When Would You Allow a Piercing?

There are just places I would not allow an under aged person to get.

The tongue, my daughter says that's a symbol to others that the person with the tongue piercing loves to give head. 100% "I'm easy and love to screw".

The belly button, in style belly buttons get gooey if they're not washed well and with a piercing I can only think infections all the time.

Lips, eyebrow, cheeks, thinking at some point they'll be a grown up and want them to go away. Then they'll have this hole in their skin that gets a hard core in it that has to be treated like a pimple.

Nipples and/or other genitalia. Not even going there.

My daughter always had issues with her ears and the first time she got them pierced was age 10. She let them grow up and tried again at 13 and still had issues.

At 15, she really wanted a belly button ring. Around here, if you are under 18 you mush bring a parent and the parent must consent. I did consent to the belly ring and she never ever had an issue with it. She got this done at a high end tattoo/piercing shop.

Now at almost 19, about 5 weeks ago, she went with friends and got her ears pierced again.. this time 3 per ear , at the same tattoo/piercing shop and she has had no issues whatsoever. SHE paid for these with HER money.

I guess bottom line whatever you decide, please go to a high end tattoo/piercing shop to get this done.

For us, it's when they are 18 year old adults. I'm pretty liberal but body and tongue piercings, especially for girls, convey a sexual image that, IMO, is not appropriate for teens. I have two teenagers and the only kids they know with naval piercings are girls who have a bit of a snanky image and reputation. I guess nose piercings don't fall into that category but I'm not OK with looking at my kid and seeing something stuck in his or her nose. Too edgy for me, they can do it when they're adults. I honestly don't mind tattoos and piercings on adults and think they look really cool on some people, but on high school kids, they look trashy.

Ears for earrings Ok. Any other when they move out of my house.

Personally, I don't think I would ever allow any facial piercing other than ears (single or double piercing only). I have heard several people bemoaning the fact that their kids who have facial piercings have had difficult times with getting jobs in teaching, medicine, etc. because they have such strict dress codes that don't allow visible body piercings or tattoos. Teens don't always think ahead to the distant future and how choices they make today may impact jobs and careers in the future.

I tend to go by what's the norm in our community, and (luckily) so do my kids. Both daughters have double pierced ears, and my oldest got her navel pierced when she was 16. The navel didn't last long as it was uncomfortable and she got tired of it (as I knew she would!)
I don't like face piercings but, unlike tattoos, they aren't permanent so it probably wouldn't bother me so much. But I would say NO to the tongue, or gages (sp?) of any kind because those would distort their ears permanently!

Ears only. Once she's kept her room clean for 6 months, in your case. Don't accept any less and no piercing of anything else.

Once she was old enough to earn money, I told my daughter that she could get any piercing she could pay for. If she was willing to work for and save up the money, I would sign a consent form for her. (I did pay for her to get her ears pierced at 4 when she asked for it).

Dana, neither my daughter nor I consider our tattoos and piercings to be "disfigurement."

Some states have laws re. piercing without permission.

I would say 13 minimum. It's a nice "coming of age" celebration. You have to take care of them to avoid infections so you want your kid to be able to deal with that as well.

My ex-husband and I did not allow our daughter to get her ears pierced until the age of 13.

So far - my boys have shown no interest in getting pierced. My 13 year old has stated interest in a tattoo. Told him he can't until 18. even if I allowed it. No reputable tattoo parlor will ink him until he's 18,

Here in Virginia it's under 18 with parental consent.

This might help you.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0231.htm

18...when they don't require my signature. I am against body piercings (besides normal ear piercings...hate the gauges).

My 11 yr old has her ears pierced. Anything else will be after she's 18. So far she hasn't expressed an interest in any other piercings, and I really hope she never does!

I pierced my daughter's ears at 3 months old. She got them pierced a 2nd time when she was 12 or 13 (can't remember exactly which) and I gave consent without question.

