ear piercing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'll ask it again: why do people decorate their infants and toddlers? What is your motivation for wanting to make a 2 month old "look good" (others' words in this thread, not mine).

Thank you


are you saying you don't try to dress your child in matching, cute clothes? that does fit your description of "wanting to make your 2 month old 'look good.'" and no one would bat an eye at that.

I can honestly say that as a newborn, baby and toddler, my son never wore clothes that were chosen by me because I thought they made him "look good." They fit, they typically were made of cotton, they didn't have decals/appliques that would scratch his skin .... and often, they didn't match.

[Anonymous]

Your poor son...

[Anonymous]

That's ok -- he's in hair bows now, and I've pierced one of his ears. And a tattoo. But I had to hold him down while he screamed during his ink. At least he looks good!

[Anonymous]

Put breast milk on the tattoo, and it will be healed by morning. That stuff is magic!

[Anonymous]

Pierced ears on a baby just look different to different people, depending on your _______ (background, culture, whatever).

To some, it looks cute, like you put a little bow-barrette in a toddler's hair.
To others, it looks tarted up, like you put mascara and lipstick on your baby.

We're just not all going to see this the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pierced ears on a baby just look different to different people, depending on your _______ (background, culture, whatever).

To some, it looks cute, like you put a little bow-barrette in a toddler's hair.
To others, it looks tarted up, like you put mascara and lipstick on your baby.

We're just not all going to see this the same way.

exactly. but it sure is fun to judge others who don't agree with the royal us and call them low brow and ethnic and other such nonsensical offensive words.

[Anonymous]

Pierced ears on a baby just look different to different people, depending on your _______ (background, culture, whatever).

To some, it looks cute, like you put a little bow-barrette in a toddler's hair.
To others, it looks tarted up, like you put mascara and lipstick on your baby.

We're just not all going to see this the same way.

I really agree with this. However, I think those people who are denying the ethnic and economic tendencies with regards to infant ear piercing are kidding themselves. You'd have to live with a paper bag over your head to not realize that IN GENERAL, hispanic, black, and lower-income white infants are much more likely to have their ears pierced. This doesn't make it bad or wrong or anything. And yes, sometimes you will see a wealthy white baby with their ears pierced too. But duh, we can all see what the trends are. Even though I think WASPy poster sounds so elitist, I think her observations are more right than wrong. Of course it is all irrelavent because by the time the teen years hit, 99% of all girls have their ears pierced anyway!

My family was poor, but my mom had an elitist streak in her and never wanted her four daughters to get our ears pierced. We begged and were allowed ONE hole when we were 10. I was almost disowned at age 15 for getting a second hole without her permission.....of course, getting my nose, lip, tongue, and belly button done in college sent my parents to the mad house.

Personally, baby ear piercing (as long as the baby or toddler isn't actively fighting it, as in the OP) doesn't bother me because it doesn't really damage the child and it can be removed. Circumcision on the other hand drives me bonkers because it is squarely in the genital mutilation category. The science behind it is very weak, and the "benefits" are only found in US studies or by US doctors -- cultures who do not practice routine circ do not find any medical benefit at all, only harm.