Piercing a baby's ears

xzanti

I'v just seen a woman carrying a baby that looked no more than a couple of weeks old in a sling on Merrion Square and her ears were pierced... Is this not some form of child abuse?? I mean would anyone object if the mother stuck needles through any other part of her baby's body?? It seems to be just accepted, I think its disgusting, what sort of a person does this to a tiny delicate baby?? You can't even use certain wash products on there skin until at least a month old but you can stick a metal needle through their ears?

ferdi

yeah it seems a bit twisted

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

*shrug* if I'm not going to get worked up over forced male/female circumcision I'm not going to get worked up over pierced ears.

It's stupid, but there are a lot of stupid people out there. We can't save all the children.

stovelid

If there were actual piercings; thats terrible

xzanti

Mordeth wrote:

*shrug* if I'm not going to get worked up over forced male/female circumcision I'm not going to get worked up over pierced ears.

It's stupid, but there are a lot of stupid people out there. We can't save all the children.

Circumcision is beneficial to the child, it reduces risk of infections etc, while I'm sure painful... But ear piercing is purely cosmetic.. No need for it whatsoever IMO..

The_Minister

It's wrong and disgusting.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

well, this isn't the thread for it (we've been over this on PI many times) but the evidence is still very sketchy on circumcision. All the supposed benefits of circumsision though are easily accquired through use of a condom. And a condom doesn't require slicing a babies foreskin off while they're nervous system is hyper-active, resulting in them feeling far more pain than an adult would in similar situations.

It's pretty barbaric, even if it does do *something*... which I'm not at all sure that it does.

Ruu_Old

The_Minister wrote:

It's wrong and disgusting.

Agreed. Are you sure they weren't clip on ones OP? Have seen a good few of those around.

Donegal Lass

I think its one of the tackiest things known to man (bar white stilettos:p ). I cant see why people would do that to a baby-it looks awful!

xzanti

Ruu wrote:

Agreed. Are you sure they weren't clip on ones OP? Have seen a good few of those around.

No I was standing beside her at the bank machine for a minute so I got a good look, they were those little studs that can't be clipped on, I'v seen it before on other babies, not just that one, it should be banned... I'm suprised there isn't a law to prevent it already.. The woman was black so maybe it's some sort of tradition but its still bloody cruel..

petes

Don't agree with that at all. Hope they were clip ons.

foxy06

It's very hard to make a newborn look like a toe rag in the making but this is one sure way to do it. This is the most disgusting thing iv'e ever seen. It's hard enough to watch your child get vaccinations never mind piercing the child for purely 'cosmetic' reasons.

r3nu4l

I've seen this before too, not good!

It's a bit strange because when I was growing up, ear piercing was almost a right of passage for girls of a certain age. Arguements with mothers and fathers, tears, crying that all their friends had their ears pierced etc.

Then there was the rebellious girls who came home with their ears piereced and fathers around the country uttered phrases like 'I can't believe it...my little girl...a hussy!' and 'I blame the schools, where's the nuns when you need them?'

im...LOST

Honestly I hate it and imo it makes the child look a tad knackerish:p

shane86

Its quite honestly the dirtiest, pikeyest scumbaggiest fashion sense known to man. Ffs why the **** stick a needle in your childs head? I can understand it regarding Africans, I suppose theyve been doing it for centuries so why stop now, but Irish babies with those rusty brown earrings, for **** sake like! I remember at my cousins kids christening some dope asked her if she would get the ears pierced. My cousin said no, as it might hurt the baby, and her friend replies

"Ah sure what odds, sure she wouldnt even remember it"

So there ya have it- pain doesnt matter if you cant recall it in 5 years.

Its not only the pain, its also the fact they use the bronzest, crappiest jewellery known to man.

EWheelChair

When we fostered two brothers, the youngest was 2 and he had his ear peirced for what must have been along time because he had no problems.

It's a towny thing to do.

kizzyr

xzanti wrote:

Circumcision is beneficial to the child, it reduces risk of infections etc, while I'm sure painful... But ear piercing is purely cosmetic.. No need for it whatsoever IMO..

