Teens and piercings

[castmember19]

I've seen a lot of "how old was your child when you let them..." threads so now I'm curious about how DISers feel about piercings on their teens.

I remember seeing piercings on my friends from the age of 13 years old. The first time any of my friends ever showed up at school with a piercing was when I was in the 8th grade. Another friend got her tongue pierced for her 13th birthday.

Piercings started becoming more common once I got to high school, mostly lip, tongue, and belly button piercings. I remember feeling like my parents were the meanest parents in the world my freshman year because they wouldn't let me get a lip piercing. I even wore a fake one for a few months but my parents wouldn't budge. I grew out of that phase after awhile.

So anyway, the question is, would you allow your teen get pierced? Is there an appropriate age in your mind?

Or will you not approve it until they are 18 and adults like my parents did?

 

[happygirl]

I've seen a lot of "how old was your child when you let them..." threads so now I'm curious about how DISers feel about piercings on their teens.

I remember seeing piercings on my friends from the age of 13 years old. The first time any of my friends ever showed up at school with a piercing was when I was in the 8th grade. Another friend got her tongue pierced for her 13th birthday.

Piercings started becoming more common once I got to high school, mostly lip, tongue, and belly button piercings. I remember feeling like my parents were the meanest parents in the world my freshman year because they wouldn't let me get a lip piercing. I even wore a fake one for a few months but my parents wouldn't budge. I grew out of that phase after awhile.

So anyway, the question is, would you allow your teen get pierced? Is there an appropriate age in your mind?

Or will you not approve it until they are 18 and adults like my parents did?

I don't approve of it so they can do it after they are 18

 

[Owl's Friend]

Dd can only have her ears pierced. No tattoos either until she's 18 or older.

 

[WDWBarb]

I let DD get her earLOBES pierced. She has three earrings in each ear. That's it, however. Nothing else, not until she's 18. There's no way I would let her do anything more permanent because I know that she would never forgive me when she got older and regretted it.

I'm not against piercings, but I don't want to be held accountable for her regrets!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We are limited to lobes and double piercing at the most. Like tattoos--what they want to do when they turn 18 is on them. I just hope they don't turn themselves into a pin cushion.

 

[mom2travel]

In theory my position is that they need to be 18 for tattoos or more than lobe piercing. In reality I'm thinking it won't be an issue as DS is pain-phobic and DD thinks all that is gross & wouldn't be acceptable at gymnastics meets (though she is still in middle school so not betting on anything - been a parent too long for that )

 

[JCbob]

My kids are pretty young, but I don't think I'll ever let them get any piercings until they are 18. I don't have any, but my wife has a few. She got her bellybutton done, and it has caused nothing but problems.

 

[njmom47]

I'm the bad mom here. My dds have had all kinds of piercings, but I took them to get their earlobes pierced when they were young (I would say before they were teenagers). Oldest dd still wears snakebites (I love them on her!) and has 2 in each ear and a helix, but has had eyebrow, monroe, nose and septum over time. Dd2 wears a tiny diamond stud in her nose and has her belly button pierced as well as her ears (4 on each side and helix). I only have 3 in each ear and 1 helix.
ETA DD1 did have small gauges too. I'm glad they're gone.

 

[TinkPirateMom]

When I was 18 I got my eyebrow pierced. My Dad came at me with wire cutters and told me to remove it or he would. I lived under his roof so out it went!

DD will have to wait until she is 18 for piercings and or tattoos because I will not give her permission. She has already been a PITA with regular ear piercings and has let them close up twice now.

 

[minkydog]

i don't judge a mom on the number of piercings their kid has, but I must admit I was taken aback, nay, shocked to find that one of my 3rd graders has a fresh gauge! Went to test his hearing and ow!~he couldn't tolerate the headphones because had a good size piece of plastic in his ear. 8 years old.

 

[mhsjax]

My DD has one hole in each ear lobe. She rarely even wear earrings in those holes, however, if she were ti want other piercings =, she would have to 18 and on her own, if she were to come home with any of that non sense, they would be taken out and thrown away, I don't care if she spent her money. I won't allow it. Period.

