Should it be legal to pierce your infant child's ears?

@ ViVi Machine;
I always thought it was the .... left ear(?) that meant a guy was gay. That's what I was "taught" growing up. My dad would only let my brothers pierce the "straight" ear, whichever one that is. I forget.

@ for dru's sins.
Previously you brought up an extreme instance about Child Abuse being tradition. I was simply doing the same thing. In the case of "elective cosmetic procedures", braces for kids would be out of the way and other things in that sense.

@ for dru's sins.
It might be the left ear. I'm not sure, but I think both ears is the equivalent of taking a gay pride flag and singing Lady Gaga in the streets.

@ ViVi Machine;
Not necessary. Braces can be required for medical reasons, such as correcting on overbite or simply fixing teeth that are not where they are supposed to be. My ex had braces to correct a massive overbite that hurt her mouth. I'm not sure how that's an elective cosmetic procedure when it has medical validity.

I think to assume that any ear piercing effects your sexual orientation is kinda silly.

@ The Rumor
I think you took my statement too far. As a parent you have a right to do what you please to kids ( as long as it's in bounds of the law). You don't have to change your son if you don't want to. i didn't create these double standards. I think the fact that you are jumping all over my statements (which have been perfectly just) is shoving your opinion a little down my throat. i'm not trying to debate with you, I'm was just stating my thoughts.

@ for dru's sins.
Yes it is silly, but that's how people think. :shrug::

@ ViVi Machine;
This is a debate board. We're supposed to debate.

@ for dru's sins.
True enough, but it's not what I came here for. I just wanted to state what I thought and mosey along the Mibba forums.

@ ViVi Machine;
Unfortunately, those of us who do use the debate boards to debate assume the other people who use them want to do the same as that is what they are here for. We can't assume that everyone who posts on a debate board doesn't want to debate; that would be silly.

@ for dru's sins.
Also true. i don't mind debating in the lest, but I didn't come here for that.

ViVi Machine;:

Should a parent have to wait until a child is old enough to give their opinion before feeding them food or choosing their clothes? I think it's a part of parenting on whether some choices are appropriate for your child or not.

I have no idea how you can even compare the idea of a parent providing their child with essentials such as food and clothing, with the idea of them choosing to add a completely superfluous accessory to their child's body.

Edit: I realise now the post I replied to is a while back in the debate, I didn't realise there was a more recent page, my bad.

And about the "gay" piercing on a guy, here in the UK at least, it's the right ear. (Although I believe that kind of stereotype has been around for a few decades now; I haven't heard anyone really mention it recently). The left ear is the "straight ear", and if a guy has both it's not really considered gay. It depends on how the studs/rings look, I suppose. I've seen plenty of straight guys with both ears pierced.

Double post.

for dru's sins.:

I'm against infant ear piercing. I think the child should at least be old enough to say they want their ears pierced and be able to articulate why even if it's as simple as 'it's pretty'.

I don't see the point of piercing an infant's ears- at a young age, they are more likely to play with the earrings and tug on them than admire them. I wasn't allowed to have my ears pierced until I was sixteen, when my dad finally gave in after years of me begging. Now, since having my daughter, I hardly wear earrings, because she likes to yank on them. I have not gotten her ears pierced nor will I take her to get them done until she asks.

Ear piercing isn't a big deal, but I don't think it's necessary for an infant. 1) To a child, it's just another toy. 2) Are they really going to be still while you clean the piercings, not to mention changing earrings to match outfits? 3) They're not going to stare in the mirror at their pierced ears and think "Oh, I look so much better with pierced ears."

Plus, wouldn't that be sending the wrong message to our children from the get-go? That they have to have modifications such as those mentioned to be 'pretty' or 'attractive.' Worse still, does it send the message that they weren't 'pretty' enough, that they needed something more?

@ Rat Head
I got my ears pierced, for the first time, in third grade. I was.... 7? 8? I think that's old enough. One of my earrings did rip, but because the piercer placed it to close to the edge of my ear, not because I played with them all the time. I was able to clean them and change them myself. I repierced them at 14. Again, I was old enough to be able to take care of them and change them myself.

For the earrings thing, I wouldn't do it on an infant just in case of an infection but if they don't want it later they don't have to wear them. An ear piercing may not ever really close up but the hole is so small that it's hardly even noticeable. It's not really that big of a deal.

As far as the braces thing goes, if I didn't have my teeth fixed up there'd be some serious overbite and infections in my gums and stuff, but now my teeth are perfect, so yeah you can have braces for medical reasons. It becomes a medical reason if you're like a friend of mine who has her teeth all messed up and cutting into different spots that cause infection. Everyone's mouth is different.

itsy bitsy spider.:

But if the infant wants it and is old enough to articulate it--"it's pretty" and "ooh I want it"--then they should be fine to have it. If they don't want it in the future, it's just a lesson that teaches the outcomes of regret.

Infants can't talk, so that's a bit of a problem, but if you were referring to toddlers, my nephew loves when we go to Petsmart and wants every single hamster, ferret, rat and bunny in the entire store... but that doesn't mean he's responsible enough to make that decision for himself or able to provide the care they need, in the same way a child that young can't understand the risks or aftercare procedures of a piercing.

@ Kurtni.

I'm not saying that the infant should absolutely have it if they want it. It's up to the parents--but in the terms of forcing them when they don't want it, that's another story. But if the parents allow them to have it and think that the infant understands--or they simply don't care, for some other reason--then that was the parent's and the infant's decision, depending on the situation.

I think that if a child doesn't want it, the parents shouldn't have to force them to get their ears pierced. And if they do want it, it's up to the parents to make that decision. But when I said that it's just regret, it's kind of on the judgement of the parents, because the infant may have not wanted it, or the parents were just not thinking about the outcomes.

@ itsy bitsy spider.
"Infant" refers to a very young child, one who can't speak or make decisions like the one we're discussing.

@ Alex; periphery.

It really depends. Some can talk a little--I've seen many infants that are able to say lots of words for their age. And then some are just good at expressions, because most infants can smile or frown or show some kind of emotion towards what they like and don't like. But it's mostly up to the parents, because it's their responsibility.

We're talking 1-12 months old, though. And even if they could talk, or smile, or make some kind of gesture that implies wanting, it would still be irresponsible, I think, to take that as a sign that it's okay to pierce their ears.