Should It Be Legal to Pierce Your Infant Child's Ears?

dru feels more alone:

Perhaps because a vaccine has a benefit, whereas ear piercing does not.

Or perhaps because it really doesn't hurt that much. Did you ever had a vaccine or had blood take?

farewell acorna:

Who are you to say that the infant is screaming for no reason? Maybe it's screaming, because, I don't know, it's in pain?

But infants tend to scream and make a fuss over the smallest things. I used to throw huge tantrums when mum took me to get needles. I'd scream and cry and shout that I didn't want it, but it eventually got done and it didn't hurt at all. I'd wander off not even remembering the pain.

Mr W. H.:

Or perhaps because it really doesn't hurt that much. Did you ever had a vaccine or had blood take?

Not to mention, even if a vaccine has a beneficial purpose, some children don't want those either?

Recently, my mother offered to get the flu vaccine for me, but I declined because I was a bit nervous about the potential side effects, and I was pretty sure I was immune to things like swine flu anyway because I've had them. I'm 17, I can make an informed decision.

But if my mum had got me the jab as a baby, I'm not going to scream and kick up a fuss that my mother jeopardized my health and disregarded my rights. She didn't know whether I would want the jab or not, so as my guardian would have made the informed decision to get me one. As a parent, you make decisions for your child. As long as it's nothing too drastic, I don't see the problem in that.

People are acting like getting your ears pierced leaves you grossly disfigured. It's the equivalent of having a small freckle on your ear, it's hardly traumatic.

^ Just a note RE flu vaccines.

Flu is a virus that mutates which means it is impossible to be immune to it. Just a wee side note. I mean, I refuse my vaccinations due to my abject fear of needles but yeah. It's why flu vaccines are given out every year to the same people. Strains of flu alter as they get resistant to drugs. It's why MRSA and HIV-II exist - they develop resistance over time.

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As far as ear piercing is concerned, I'd wait until the kid can at least communicate that they want it so I wouldn't really let it happen under the age of 90 months. It's such a cosmetic thing and it doesn't infringe anyone's rights. If your culture likes piercing tiny children's ears then it's surely the decent thing to wait and see if your child wants it or not.

It's like baptism. Whilst it doesn't matter much and won't traumatise the child too much, you should at least wait and ask the child if they want to.

I mean, personally, the idea of ear piercing makes me feel sick, even at my age. I don't see the attraction, the point or any cultural significance. I do understand that in certain cultures it's traditional and such but in my area, it's a pretty...what's the word...it's used as a classist stereotype. It's seen as a negative thing, very "lower class". Not ear piercing in general, I mean getting small kids ears done. It's seen as kinda neddy.

Just a quick question, since it is not clear to me from (quickly) scrolling through the topic: Is it illegal to get your child ears pierced in the US? I'm kind of confused here.

All I can say is here in Belgium it's quite a common thing to do. A lot of girls get their ears pierced when they are pretty young. I got mine when I was around 2.5-3 years old. My sister had hers done around that age as well.

I don't really have anything against it, as long as it's done in a proper way. Like disinfect everything to minimize risk of infection and things like that.

Loor:

Just a quick question, since it is not clear to me from (quickly) scrolling through the topic: Is it illegal to get your child ears pierced in the US? I'm kind of confused here.

No.

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All I can say is here in Belgium it's quite a common thing to do. A lot of girls get their ears pierced when they are pretty young. I got mine when I was around 2.5-3 years old. My sister had hers done around that age as well.

To me that's not even "that young". I mean, I know of infants with pierced ears. They can't even speak in baby talk yet, but they've got earrings.

I do not see anything wrong with it. The child won't remember the pain that they felt when they got them once they get older. They won't have to be worried about getting them later in life. And, if they were to get tired of pierced ears, they could easily leave the earrings out and let their ears close up.

I definitely don't know all the facts when it comes to pierced ears, though, because I am not allowed to get my ears pierced until I go to college.

Charlie's a killer.:

And, if they were to get tired of pierced ears, they could easily leave the earrings out and let their ears close up.

But it can take years for the ears to close up and it can leave a mark.

dru feels more alone:

But it can take years for the ears to close up and it can leave a mark.

The mark is tiny though. Do you think, if your mother pieced your ears when you were very young, the mark would actually bother you, or do you think it would be more down to the fact that she made such a decision before you could consent?

I have a bump and scar on my forehead from when I was a baby. I was my parents responsibility and therefore it's technically their fault I came to harm. However, I don't resent them for it. They dressed me like a total idiot and wouldn't let me have long hair until I was around 8 or 9, they wouldn't let me shave my legs till I was 12.
But as a parent, you have the job of making even these small decisions on behalf of your child and do what you think is best for them, I wouldn't resent them for that.

sunflowers.:

The mark is tiny though. Do you think, if your mother pieced your ears when you were very young, the mark would actually bother you, or do you think it would be more down to the fact that she made such a decision before you could consent?

