Monday, June 06, 2005

Ouch, body piercings...

BEING a bank holiday here today in Ireland, I decided to give the young wan a bit of responsibility and for the first time allow them to go into town with their pal.

In fairness to them, they were back well before the 6.30pm deadline… and spent their six euro on posters of Kurt Kobain. Little did I know along with the Kurt Kobain poster to hang alongside Marilyn Manson, they also brought home a leaflet about body piercing, Holy Jaysus.

holyjaysus



Finding the leaflet later on sitting on the table I decided have a read and it made my eyes water, no seriously!

The leaflet was a glossy A3 sheet, folded into 6 parts, printed back and front and almost promised a particular lifestyle, a cool lifestyle and just the type of thing to widen a teenager’s eyes.

Along with 4 columns of body piercing, (in my day we all went to the local chemist for ear piercing) there was information about piercing merchandise, after care products, healing times and FAQ (frequently asked questions).

The body piercing list is something else, with things I have never heard of before and I can only imagine, things like guice (healing time 3 – 5 months, apparently) costing (with ring) 60 euro and others…

ouch



Or maybe you could try the hafada with only 2 – 4 months healing time, easy to heal simple piercing the brochure says, a snip at 60 euro also with bar.

These ‘procedures’ were found under the male and female genital piercing sections and I don’t even want to imagine… unfortunately I did having read the leaflet and I wish I hadn’t.

I don’t really understand why a responsible business would let kids near the premises, let alone pierce them and I suppose I am annoyed that they were able to get this leaflet for ideas to be put into their head.

I have heard so many times about kids going off and getting their tongues, bellybuttons, etc pierced without parental permission. Do I trust my child not to be that impressionable? you bet your arse I don’t. And I really would prefer that they wouldn’t have anything done whether it’s the septum with keeper or the conch bar. And don’t get me started on tattoos, oh god no.

I discovered the leaflet with a pal and we looked over them all and I suppose it struck me that its not that I don’t like piercings, I do on others. Despite having my own ears pierced twice ( I grew up in the 80s – so no explanation necessary) and by the end of my teens, I found earrings to be a complete pain in the arse, banging off your ears, catching your hair and getting lost, so I barely, if ever, wear them now.

As I said, I like piercings but I suppose its one of those things that I can like in others but it’s just not for me and definitely not for my child. So the thought of my child having any of these things at this age is too much. It’s not like getting your ears done anymore, a naval ring, or Jaysus lip ring, bar, whatever, is marking your body for life.

But this is where I sound old – so what and so be it! I just do not want child to mar their beautiful face or ‘noooooooooooo’ body with a permanent piercing. I have tried talking about the fickleness of fashion but despite being among the younger mums of all the kids in their year, I allegedly haven’t a clue.

My child found the leaflet funny particularly all the places you can have pierced, maybe that will be enough to put them off, what do you think?

Excuse me, my child and I need a chat…

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Again something I can relate to as said child,from the age of 16 I was hell bent on getting my tongue done..much to the absolute horror of my mum( I'm sure she told ya all about it)But to my horror and disgust the place wont go near me till i was 18(yep they are very very strict on that..well in my day)
Said mum went on hols ,have a great time and came back to find me drinking my food with newly bought blender!!!!I also coudnt speak very well either....A few yrs later I decieded to get the lip done...which was a bloody mess so never again....On a cheery note wait till your lil petal discovers tattoos!!!!(i got 3..which are harder to get rid off)

kayleigh said...

Haha:)

Well, i'm 14, and i have a fair amount of piercings *cough*13*cough*
But you see many people mistake me getting piercings because it's 'cool' and the fad, but that's not it at all(half the people i know wouldn't ever get the piercings i have)
My mom trusts me enough not to go out one day and pierce my face(because that's just dodgy and gross), but this is because my mom allowed me to get a few ear piercings and a tongue and stomach, thus not tempting me to go off and rebel and get a...for example..lip piercing(but once again i say, i just don't go for facial piercngs)

Piercers shouldn't be able to pierce a youngen without parental consent, so i'm pretty sure your child wouldn't be able to do that-though people my age, even younger, are allowed into the piercing shops to get info on piercings and tattoos(note that this could be a good thing, because 'twould show the child what the risks are and how much it hurts etc)

I think that brochures might put off your child for awhile, but they will always end up wanting a piercing('tisn't my place to tell you to say no or yes-though i would recommend letting him/her get maybe just one piercing because that would probably quiet him/her down a tad about the subject(:

I have: a rook, 2 tragus', an industrial and 3 ear lobe piercings in each ear(all ear piercings) and a tongue and stomach piercng

...

and i plan to get only one more=]

hope my story/recommendation helps?

have a good one

(oh and p.s: i don't plan on a tattoo for a looong time)

Christopher said...

well... im a 17 year old male and i suppose new to body modification. i have 5 peircings 2 in each lobe and one in the frenulum of my penis, (i plan to put 1 more in each lobe and a second frenulum by the end of the month.) i also have 2 tattoos one on my chest one on my back.


i did all my current peircings myself and have only had one minor infection in my 3rd earlobe peircing.

i think that its kinda asinine to get upset over somthing so small as a pamphlet that depicts peircings or tattoos.

i asked for my first tattoo when i was 6 years old, my mother obviously said no but she always told me when i was older.

if a child choses to shave their head and have a tribal tattoo design engraved into their skull, along with getting 2 inch diameter holes in their ears would you love them less?

the only way to show you truly love your child is to encourage any form of expressiopn that dose not prove mentally or physically harmfull to others.

sure it may look ugly as hell to you, but if they have found themselfs at a spiritually better place through these outlets is that not what a parent could ultimatelly desire for their child?

maby im nieve but i cant understand why you would be upset or displeased. my mother was very happy when i went in for my first tattoo, (it was a bible verse) and when the time for number 2 came she was equally pleased. (the symbol for international nuclear disarmment)

as well anything worth doing is painfull, if it isint your doing it wrong or doing the wrong thing,
women in some countries wont even coincider marrige to a man ( let alone sex!) that dose not have an ampallang.

i think you should get off your childs back a little, its only natural for them to have an interest in these new and cool things (for me tattoos and piercing have been around since i was 4, my parents had some interesting friends ^^)
but you dont have to let them act on these interests, just let them pass. and of course if they dont, well your child might just be a worthy human being who thinks for themselves instead of being a waste of food.