My oldest son expressed a minor interest in getting his ears pierced when he was around 11 I think it was. We discussed the care and if he thought he was ready to do that ... he said he'd think about it. He never came back to me so I guess he wasn't all THAT interested in them.

Body piercings
Tongue ... they are sooooo risky (there is an artery that runs on the underside of your tongue ... hit that and you can EASILY bleed out in just minutes) I just would rather not see ANYONE with them ... plus there's that whole thing people with them DO with their tongues (and I'm not talking about blow jobs) ... they CONSTANTLY play with them with their teeth and so forth. It annoys me to no end to try to have a conversation with most people with them.

Belly ... I have one and LOVE it. I feel sexy with it. As for my daughter (or sons) the rule is/was when you're done growing for the most part you can get one. Getting them too young can cause serious issues.

Nose ... small ones are ok with me. Same rule as for belly. When they are pretty much done with growth spurts ... although I know many cultures do them when young with little issues.

Other facial piercings ... NOT a fan of them. But that's just me. The same rule would apply. When growth was pretty much done.

Genital ... I REALLY don't think my kids would ever come to me to ask about getting them ... and I can pretty much promise no place is going to do them on a minor without consent LOL And if they ever DO get them ... I REALLY don't want to know LOL

I only have one left who would need my consent ... so for the most part this is a past issue for me :)

B ... it's not about being permissive parents for most parents when it comes to piercings (especially the ears) ... it's about picking our battles. Especially if it's something WE don't see as an issue in the first place.

18. The age I was when my mom and I went together to get our ears pierced (nope, hers were not pierced before then). Same age for any permanently body disfiguring procedure.

ETA: @Fuzzy - I was not being judgmental - I would consider anything that permanently changes the body (and that would also include cosmetic surgery) to be disfiguring.

My Mom had me wait till I was 16.
Ears - one lobe hole each - this was in the 70's.
My Mom wears clip on earrings - she's never had any piercings and never will.
Mom didn't make my younger sister wait (she was 14) - she let her at the same time I did - she never had to wait for anything.
In general parents don't seem to have their kids wait for much anymore.
They get them pierced when they are babies or really young.
Driving is the only thing that happens at 16 anymore and that's only because the law forces them to wait otherwise you'd see 13 yr olds behind the wheel.
There are exceptions but it's like parents get tired of being parents a lot sooner than they use to.

Regular earrings? 12 or 13. And with displayed appropriate level of responsibility.

Anything besides an ear? When they are old enough to legally be able to do it. 18.

I don't see too many teenagers with such a sense of prescience that they KNOW they are going to wear that piercing forever. And despite popular opinion, some of those holes do leave small scars, marks.

I had my navel pierced when I was 22 or so (back in the old days when they weren't a dime a dozen--- I'm sorry but there is nothing special about them any more) and wore it for two years. Took it out b/c the waistband of my leggings rubbed on it too much.

As soon as she'/he is old enough to get it done professionally.

Mine were allowed to get any other piercings when they were 18. My oldest had a cartilage piercing on her ear when she was 15 (thanks to her best friend's mom signing saying she was her step mom) but I made her take it out. When she turned 18 she didn't get it pierced again.

I will allow 2 holes in her ears before 18, but anything else she needs to be able to sign for herself. Same with a tattoo.

I will take my daughters to get their ears pierced (one hole per ear) when they ask. I fully expect once they realize whats involved they will want to wait but I am perfectly fine with them getting their ears pierced. As far as the rest of the body goes. They will NOT be having that done under my roof. And if they show interest after the age of 18 and are able to pay for it and consent to it there isn't much I can do but I will express my opinion on the topic which is I don't agree but at that point there wont be much more I can do

I would never give permission to pierce anywhere other than the ear. I realize teenagers will do what they want and can't always be stopped, but if they asked or if my consent was required by the piercing place, my answer would always be no way.

Ear piercing will happen whenever my daughter is both ready to do it and able to care for it herself.