Oh, definitely the latter. I think it's wrong to do that to a child without their consent. But I was making a point. it's not like the ears close up and you can never tell an individual had the piercings in some cases.

Ah okay. As for it's wrong to do it to the child without their consent, I think when parents do pierce their child's ears, they don't think of what they are doing is permanent, because obviously it's so easy to then take out the earring and pretend its not there.

I know that when I got it done, my parents were just trying to do a nice thing for me. They assumed that I would want it anyway (which is a fair assumption to make, I'd say 90% of the girls in my year have their ears pierced) and just figured they were doing me a favour.

I don't think a child is really going to be more knowledgeable on whether they want the piercing when they're 1 or when they're 4 or 5. They make the decision when they're old enough to speak, but then they might just regret it 10 years.

sunflowers.:

I don't think a child is really going to be more knowledgeable on whether they want the piercing when they're 1 or when they're 4 or 5. They make the decision when they're old enough to speak, but then they might just regret it 10 years.

But at least they said they wanted it. If I get a tattoo when I'm eighteen I might regret it in ten years, but so what? I said I wanted it.

dru feels more alone:

But at least they said they wanted it. If I get a tattoo when I'm eighteen I might regret it in ten years, but so what? I said I wanted it.

But you're 18, you're a legal adult who can make your decision. You can take responsibility for those actions. A 3 year old girl can't make an informed decision on whether she wants her ears pierced. She'll just get it because her favourite disney princess has it.
Little kids may want something one day, and then not want it the next, they can be so indecisive. So I don't think it makes much difference whether the adult makes that decision for them or not.

sunflowers.:

So I don't think it makes much difference whether the adult makes that decision for them or not.

So you're okay with a child saying they do not want their ears pierced and the parents forcing them?

I honestly don't have a huge issue with this either. It's a cultural thing in a lot of cases, for one. And I'm not saying that all cultural things are good and should never be touched by law, but this happens to be a pretty not harmful one. When gov't interferes in cultural things, especially ones like this where it really isn't a case of child abuse/abuse or hurt in general, things tend to go badly.

If you want to pierce your child's ear, I'm not going to stop you...as long as it's properly done. There should be guidelines about that, rather than just a blanket law about piercings.

And sunflowers has a point; just because the kid can communicate, doesn't mean they can make an informed decision.

It really stems down to the reasons; are you piercing your child's ear because it's part of your culture, or because you're entering them in a beauty pageant?
It's hard to make a law when it all depends on motive to commit the act.

sunflowers.:

But you're 18, you're a legal adult who can make your decision. You can take responsibility for those actions. A 3 year old girl can't make an informed decision on whether she wants her ears pierced. She'll just get it because her favourite disney princess has it.
Little kids may want something one day, and then not want it the next, they can be so indecisive. So I don't think it makes much difference whether the adult makes that decision for them or not.

Wouldn't the obvious choice here be then to actually wait for your kid to grow up to the magical year 18, and decide for itself whether or not he/she wants piercings or other bodily ornaments?

I understand making legal or medical decisions for your kid, like "Ok doctor House, if you think removing my child's spinal cord will save his life, by all means, gimme that consent form". But making relatively non-crucial decisions, which are in a way permanent or extend over a very long period of time, for no other reason than to prettify your kid, seems like really strange decision. I suppose ear piercing shouldn't really constitue legal reprimands, but between going through with the piercing and letting the kid wait, in order to make an informed decision, doing the piercing on the lil kid would be the wrong decision.

Xsoteria:

Wouldn't the obvious choice here be then to actually wait for your kid to grow up to the magical year 18, and decide for itself whether or not he/she wants piercings or other bodily ornaments?

I understand making legal or medical decisions for your kid, like "Ok doctor House, if you think removing my child's spinal cord will save his life, by all means, gimme that consent form". But making relatively non-crucial decisions, which are in a way permanent or extend over a very long period of time, for no other reason than to prettify your kid, seems like really strange decision. I suppose ear piercing shouldn't really constitue legal reprimands, but between going through with the piercing and letting the kid wait, in order to make an informed decision, doing the piercing on the lil kid would be the wrong decision.

So you think everyone should wait until they are 18 to get their ears pierced?

^Well I had to wait till I was 18 to get my piercing done. Personally, I feel I could've made my informed decision long before that, but since we're legal abiding citizens here, yeah, waiting till 18. Or 16, or 21 - whenever the magic happens.

Xsoteria:

^Well I had to wait till I was 18 to get my piercing done. Personally, I feel I could've made my informed decision long before that, but since we're legal abiding citizens here, yeah, waiting till 18. Or 16, or 21 - whenever the magic happens.

You can get your ears legally pierced as a baby in the UK. I got mine done at a large department store when I was 2.

^Mine wasn't an ear piercing though. Which is kind of my point.