Female circumcision is nothing more than mutilation and is barbaric. Do you know what they do to these little girls they circumcise? Do know how they do it? It is no way beneficial to the child and in fact only causes huge amounts of pain, leads to infection and all too often death. Its a sick and twisted practice.
Back on topic though, I also disagree with piercing a baby's ears.

manonthemoon

xzanti wrote:

I'v just seen a woman carrying a baby that looked no more than a couple of weeks old in a sling on Merrion Square and her ears were pierced... Is this not some form of child abuse?? I mean would anyone object if the mother stuck needles through any other part of her baby's body?? It seems to be just accepted, I think its disgusting, what sort of a person does this to a tiny delicate baby?? You can't even use certain wash products on there skin until at least a month old but you can stick a metal needle through their ears?

may as well look up the child now:D

Yakuza

It's the norm in Spain to have baby girl's ears pierced at only 3-4 days old. Normally it's done in the hospital, under the cleanest of conditions.

My wife is Spanish, and our daughter (who was born in Spain) had it done. I will admit to not being overjoyed at the idea before it was done (as, yes, in Ireland there it's mostly the cream crackers who get it done to their kids), but once I saw the earrings in (very simple pearl studs) I didn't mind at all. (It also has a practical use - you can instantly tell if a baby is a boy or a girl!)

Over here, the only reaction to it we've had was positive, with parents coming up to us and asking where we got it done etc. I'd say it's becoming more common here to get it done - probably due in no small measure to the changing demograpics of Irish society.

I draw the line at earrings in boys, though. When you're an adult, it's your own business.

takola

I think pierced ears on a little girl of about 5 look nice. Provided they're just little studs and not some big disgusting yokes! But the thought of someone piercing a tiny babies or boy's ear makes me sick! It's vile!

They always seem to do it in Spain... I never had an issue with it...

xzanti

kizzyr wrote:

Female circumcision is nothing more than mutilation and is barbaric. Do you know what they do to these little girls they circumcise? Do know how they do it? It is no way beneficial to the child and in fact only causes huge amounts of pain, leads to infection and all too often death. Its a sick and twisted practice.
Back on topic though, I also disagree with piercing a baby's ears.

I meant male circumcision.. Do they circumcise girls in this country??

kizzyr

xzanti wrote:

I meant male circumcision.. Do they circumcise girls in this country??

Its not practiced legally and its not a traditonal praqctice in the Western world. It happens a lot in Africa, espeically among nomadic tribes. Some small groups if immigrants to countries like Ireland, the UK, USA etc practice it illegally. Millions of young girls are victims of this hideous practice. In Somalia just before a girl hits puberty she is taken out into the dessert to meet with the "doctor" who is usually an old woman with a razor blade. The kid is then forced onto her back, legs prised apart, and everything, and I mean everthing is hacked away until all that is left is a hole. Even this is then sewen up with only the tiniest of openings left for her to urinate through. You know how you normally gor for a wee and it takes a few seconds, the hole this girl is left with is so small is can take 20 minutes for her to urinate. Then when she gets her period........what takes most of us girls 3 to 5 days, takes 12 to 15 and is absolute agony as all of the blood is backed up. She is kept all sewen up until she is married as proof of her virginity. Her husband, if he is nice, then cuts open the stitches and has sex with her. There isn't a hope in hell of her ever enjoying sex due to the butchering she has gone through earlier in her life and then when she is finished she is sewen up again. Sometimes the husband doesn't even cut the stitches he just forces himself in. Think of the joy if the woman then gets pregnant.........some of these women are forced to attempt to give birth while still stitched up, so coupled with the usual pain of childbirth the baby also has to be forced through these too, if they haven't torn apart already as she was dilating.Sometimes this doesn't happen and the baby dies.

Given the countries male circumcision originated in I can see how it began as a health practice and eventually became part of their culture but this is little more than another way for women to be subjegated, controlled and denied any pleasure in life. Both the UN and Amnesty International have a lot of shocking information available on this subject if you are interested in learning more.

Dave!

I wouldn't equate it to child abuse, but it's certainly unnecessary, and I'd say it's more for the parents than for the child (ie. they look kinda cute)

GAA widow

Yakuza wrote:

It's the norm in Spain to have baby girl's ears pierced at only 3-4 days old. Normally it's done in the hospital, under the cleanest of conditions.

I was going to say the same thing, very much the norm in Spain - they have the teensiest earrings ever for baby girls, quite cute actually!

