Tuesday, July 26, 2011

To pierce? Or not to pierce? That is the question.

I'm going to take a moment to discuss the often controversial topic of ear piercing. While this may not seem like a hot topic, when the ears aren't attached to your body, it becomes a hot topic. There are pro-piercers and anti-piercers, and I find myself somewhere in the middle. When your daughter is an infant or even a toddler, the decision to pierce her ears is made by you, the parent. Personally, piercing Bella's ears are not something I plan on having done any time soon. Bella's ears belong to her, so how do I know she would even want them pierced? And honestly, what is the point of having a 3-month-old with pierced ears?!? I just don't get it. 


Since Bella was born, I've been asked many, many times, "When are you going to get her ears pierced?" I usually respond, "When she asks me to get her ears pierced." Those cute, little ears aren't attached to my body, so what difference does it make to me if they are pierced or not? I made the decision and asked my mother at the age of 7 to get my ears pierced. Together, my mother and I weighed the pros and cons of getting my ears pierced. I was the one responsible for taking care of my ears, rotating the studs and cleaning my ears. Obviously if I needed help, my mother gladly assisted me, but I was responsible for my ears. 


I'm not totally against infants, toddlers and children having their ears pierced. As a woman who has her ears pierced, belly button pierced and a tattoo, I'm not completely opposed to modifications made to the body. I wear earrings every day, I wore a belly button ring until I was about 12-weeks pregnant with Bella and I love my tattoo. But all three of these modifications were decisions made by me. Our pediatrician won't pierce a child's ears unless they verbally request it and have the permission of the parents. Now that's smart!


So for those of you who actually care, here are my pros and cons of ear piercing before the age of 5.


Here is my list of reasons to pierce an infant's ears:
1. She won't remember the pain... Right?
2. Cultural... Certain cultures are pro-piercers, I can appreciate and respect that aspect. 


Here is my list of reasons to not pierce an infant's ears:
1. Those ears aren't mine to pierce... Why inflict unnecessary pain?
2. It's dangerous... What if the earring gets ripped out on a blanket or by a friend?
3. Ears grow...  Those lobes are so little! How symmetrical will they look in 20 years?
4. Hygiene... How does a 1-month-old take care of freshly pierced ears? 
5. It looks tacky... A 1-month-old with gaudy gold studs? Umm, no thank you.


Needless to say, for me, the reasons to not pierce Bella's ears significantly outweigh the reasons to pierce Bella's ears. Maybe I am an anti-piercer, but so be it. If and when the time comes, Bella can ask me to get her ears pierced and together we can make a decision. Until then... Bella's ears shall remain un-pierced. And her belly button shall remained un-pierced and her skin shall remain un-inked... until she's 30! 


Ultimately the decision is up to you, and hopefully, your child... it's just some food for thought. =)


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella

2 comments:

  1. When a New Baby is lying in your arms, you start to imagine his or her future. They are beautiful, kind little people with dreams of
    changing the world for the better. You want your precious angel to have gems hanging off of her ears but you know do not know when the
    right time is.

    The best time to pierce your baby’s ears is with in the first few months because a baby’s senses are not yet fully developed so they will
    not be aware of the pain for a long period of time. Some babies do not feel the ear piercing at all. What’s more important is where you get
    it done.

    When you create your checklist for new baby one of the thing you want to add is to research a good ear-piercer. Children fidget and cry so
    make you choose an experienced piercer that has done infant ears before. I have friends that got their ears pierced as a baby and their holes are crooked or uneven. Your children will have to live with these piercings for their whole life so you really want to make sure you
    know what you are doing and who you are trusting to pierce her.

    My ped emphasized the importance of finding the most experienced person to pierce your baby’s ears. How do you find out how long they have
    been piercing ears? You ask them! Asking the manager or asst manager at places like Claire's, Piercing Pagoda or Merle Norman will usually lead you immediately to the right person. How to judge once you've arrived with your baby to have her ears pierced? Three things on your list should be 1) sanitation, 2)experience, 3)and patience are the most important things to look for in the shop and ear-piercer themselves.

    She gave me some additional suggestions for moms having their dd's ears pierced. If you or any other moms would like them, write me an e-
    mail.

    One last thing. If your're thinking about having her ears pierced now, then your mommy intuition is telling now is best. I'd go
    ahead soon.

    Amyswor@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the information. I appreciate it. And thanks for not jumping all over me for my opinion. =)

    I'm still not sold on the idea of piercing an infant's ears. But when my daughter is old enough to request having her ears pierced, then I will happily use the information you provided.

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete