body peircings...

MamaRuthie

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Oct 2, 2013
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Ellie has been asking me about getting her bellybutton pierced and I am on the fence on one hand I think shes old enough to make decisions about her body like that herself but on the other hand I am unsure about whether she can take care of it or not also what she thinks that might mean about showing it and stuff. I saw on another thread that another members son got his tongue pierced so I thought this might be an interesting thing to talk about. What do you think is the right age for body peircings and does type matter???
 

cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Hey, me, yay.


You're in Melbourne, right? So the laws are 10+ with parental consent AND child's signature for any non-lobe piercing excluding nipples and genitals, 16+ parental consent is not required excluding nipples and genitals and 18+ for nipples and genitals.

I don't think I have ever used the words nipples and genitals so much in one sentence before.

Has she cared for a piercing before? Ears as an example? By showing it I assume you mean clothing? That might be a chat you need to have with her beforehand.

Personally, we take it case by case. There have been times when we have said "okay" where one of us have taken them and times where we have said "wait until you're 16 for that one". Azriel, as an example, with the tongue ring was one that he has been asking for for quite a while now, and we said no to, and in the end he chickened out for a year when it was on his own back to get it anyway.
All of my kids with the exception of Sasha have piercings (okay, Lux just has her ears done) the other three have various body piercings, were pretty light about them, probably because both me and my husband have some so it's not really a big deal to us.
Sunny in particular has a bellyring that she got for her 13th birthday, she's been around them enough to know that she has to clean them properly, if any of my kids lapse in that regard my husband has a very nasty looking scar on his eyebrow to show them.
 

TabascoNatalie

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Bellybutton ring -- why not. When i was at school, my classmate pierced herself with a red-hot knitting needle.
But as for facial piercing, i'd say no way. Dunno if its relevant, but my husband says this -- guys sometimes fight. Imagine getting beaten up when you have facial piercings.
I must admit I do not like piercings either, except traditional earrings.
 
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cybele

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In my class it was the red hot sewing machine needles. Yiles a knitting needle would leave a huge hole. Apparently if you burned the end of the needle it was 'sterile' - not sure how true that is but I was never game enough to try.

Have to say though, I'm glad I don't have to worry about the possibility of fights when my kids ask for piercings, none of them are really 'fighters'.
That said, I have been hit in the face with a ball many times and it hasn't affected my nose ring at all.
 

mom2many

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Sam had her nose done around 11, her eyebrow at 12/13 her belly done at 16, she went and had it done at the same time as my other DD and friend for their 15th birthdays (I signed and had permission). Since then there are hole bunch more on Sam, and a bunch of Tattoo's the other DD stopped at her belly.

As you can tell, it's not something I have an issue with.
 

cybele

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mom2many said:
Since then there are hole bunch more on Sam
Now that is a relevant typo. I like that.


Dita has gotten a few tatts too, no tattoo place (well, tattoo place you would want to go to) will work on an under 18 here so it's none of my business really.
Funnily enough, quite a number of people pulled the whole "YOU WILL NEVER GET A JOB WITH A TATTOO!" outrage on her when she got it, but it was actually the piercings that got her in trouble with work, so she doesn't wear any of her facial ones anymore due to kitchen hygiene reasons. She has a few dermals along her collarbone that are covered by her whites though, so they're not an issue at work.
 

akmom

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I don't know, 13 seems really young for a belly piercing. That's kind of young for showing one's belly, and it's kind of pointless to have a ring if no one sees it. I guess I'd be asking her why she wants it.

That's the age I had in mind for letting my daughters decide whether they wanted their ears pierced. We're not permitting any other piercings/tattoos when they're minors; I'll let them do that kind of stuff when they grow up. Kids are just perfect the way they are. Why do they need piercings?
 

cybele

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Some people get them for themselves, not for the point of showing them off. My husband has a bellyring, and he's not exactly walking around in midriff tops. I'm really the only one who knows it's there. I think one of the kids walked in on him getting dressed once and went "Wait, what?" but I can't remember who it was.