Nightwish

Cheap and tacky IMO.

Piste

kizzyr wrote:

Its not practiced legally and its not a traditonal praqctice in the Western world. It happens a lot in Africa, espeically among nomadic tribes. Some small groups if immigrants to countries like Ireland, the UK, USA etc practice it illegally. Millions of young girls are victims of this hideous practice. In Somalia just before a girl hits puberty she is taken out into the dessert to meet with the "doctor" who is usually an old woman with a razor blade. The kid is then forced onto her back, legs prised apart, and everything, and I mean everthing is hacked away until all that is left is a hole. Even this is then sewen up with only the tiniest of openings left for her to urinate through. You know how you normally gor for a wee and it takes a few seconds, the hole this girl is left with is so small is can take 20 minutes for her to urinate. Then when she gets her period........what takes most of us girls 3 to 5 days, takes 12 to 15 and is absolute agony as all of the blood is backed up. She is kept all sewen up until she is married as proof of her virginity. Her husband, if he is nice, then cuts open the stitches and has sex with her. There isn't a hope in hell of her ever enjoying sex due to the butchering she has gone through earlier in her life and then when she is finished she is sewen up again. Sometimes the husband doesn't even cut the stitches he just forces himself in. Think of the joy if the woman then gets pregnant.........some of these women are forced to attempt to give birth while still stitched up, so coupled with the usual pain of childbirth the baby also has to be forced through these too, if they haven't torn apart already as she was dilating.Sometimes this doesn't happen and the baby dies.

Given the countries male circumcision originated in I can see how it began as a health practice and eventually became part of their culture but this is little more than another way for women to be subjegated, controlled and denied any pleasure in life. Both the UN and Amnesty International have a lot of shocking information available on this subject if you are interested in learning more.

Even though I know what Female Circuncision and FGM (FGM-Female Genital Mutilation is a much apter name for it imho, circumsision sounds so medical and almost innocuous, despite it being so incredibly barbaric) But that post actually made me cross my legs tightly and wince.

Oh and on topic I think it is incredibly cruel to pierce a baby's ears, you're permanently altering their body without their choice. Not to mention it looks wrong, like a five year old in a Mini skirt with a playboy boob-tube.

Hub

xzanti wrote:

Circumcision is beneficial to the child, it reduces risk of infections etc, while I'm sure painful... But ear piercing is purely cosmetic.. No need for it whatsoever IMO..

Emmm...How the hell is circumcision bebefical?? So not being circumcised leads to an infection...

:rolleyes:

kizzyr

Piste wrote:

Even though I know what Female Circuncision and FGM (FGM-Female Genital Mutilation is a much apter name for it imho, circumsision sounds so medical and almost innocuous, despite it being so incredibly barbaric) But that post actually made me cross my legs tightly and wince.

Oh and on topic I think it is incredibly cruel to pierce a baby's ears, you're permanently altering their body without their choice. Not to mention it looks wrong, like a five year old in a Mini skirt with a playboy boob-tube.

Sorry if I offended you or anyone with my post, its just that the practice of what you rightly refer to as FGM makes me so angry. I am also shocked at how many people are totally unaware that it goes on and so many women are victims of it.
BTW I also agree with you 100% about the piercing.

Hub

kizzyr wrote:

Given the countries male circumcision originated in I can see how it began as a health practice and eventually became part of their culture

No. Its not in anyway healthy.

It was supposidly a way in jewish history to "bring about a decrease in sexual intercourse"

Apparently "And G-d spoke to Abraham saying: ...This is my covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and thy seed after you -every male child among you shall be circumcised." (Gen. 17:12)

daiixi

I've not counted how many posts I've seen in PI from guys in late teens/early twenties needing or having a circumcision later in life so I'd actually be a big believer in circumcising a son.*

However I don't think earrings on babies is cute at all and really, do you need to know at a glance whether a baby is a boy or girl?! I don't think ears should be pierced until the child is old enough to know what they're asking for and old enough to care for the piercing properly. I was 13 and I think that's a perfect age.





*Edited because it's not worthy of an extra post. I've seen the problems that can er.. arise because someone is not circumcised and it wasn't pretty nor was it comfortable for him. Plus none of the guys I know have had a problem from being circumcised. Rereading my post I can see a complete contradiction in what I'm saying but I'm sticking with it.

mackerski

Hub wrote:

It was supposidly a way in jewish history to "bring about a decrease in sexual intercourse"

What, for the month after the snip? Why did they do it at birth, then?

