Minor children, tattoos, body piercing?

orangeishcat

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I have four piercings (two in each ear) and four tattoos. I would allow my theoretical child to have their ears pierced, but no ink 'til they're over 18 and can make their own choices. 
 

aimerlee

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Oh boy, if my parents let me get tattoos or piercings when I was a teen, I'd be in trouble now! I was big into the punk scene. I wanted everything pierced and tattoos everywhere, but my parents said ABSOLUTELY NOT! I was allowed to get my ears double pierced, but that's it. I got a tattoo when I turned 18, and I'm thinking of getting a couple more, but nothing too crazy.
 

tigerontheprowl

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I don't have kids but if I did it would really depends on the type of piercing or tattoo.  Something like lobes or a nose piercing, no problem.  Something like eyebrow and lip, not until 18.  And then for the more obscene ones like nipple piercing and genital piercing, just no.

Tattoos would be not until at least 18 and then it would depend on the nature of the tattoo as well as the location.
 

ruthyb

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I am letting my daughter have her ears pierced next year when she is 11,she has been asking me for two years but I think that 11 is a suitable age.As regards to if she asked me about any other iercings or tattoos then no way when she is 18 she can decide for herself.x
 

resqchick

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My daughter is 15. She has 7 ear piercings, 2 "regular" ones, and 5 in her cartilage. I, myself have 6 ear piercings myself, so her doing it was not something I felt the need to prevent. Ear holes close easily, and she only wears tasteful little studs and tiny hoops. 

She has wanted to have a nose piercing, a "monroe" (think Marilyn Monroe's mole) and has also wanted a belly button piercing. It won't happen until she is on her own, out of my house, and not my financial responsibility. (This means if I'm paying for college, there will be no further holes) As far as I'm concerned when she's out, on her own completely independent, she can make her own decisions, and do what she wants with her money and her body. Now that she's got a job though, she holds that money a little dearer so I doubt she'll be spending a dime on that nonsense.

As far as Tattoos go, the same rules as the extra piercings applies. There will not be an inked child in my home. Of course this is a double standard, because my husband has a tattoo on his forearm (Anheiser Bush Eagle) and I have a small tattoo on my ankle, and I'm designing a floral ankle bracelet tattoo to cover the little one up. But then, I'm 45, my husband is 48, and well, that's the rules.

My boys are athletes, and they don't have any interest in any of that stuff. They'd rather have a new pair of cleats or LAX stick. Boys are easy. 
 

evakatharina

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I wouldn't mind my future children having piercings that they would be allowed to wear at school and at their jobs.  I wouldn't allow them to gauge any of their piercings for fear that they'll be stuck with more than a tiny scar where the hole closes.  I would only pay for the first ear piercing, and only for a girl.  Tattoos are a no until they turn 18.
 

mrblanche

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In some western societies, piercing a little girl's ears while still an infant is  long tradition. 

I'll be honest.  If I ran a business where my employees dealt direct with the public, I'd be very restrictive about what piercings and tattoos I'd allow. What they want to do is up to them, but if it affects my sales, it affects me, my family, and my other employees, and it's just not going to happen.
 

catkiki

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I don't have kids, but if I did, it would be ears only. Tats and other piercings when they were 18.

On a side note, I wonder about the kids who have big holes in their ears. I think of the old men who have huge ear lobes because age and gravity stretches them out. When these guys get to that age, their lobes and going to be touching their shoulders!
 

snake_lady

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What's your definition of minor children?

Here, anyone under 18 needs parental consent, and anyone younger than 16, more will not tattoo or pierce.

My answer is yes I would. Providing that minor means say 14 - 18

My 15yr old is thinking about a tattoo, and I have no issues with it whatsoever should she choose to do so, she will have my consent.

She also wants a belly button piercing, and we're waiting untill i finish losing weight and she and I will go together :)

Her and I were going to get our noses done, but then she decided it would get in the way too much with cadets (she'd have to where a bandaid over it) and decided not to. I got mine done.

I know my children better than anyone, I know that my 15yr old is way more mature and responsible than a typical 15yr old. I trust her opinion and respect her wishes.

My 11.5yr old, is thinking about getting her second set of ear holes soon.

Providing they come to me, and its not something they want to "sneak" behind my back, I have no issues with responsible decisions. Key word is responsible.

I definately would not allow a stupid tattoo of whatever on their face, or an idea similiar.
 

northernglow

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I'll have to add here one case of a (IMO) stupid tattoo: I know this person through a hobby we share. She's much younger than me (and I hope she doesn't read this forum xD), just turned 18 this year if I remember correctly. 18 is the age when you 'become' an adult over here: you can get a drivers license, allowed to buy alcohol (excluding strong stuff like vodka, 20 years is the limit in those), get married etc.

Back when she was 15 she got a tattoo and was showing it off proudly..it was an inverted cross in her chest, high enough to show if you happen to wear pretty much anything with even a slight cleavage. When I asked how she managed to have anyone tattoo that on her (considering the age and the picture itself combined, I could have understood a butterfly or something..) and she said her mother was with her. I don't know if her mother is crazy, or did that to teach her a lesson. Sounds bad to me anyway.

