XP: belly button piercings

Wan-naBe

(those of you on FB may have already seen my completely aghast status update on this.  please feel free to ignore if so.)

if you're okay with these kinds of things, what would be the earliest age acceptable to you for one?

the teen told me this morning that her BFF is getting one in a couple of weeks, and that her mom is totally okay with it.  i was seriously verklempt - BFF isn't even comfortable telling her mother that she has/had a boyfriend.

the girls are 14 and HS freshmen this year.  i told the teen that she'd better not get any ideas.  i know i'm totally being a fuddy-duddy about this...or am i?

Young_Love

I don't have kids, so I don't know what I would say in that position. Without kids, though, I say that's something they can choose to do at 18.

Like I said on your fb status, I have had quite a few freshman students who have had this (and there are some upperclass students at my school with tattoos), so BFF's mom isn't the only one.

IMO, though, despite what they think or how they act, they are still CHILDREN. That's not appropriate for a kid.

Mrs.Masters

I got mine when I was 17. Had I been living with my folks, they would not have approved. Their rule was no piercings or tattoos as long as I lived in their home.

I don't think you're being a fuddy-duddy. 14 is way too young, IMO. She's still growing. That hole will continue to grow right along with her. It may even try to migrate out of her body, giving her a funky looking hole on her naval. I didn't know it was even legal for a 14 year old to do their naval. I thought the government restricted certain types of piercings even with Guardian consent? I guess maybe times have changed...

They always say piercings close up once you decide to take them out and while that's true for my eyebrow and labret, my belly button has not. I took my jewelry out 7 years ago and the hole is clearly visible to me.

ajones1

You're totally not being a fuddy-duddy! If I had kids, piercings (besides ear lobes) and any tattoos would be either 18 or when you're out of my house. I absolutely agree with YL - you're still a child at 14 and really don't need body piercings at that age.

nabum

ITA with YL. 14 is too young to permanently alter your body like that.

champagna

 

I think 14 is too young.  The earliest acceptable age for my DD would be 18

 

I had no idea that girls were getting them at 14! 

Serendipitie

Anyone who knows me, knows I am highly pierced and tattoo'd. That being said, I would make my child wait until they were 18 for any sort of body modification like that. It is too much of a commitment for teenagers IMO.

casncort

As a parent, I wouldn't consent to that at 14. I would let her decide at 18.

StephanieDeanne

I got mine at 15, and my mom took me and my BFF, so I am not sure I'd be much help. 

weemz

I don't share the same views, but you're certainly not a fuddy-duddy.

5dogs

I replied on the MM thread.

I had mine done at 14 (nose done at 15, eyebrow at 16, etc). I was a junior in HS and most of my friends who were 16 were having theirs done around the same time. My original piercing was yanked out goofing around in the pool with my step siblings, I've had it re-pierced and still have it (and about half a dozen other piercings + the tattoos). That being said, that area is scarred from having it pulled out.

Then again I'm probably not the best example. I took my mom for her first tattoo on her 40th birthday and for her 45th to have her belly button pierced.

zeesbride

Eh, I think this would be one of those things that I would have to be in the moment to decide. I am inclined to say that I would not let any minor in my house get pierced or tattoed. However, my daughter will be half Pakistani and culturally piercings are a little different. This will probably be a moot point in our house, though because MH hates piercings. 

Young_Love

zeesbride:

Eh, I think this would be one of those things that I would have to be in the moment to decide. I am inclined to say that I would not let any minor in my house get pierced or tattoed. However, my daughter will be half Pakistani and culturally piercings are a little different. This will probably be a moot point in our house, though because MH hates piercings. 

See, that's the thing. The only experience I have with a 14-year-old wanting to do this is so she can run around school lifting up her shirt and showing boys her belly. 

I have one, and I did it when I was 18 because I thought it was sexy. (Heh.)

In my experience, it's more of a sexual thing, and, IMO anyway, they are sexualized too much as it is.  :-

Cultural differences are a totally different thing. (obviously...haha. I just woke up, I'm not feeling very eloquent.)

10YearsTogether

I don't think you're a fuddy daddy. But I am also not a fan of piercings other than earlobes. 

iheartdjsol

you are def not a fuddy duddy.

14 is too young.

I have a daughter myself and I would definitely not approve her getting any peircings or tattoos at that age.

winniew0917

ajones1:

You're totally not being a fuddy-duddy! If I had kids, piercings (besides ear lobes) and any tattoos would be either 18 or when you're out of my house. I absolutely agree with YL - you're still a child at 14 and really don't need body piercings at that age.

 

Agreed. However, you didn't specifically say she wanted one neither . . . so maybe you don't have anything to worry about

dapotato

in agreement with everyone above.  i had a few piercing-happy friends, and most of their parents didn't let them do non-ear (or crazier ear stuff) until they were 18.

