[philosophie_en_rose]

93. It's a little weird, but pretty common.

:shrug:

[Generator]

94. Only if his head is shaved

Consistency is very important for children.

[Iris]

96. There's a bunch of little boys who live down the street from me - they all have both ears pierced!