Well, now she has started to grow out that 'I'm cool, I'm a Satan worshipper' phase..Still in 'denial' though but it's quite clear she is starting to mentally grow up and I'm sure she will soon regret that tattoo a lot. It's going to be very difficult to cover it due to the style it was made if she ever wants to do that without having a big black blotch in her chest. She has at least 2 other tattoos which have similar stuff in them, but atleast they are on her back and easier to hide or fix if ever needed.
 

feralvr

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I don't have kids, but if I did, it would be ears only. Tats and other piercings when they were 18.



On a side note, I wonder about the kids who have big holes in their ears. I think of the old men who have huge ear lobes because age and gravity stretches them out. When these guys get to that age, their lobes and going to be touching their shoulders!
:flail: I have thought the same thing about those large rings kids have pierced into their lobes to make them stretch. They should be warned about the old adage that your ears and nose grow as you age :lol3: And I agree with the ears only. No tatts or other piercings till eighteen. :wavey:
 
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thembcat

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I don't have kids nor do I plan on having any for several more years but if I had children I would let them get 2 sets of ear lobe piercings as soon as she was able to agree or disagree to having them and old enough to understand the pain involved with piercings.  I think at 16, I'd let my child get a navel piercing and maybe have her cartilege pierced but def. no tatoos and no nose, eyebrow, tongue or other crazy piercings until she's 18.        I say that not because I have anything against piercings or tatoos, I admit they're not my personal cup o tea but many jobs have tatoo and piercing restrictions and I would hate for my child to find a job that she abosolutely loved only to not get it because she had too many piercings or visable tatoos. That would break my heart.

Same goes for if I had a son though I don't think I'd allow piercings. I guess if he had good grades and a clean record then I may break down and let him have 1 ear pierced as long as he agreed never to make the hole bigger and if he ever let his grades drop or if I found out he was doing drugs or getting into trouble, I would make him take his piercing out so it can grow shut.  Really that rule would be for a girl too, if your grades drop, you do drugs and get into trouble constantly then I'll start removing piercings one by one until they get their act straight. Until you're out of my house, I decide how many piercings you have and I can make the decision to make you take one out.

IMO: even though I know its in some cultures to do this but I personally don't approve of people getting their infant's ears pierced. I think it borders on physical mutilation if you do that to a child that can't make the decision for his/her self. Even if the child doesn't remember getting their ears pierced, its their body. I didn't want a piercing until I was I think 5, I would have been furious with my parents if they forced me to get my ears pierced before I was ready.

I got two sets of ear piercings in my life, both in my lobes.  A few yeas after I got my second set of piercings I let them grow shut because my have such tiny earlobes that even if I have tiny studs in, my lobes look crowded. Honestly I only wear piercings now on special occassions or if I suddently get a random urge to wear some, kind of goes back to my tiny earlobes, most pretty earrings look too big for my ears but also depending on my stress level, my ears get super itchy with earrings in. Its a allergy that only really causes a problem when I'm stressed/depressed which especially recently has been a normal thing.
 

korbe

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I am a 32-year-old with a 13-year-old son. I have never had any tattoos or piercings, and no one in my immediate family does, either. Several months ago, after my son turned 13, he asked for his first ever piercing - in his genitals. Of course, my reaction was an outright "no!". He kept asking me and in the end we made a deal that if his grades continued to be of an excellent standard, I would let him get a genital piercing.

A month ago we got his results back and of course they were excellent so I let him get an ampallang genital piercing. He's had it for over four weeks and has already shown most of his friends. I would never have thought I would allow my 13-year-old to do this, but there you go. So long as he's responsible with it and isn't going to be stupid about it, I don't see why he shouldn't.
 

Winchester

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When my GFs son went off to college, they took him down one day and got him settled in. They went back down the very next day and walked past a young man who had his head shaved, except for a number on the side of his head. One of his ears was pierced. Only after they walked past him, did my GF realize that it was her son. Just in one day. She did a double-take and started crying.

So when we took our son to college, the last thing I did before we left......I grabbed hold of his shirt collar and (gently) pulled him down to my level (he is over 6'3 and I'm 5'4. And I said, "I love you. But God help me, you will not shave your head. You will not pierce anything on your body. You will not get a tattoo. And I mean that, so help me God! And I will know....I'm your mother and I will know! We'll be down next week!" I was serious and he knew it. He started laughing, gave me a kiss and a hug and said, "Love you, too, Mom!"

Well, he's married and has blessed us with two grandchildren. And when I first started thinking about a getting a tattoo, I called him right away and talked it over with him. Know what he said? "Mom, I love you. But God, help me, you will not get a tattoo. ANYWHERE! And I mean that, so help me God! And I will know....I'm your son and I will know! Love you!" and hung up the phone.
 (I haven't gotten the tattoo either.)
 
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