Parent vs. Parent: Saying yes to ear piercing
Categories: Kids 5-7
Quite a few of the girls in Sophia's kindergarten class have suddenly turned up with pierced ears. They've got tiny little hearts and dolphins and stars on their earlobes, and it wasn't long before Soph wanted hers done, too. I made her get permission from her dad first (we are divorced) and then I stalled and put her off for a few months just to make sure it wasn't a fleeting desire on her part.
I've never had hard age rules about things for the kids: sleepovers at six, nail polish at eight, lip gloss at ten, dating at sixteen. . . I just tend to weigh the situations as they arise. And, to my surprise, I was okay with her getting her ears pierced now. I vaguely thought she'd be a little older, but she's old enough now to help care for her ears, and she really wanted to do it. I am going to limit her to small, non-dangly ones for the foreseeable future, though. Like my mom said to me, "It just isn't that big a deal anymore." A mom from school said, "At least it's only her ears!" I am not ready to even think about other locations yet.
I knew that I didn't want to go to the mall and end up with low quality earrings stapled into my girl's ears by a seventeen-year-old with a piercing gun. There are just too many things that must be done exactly right to fool around with that scene. I called a local body piercing studio (where I went, back in the day, to have my nose pierced) and was happy to hear that they not only pierced kids' ears, they specialized in it.
The woman who did Soph's ears was the same one who'd done my nose piercing, so that was nice. Her studio is squeaky clean and not at all freaky or scary like other places I've seen. Sophia was comfortable and relaxed there. She chose a pair of 14karat gold pink and green daisy studs; they couldn't be any cuter. They weren't cheap, so we made the outing part of her birthday celebration.
The studio owner gave us excellent service. She showed me how different Soph's ears are from one another, which is normal but not something you notice until you really look. Instead of measuring out the same distance on each side and making the earrings "even," she explained how she was going to put the earring in the best spot for each ear. She did the piercings by hand, using the jewelry and holding a cork behind Sophia's earlobe. She made sure to say, "I promise I won't do anything without telling you first -- no tricks," and then she said, "Okay, here we go, I'm pushing with all my might. You are going to hear a 'pop.'"
It went perfectly. Sophia didn't move a hair, and she didn't cry. I was really happy that we'd decided to come to this nice, professional place, rather than the chaotic, noisy mall. (Disclaimer: I despise malls.) On the way out, with my thrilled girl and a bottle of cleaning solution to keep infections away, I spied a sign on the counter top: Get your shoes at the mall, NOT your piercings.
I've never had hard age rules about things for the kids: sleepovers at six, nail polish at eight, lip gloss at ten, dating at sixteen. . . I just tend to weigh the situations as they arise. And, to my surprise, I was okay with her getting her ears pierced now. I vaguely thought she'd be a little older, but she's old enough now to help care for her ears, and she really wanted to do it. I am going to limit her to small, non-dangly ones for the foreseeable future, though. Like my mom said to me, "It just isn't that big a deal anymore." A mom from school said, "At least it's only her ears!" I am not ready to even think about other locations yet.
I knew that I didn't want to go to the mall and end up with low quality earrings stapled into my girl's ears by a seventeen-year-old with a piercing gun. There are just too many things that must be done exactly right to fool around with that scene. I called a local body piercing studio (where I went, back in the day, to have my nose pierced) and was happy to hear that they not only pierced kids' ears, they specialized in it.
The woman who did Soph's ears was the same one who'd done my nose piercing, so that was nice. Her studio is squeaky clean and not at all freaky or scary like other places I've seen. Sophia was comfortable and relaxed there. She chose a pair of 14karat gold pink and green daisy studs; they couldn't be any cuter. They weren't cheap, so we made the outing part of her birthday celebration.