 

[Pakey]

Our sons are adult now but our rules were no, no and no. Youngest son, age 30, now has several tattoos and gauges. These were done after he was on his own. Oldest 2 have nothing.

 

[SaraJayne]

Other than one hole in each ear, nope, nothing else will be allowed.

If she wants a 2nd hole in her ear, she can wait until she's 20, like I did.

 

[CathrynRose]

I'm the bad mom here. .

Me too. I just don't care. I have bigger fish to fry, with boys my son's age, and if the biggest of my worries is a stupid piercing, then "Go Me!"

I took my (now 20 y/o) when he was... I wanna say 16 1/2, maybe he was 15 1/2, for that bar thing... Industrial? Right? And then a year or so later, he wanted his eyebrow, so I took him for that.

He wanted that lip one, as does my now 16 y/o but I won't agree to those. Simply because *I* think they're gross. They gross me out.

 

[Magic Mom]

Earlobes and that's it. She can do what she wants when she's 18. Until then, nope. She's not at all into that look though, so hopefully she won't do that to herself.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Nothing other than ear piercing is approved.

If you want to do other piercings or tattoos then you'll need to be on your own and self supporting. I'm not paying tuition/room/board at college or housing you here in our home so that your disposable income can be spent on that kind of nonsense. So my teen/young adult better think long and hard about whether it's worth it before they go for it.

I have a DD18, soon to be 19 and so far so good. DS15 has no interest.

 

[scrapquitler]

I've seen a lot of "how old was your child when you let them..." threads so now I'm curious about how DISers feel about piercings on their teens.

I remember seeing piercings on my friends from the age of 13 years old. The first time any of my friends ever showed up at school with a piercing was when I was in the 8th grade. Another friend got her tongue pierced for her 13th birthday.

Piercings started becoming more common once I got to high school, mostly lip, tongue, and belly button piercings. I remember feeling like my parents were the meanest parents in the world my freshman year because they wouldn't let me get a lip piercing. I even wore a fake one for a few months but my parents wouldn't budge. I grew out of that phase after awhile.

So anyway, the question is, would you allow your teen get pierced? Is there an appropriate age in your mind?

Or will you not approve it until they are 18 and adults like my parents did?

My teenager has pierced ears (1 hole in each earlobe). My official rule is that if she wants anything more than that, she will have to wait until she can legally do it without my permission (18 in my state). The reality is that once she graduates from high school, I might be convinced to give permission prior to her 18th birthday, depending on the specific request she has (she won't be 18 until several months after her high school graduation). So depending on the details, I MIGHT negotiate when she's 17 1/2.

FYI, here is a website that tells the laws in different states with regards to body piercings and tattoos by minors. http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14393 A quick look tells me that most states seem to require written permission from a parent or guardian before a piercing or tattoo can be done on a minor. A few states are more stringent (Idaho disallows body piercings on anyone under 14, period.)

 

[verge1116]

My almost 17 year old DD got her nosed pierced a few months ago. She asked for months before we finally let her. DH and I discussed it at length and finally decided it really was not a big deal. She wears a tiny diamond stud and we hardly notice it at all anymore. The good news is that she said it hurt so bad when she got it done that we don't have to worry about her getting any other piercings!

 

[HannaBelle]

Nothing other than ear piercing is approved.

If you want to do other piercings or tattoos then you'll need to be on your own and self supporting. I'm not paying tuition/room/board at college or housing you here in our home so that your disposable income can be spent on that kind of nonsense. So my teen/young adult better think long and hard about whether it's worth it before they go for it.

This is our rule as well.

DS18 was told 1 piercing in each ear and a tattoo if his shirt could cover it. If he is not happy with that then he can become self supporting and get his freak on. Otherwise, it is my rules.

There is no drama and no fighting. He knows I am serious and he can make the choice.

 

[mpls_mm]

I am mean mom! My DD12, doesn't even have her ears pierced. She has to be reminded to floss so we don't think she is responsible enough. The irony is DH is pretty tatted up and I used to have several piercings myself. It's a privilege you earn and she hasn't earned it. Even if she gets her ears pierced, we won't allow extra holes or anything else until she moves out.

A little boy in my DS 2nd grade has both ears pierced already.