And hey, here's your too much information for the day, I have my nipples pierced, trust me, I'm not showing those ones off.
 
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TabascoNatalie

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akmom said:
I don't know, 13 seems really young for a belly piercing. That's kind of young for showing one's belly, and it's kind of pointless to have a ring if no one sees it. I guess I'd be asking her why she wants it.

That's the age I had in mind for letting my daughters decide whether they wanted their ears pierced. We're not permitting any other piercings/tattoos when they're minors; I'll let them do that kind of stuff when they grow up. Kids are just perfect the way they are. Why do they need piercings?
Ummm... Fashion?:eek:

My 9yo had his ear pierced about a year ago. Took quite some time to convince his dad, as he thinks earrings on boys is "gay thing" :rolleyes: i said looks who's talking dressed up in leather most of the time :D

As for tattoos and jobs it really depends... If they can be covered up from employers/clients, then its no problem.
 

cybele

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Depends on the profession and actual workplace too, I have a full sleeve, half sleeve, chest, hands, legs and back, want to get a neck one next but not sure what to put there. I see clients in a t-shirt and shorts sometimes, and I'm now 2ic at work. My husband has a half sleeve which is visible during the warmer months at his work and he's a branch managing librarian. Sash and Lux's school principal has a bird on her wrist, that is always on show. Employers overall are a lot more open to them now.
 

Xero

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You know, it's probably just me being over protective, but I don't think I'd let my 13 year old get the belly button done. Just because as akmom said, why does she want it? 13 is young to be showing off their belly, you can't do that at school anyway, and it seems like just a temptation to dress inappropriately and whatnot. Plus I would be making it a sexual thing in my head and it would freak me out (as in, she wants guys to see it when she's naked etc, I know 13 is so young to say that about but not these days! I see and hear stuff all the time about 13 year olds being sexually active and it freaks me out!!). I don't think I would allow any facial or body piercings on either gender until 16, same with tattoos, and that's mainly because I don't want them to make any permanent marks on their bodies and especially faces until they are old enough to really know that they want them to stay there, you know? And to make good decisions on WHAT they want on their bodies forever. I say piercings too, because they do leave marks where you put them. I used to have an eyebrow ring, and I haven't worn it in a couple of years but the mark is still there and I wish it wasn't. I might just get it put back in for the hell of it though haha.

DH used to have his septum done, and that hole doesn't really show, but you can see where he used to have his lip and eyebrow done. Also his ears were gaged quite large and they are stuck that way as well. He would still be wearing all of these, but he isn't allowed to at work so he just doesn't bother anymore. If given the opportunity though, I know he'd put them all back in haha. He also has his belly button done.

I also wouldn't allow ears to be gaged until at least 15 or 16 for the same reasons (DH's ears as an example), but regular sized ear piercings of any kind I am fine with on either gender at any age. My 6 year old has one of his ears pierced. My 2 year old doesn't have his done, but if he asks for it I'd gladly let him. Any type of ear piercing, just not gaged.

My ears are pierced twice on the lobes (I kind of want a third set, actually), and once on my left cartilage. I still wear earrings in all of those. I only have one tattoo, but I do want more. DH has... idk, he's not home for me to count them lol, but I'd say maybe 15 or 16? And I tattoo as a hobby at home, so I think maybe 13 of them are from me. He has them on his arms, legs, hands, and neck. They don't cause him any trouble at work.

I just want my kids to wait for the more permanent stuff, because at 13 I don't think they are very capable of making very good decisions about permanent things (that's not so much about the belly button ring, with that like I said I just wonder how appropriate that is for a 13 year old).
 

MamaRuthie

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Oct 2, 2013
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i think we will wait until she is older I don't want her to go around thinking that its okay to show her body off to boys

lol I am so scared of the boy thing im sooooo not ready for it