I am not anti piercing by any means but I would not let my children put holes in their face while they are minors. Granted out schools don't allow it either. But I would say it is best for them to be 18. As the navel will just draw more attention to her body. I got my first tattoo at 19 and my navel at 21.

18-ears only-one per ear

I'm not going to soap box this for once! Not much anyway. I highly suggest you wait until your teen is old enough to have it done professionally. I've seen it range anywhere from 13-17 with parental permission, depending on the local laws and piercing placement.

I have a whole rant (several actually) about piercing guns vs. professional shops in my answers tab.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I have...Thirteen piercings at this point. Nine in my ears alone, eyebrow, nostril, labret (lip), and tongue.

Here the minimum age is 18 without parental permission. In my house, my daughter had her ears pierced and no more. But in my son's kindergarten class was a little boy with a huge diamond earring. And I see plenty of kids with piercings in middle school. We don't do any of that in my family.

I got my first ear piercing when I was 9. I got my second ear piercing when I was 16. I got my nose done for my 34th birthday but had thought about doing it for ages before that and just never got around to it before then.

My daughter is 4.5 and doesn't want her ears pierced yet. I will wait until she wants them done. Age isn't as big a factor as her desire to have it done and when she understands that they need to be taken care of, I will help her with that of course.

I really have to say something. I really think there are too many hang-ups about a child's fashion sense and this incorrect assumption that only a "bad girl" would have this or that or that having 2 holes in your ear verses 1 means they're growing up too fast. It's outdated and just plain silly and wrong to me.

I think it'd be more a question of grades, and general conduct, than age. I can see telling a teenager, "Bring me two straight-A report cards in a row, and I'm good with piercings, as long as you get them done somewhere sanitary."

I allowed my daughter to get her navel pierced at either 16 or 18, I can't remember.

When they turn 18 and can go to a tattoo parlor to get it done safely (for nose, lips, navel, etc.)

I could be convinced of a belly button piercing around the start of high school. Other visible/facial piercings not until they are an adult.

I think it would depend on the maturity of your child. Will they take care of it? These are NOT places you want to get infected.

My DD who is 16 has her ears pierced and loves them! She has expressed to me she wants to get a small stud in her nose. I told her when she turns 18 and has the money to pay for it herself she can get one.

I'm going to preface this by saying that the opinions expressed below are just that - opinions. Not judgments on the choices of others. Many of you no doubt handle this differently. This is how we handle the issue of piercings at my house.

Ears - my girl got hers done when she was 12. She asked before then, but has always been a little young for her calendar age maturity-wise, so when she asked I told her we were going to wait awhile and explained about taking care of piercings, infections, and so on.

As for other piercings, when she is an older teen (15+) I'll be open to negotiation on some piercings (more ear, nose perhaps, belly button perhaps), but only after a frank conversation about risks, care, maintenance, and what social statements she might be making, intentionally or unintentionally.

Tongue I will not allow her as a minor, and I'll explain to her why. Or better yet, I'll let my ER doc friend talk to her about tooth damage and nerve injuries and what happens if you get a tongue piercing infected. Knowing him, he'll probably even be able to produce some really disturbing photos that should take care of quelling the urge. Same for genital and nipple piercings. Considering that my child does not tolerate pain (a paper cut still induces tears at 12), I would be really surprised if any of these piercings ever appeal to her.

Also, even for her initial ear piercings, I took her to a reputable piercing studio.

As for my son, if he ever gets interested in piercings, I'm going to have a battle on my hands. Not with him - with my spouse. He feels very strongly that males shouldn't have piercings, although when pressed, he has a hard time saying why he feels that way. I feel very strongly that by the time my son is a teen, the same restrictions, or lack of restrictions, on piercings should apply to him that apply to his sister. For now, we've agreed to disagree, but if the issue does come up, the discussion could be, um, interesting.

I don't allow it at all while they are minors. At 18, when you're a legal adult, you can do what you want to your body and pay for it yourself.