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.

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…

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…