Just_Lisa

I would tell my daughter I had to wait till I was 18 so do you.

Now that I'm 30 I wish I didn't do it, I had to take it out because of the pregnancy and now have this ugly hole.  I have to it re-opened to put the ring back in to hide the hole.

zeesbride

Young_Love:

zeesbride:

Eh, I think this would be one of those things that I would have to be in the moment to decide. I am inclined to say that I would not let any minor in my house get pierced or tattoed. However, my daughter will be half Pakistani and culturally piercings are a little different. This will probably be a moot point in our house, though because MH hates piercings. 

See, that's the thing. The only experience I have with a 14-year-old wanting to do this is so she can run around school lifting up her shirt and showing boys her belly. 

I have one, and I did it when I was 18 because I thought it was sexy. (Heh.)

In my experience, it's more of a sexual thing, and, IMO anyway, they are sexualized too much as it is.  :-

Cultural differences are a totally different thing. (obviously...haha. I just woke up, I'm not feeling very eloquent.)

LOL I also got mine as *soon* as I turned 18 because I wanted to be sexy! Funny thing is, it keloided ( sp?) and got infected like 3 months later and I had to remove it with a pair of needle nose pliars  So, I will pass that info on to her as well...lol 

ssinca

I'm torn.  on the one hand, she's too young and what Y_L said about wanting to flaunt it is a little frightening.  on the other hand, it is belly button and isn't completely visable (unlike a nose or lip piercing).

at least you have an open relationship and hopefully she'd come to you before getting it done on her own?

Wan-naBe

ah, see, here's the thing:  she doesn't want a belly button piercing.  she actually thinks BFF is silly for wanting it, because neither of them are into wearing clothing that would show it off.  and the thought of it getting snagged on clothes and stuff... [shudder]

she DOES want a lip piercing.  ew.  those are so ugly to me.

either way, no way in hell.  not till she's 18. 

ssinca

Wan-naBe:

she DOES want a lip piercing.  ew.  those are so ugly to me.

either way, no way in hell.  not till she's 18. 

I would also say no way in hell to a lip piercing.

5dogs

Wan-naBe:

she DOES want a lip piercing.  ew.  those are so ugly to me.

either way, no way in hell.  not till she's 18. 

This is one I'll agree 100% on - I had mine done during training and immediately took out the jewelry the same day... and it still took months to heal properly/close over without having the chance to heal as a normal piercing. The guy who did his apprenticeship side-by-side with me said his took a year and a half to heal up to the point where he no longer had a giant, gaping hole on the side of his mouth. Not something I'd want to subject a minor to!

LuckyYoungBride

Jenny that Erica Jones friend of yours is an idiot.

Wan-naBe

actually, she isn't. ?she's very opinionated, and i have a lot of respect for her. ?she certainly not right all the time, but who is?

i can definitely see her point - especially when you consider the fact that a belly button piercing often leads to wearing clothing that'll show it off. ?and that's just too sexual for a 14-year-old, IMO.

do you get what i'm trying to say??

themarshmalo

I'm also in the 18 and older crowd. My mom was against piercings, so I got my tongue and belly button pierced when I was of age.

I'm also against piercings TOO early. Friends of ours had their 6-month-old daughter's ears pierced. It skeeved me out.

NorCalMrs.

My SD told us that her mom is letting her get her belly button pierced when she goes back home.  I was shocked.  I think 14 is far to young for her to be doing it.  I don't know if she told us this thinking we would let her just do it here?  We have no say in the matter, but we told her we think it's not appropriate for her at her age to get this done.  I agree with your POV on this issue.

LuckyYoungBride

Wan-naBe:

actually, she isn't.  she's very opinionated, and i have a lot of respect for her.  she certainly not right all the time, but who is?

i can definitely see her point - especially when you consider the fact that a belly button piercing often leads to wearing clothing that'll show it off.  and that's just too sexual for a 14-year-old, IMO.

do you get what i'm trying to say? 

I get ya. I'm actually with you on the piercing. I'd kill my sister (14) if she got hers done, but I just thought it was ridiculously judgemental to call the mom an idiot and insinuate it would lead to teen pregnancy.

agnesackneback

My SIL is 14 years old.  I couldn't even imagine her getting a belly button ring.  I'm sure it'd get ripped out with in the first week from rough housing.  It'd get infected from her neglecting to clean it.  She's pretty lazy and stubborn when it comes to cleanliness. 

ssinca

themarshmalo:

I'm also against piercings TOO early. Friends of ours had their 6-month-old daughter's ears pierced. It skeeved me out.

ITA!  the kid doesn't even have a choice in the matter, let her decide when she's ready.   and OUCH.

daveshell1

No way.  I would never let my daughter do that at 14.  I wouldn't really approve of it at 18 (even though I got one then).  They are considered sexy, and the last thing I want is anything to do with sex and my 14yr old daughter together.