The studio owner gave us excellent service. She showed me how different Soph's ears are from one another, which is normal but not something you notice until you really look. Instead of measuring out the same distance on each side and making the earrings "even," she explained how she was going to put the earring in the best spot for each ear. She did the piercings by hand, using the jewelry and holding a cork behind Sophia's earlobe. She made sure to say, "I promise I won't do anything without telling you first -- no tricks," and then she said, "Okay, here we go, I'm pushing with all my might. You are going to hear a 'pop.'"
It went perfectly. Sophia didn't move a hair, and she didn't cry. I was really happy that we'd decided to come to this nice, professional place, rather than the chaotic, noisy mall. (Disclaimer: I despise malls.) On the way out, with my thrilled girl and a bottle of cleaning solution to keep infections away, I spied a sign on the counter top: Get your shoes at the mall, NOT your piercings.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cathy 6-04-2007 @ 4:56PM
I know a mother who paid to have it done while her child was under anesthesia having tonsils removed. She said she wouldn't trust anyone but a medical provider to be clean enough. I thought that was a bit extreme, but funny.
Reply
Nicole 6-04-2007 @ 5:28PM
As an adult with 5 piercings in my ears, I highly recommend always going to a body piercing studio. Not that your children will be getting inked up, but I also recommend being fastidious when choosing a tattoo artist/studio. A piercing gun fails to remove the piece of displaced flesh and it can turn in to a hard lump under the skin. This is ESPECIALLY important for more sensitive piercings, like those on the upper part of the ear where cartilidge is displaced.
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Marlene 6-04-2007 @ 6:07PM
Both of my daughters, now ages 12 and 5, had their ears pierced as infants, at our pediatrician's office. Now my 12 year old wants a second piercing in her ears. I'm not hip on the mall places and our pediatrician no longer does that. How do I find a good, clean piercing studio?
Reply
Kirstie 6-05-2007 @ 3:14PM
Marlene - your best bet, if possible, would be to ask around. Talk to people you work with or otherwise know who have piercings or tattoos, and find out who did their work. Most people with a quality tattoo love their studio so much that they just can't wait to tell you where they got it and who did it! ;)
If that isn't feasible, I'd suggest googling "piercing studios + (insert zip code here)" - that should bring up the phone number/address and perhaps website of a few in your area. Take a look at their website, if they have one, and make a few phone calls. A reputable shop should be more than willing to let you come into the shop and show you around - and more importantly, a shop that will pierce a child should be willing to show your daughter around to make her comfortable. Also, ask to see their licenses, etc.
Don't worry - a clean, well-kept shop is clear in the first few steps in the door, as is a dirty, unsanitary shop. :) Good luck!
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Eva 6-04-2007 @ 10:07PM
I'm so glad you are helping people learn why mall piercing places are so unsatisfactory. Thanks for posting it.
Reply
Kristen 6-04-2007 @ 11:22PM
I first got my ears pierced at one of the mall stores when I was 7... It was a Sweetest Day gift from my mom and her bf. That didn't last long. I didn't take care of them. I had them redone when I turned 16 and was more responsible. Heck... I don't know if they are even still open (I'm 24 now probably haven't had any in in at least 4 years). I have an almost 4 year old son who got his ear pierced by a professional piercer at the age of two. We were close friends with the piercer and his family. His son had both of his ears pierced and my roomie had hers pierced. My little one wanted his done too. I said when you are older but he kept at it. He wanted both done. When it got down to it though he could only handle one. So far so good... it's been almost a year. And he gets a lot of compliments on it. For a girl though... that long hair does get in the way... I think it should be when they are older so they stay in longer.
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Ginny 6-05-2007 @ 10:20AM
My mom made me and my sister wait until we were 13. We actually made picket signs that said, "We want P.E." (p.e. = pierced ears) and marched around the house. Good times....good times...but I digress. My daughter is 5. I told her she could get her ears pierced if she wanted but she doesn't want them so far. I believe that it should be the child's choice and even then, only when they are old enough to take care of them when they need cleaned. My neice had hers peirced when she was young but her mother didn't pay attention to her ears. The holes ended up growing over the earring backs and it was an infected, painful mess. I would prefer to avoid that whole scenario.
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