Dermot

Hub

mackerski wrote:

What, for the month after the snip? Why did they do it at birth, then?

Dermot

I dunno Im not jewish

Hub

daiixi wrote:

I've not counted how many posts I've seen in PI from guys in late teens/early twenties needing or having a circumcision later in life so I'd actually be a big believer in circumcising a son.

...I...I really cant believe what your saying...

...You would consider have your son circumcised due to a few problem pages on the net....?

Im sorry but your an idiot

Dave!

daiixi wrote:

I've not counted how many posts I've seen in PI from guys in late teens/early twenties needing or having a circumcision later in life so I'd actually be a big believer in circumcising a son.

Have you counted the number of posts from guys NOT needing or wanting a circumcision later in life? Of course not, cos there's none -- but I'd say it's a safe bet that there's more of them than your guys!

Before you say it, no there's no threads from guys wishing they weren't circumcised -- most likely because they know that they can't grow the skin back!

Ruu_Old

Back on topic you lot! *shakes fist*

xzanti

Hub wrote:

Emmm...How the hell is circumcision bebefical?? So not being circumcised leads to an infection...

:rolleyes:

My cousins baby had to have it done for medical reasons when he was a couple of months old, what medical reason, I do not know, but I have yet to hear of a child having their ears pierced for medical reasons...

Rb

kizzyr wrote:

Its not practiced legally and its not a traditonal praqctice in the Western world. It happens a lot in Africa, espeically among nomadic tribes. Some small groups if immigrants to countries like Ireland, the UK, USA etc practice it illegally. Millions of young girls are victims of this hideous practice. In Somalia just before a girl hits puberty she is taken out into the dessert to meet with the "doctor" who is usually an old woman with a razor blade. The kid is then forced onto her back, legs prised apart, and everything, and I mean everthing is hacked away until all that is left is a hole. Even this is then sewen up with only the tiniest of openings left for her to urinate through. You know how you normally gor for a wee and it takes a few seconds, the hole this girl is left with is so small is can take 20 minutes for her to urinate. Then when she gets her period........what takes most of us girls 3 to 5 days, takes 12 to 15 and is absolute agony as all of the blood is backed up. She is kept all sewen up until she is married as proof of her virginity. Her husband, if he is nice, then cuts open the stitches and has sex with her. There isn't a hope in hell of her ever enjoying sex due to the butchering she has gone through earlier in her life and then when she is finished she is sewen up again. Sometimes the husband doesn't even cut the stitches he just forces himself in. Think of the joy if the woman then gets pregnant.........some of these women are forced to attempt to give birth while still stitched up, so coupled with the usual pain of childbirth the baby also has to be forced through these too, if they haven't torn apart already as she was dilating.Sometimes this doesn't happen and the baby dies.

Given the countries male circumcision originated in I can see how it began as a health practice and eventually became part of their culture but this is little more than another way for women to be subjegated, controlled and denied any pleasure in life. Both the UN and Amnesty International have a lot of shocking information available on this subject if you are interested in learning more.

That is absolutely disgusting!Informative though all the same...those poor girls.

On topic and regarding babies having their ears pierced, in this country I've only ever seen knackers/skanks doing it. It looks cheap and tacky, so generally suits their parents quite well.
IMO theres no need to be piercing a babies ears whatsoever.

Oh and afaik, circumcision at birth can help prevent infections later in life (and I just found this).I haven't looked into it too much though.

Piste

kizzyr wrote:

Sorry if I offended you or anyone with my post, its just that the practice of what you rightly refer to as FGM makes me so angry. I am also shocked at how many people are totally unaware that it goes on and so many women are victims of it.
BTW I also agree with you 100% about the piercing.

Oh no I'm not offended. If you have a penis and have read Chuck Palahniuk's "Guts", your reaction to that is probably the same as my reaction to your last post

Ickle Magoo

I think it looks awful & very tacky - but it is often cultural & what rocks my boat doesn't rock others & visa versa

oRlyYaRly

kizzyr wrote:

Its not practiced legally and its not a traditonal praqctice in the Western world. It happens a lot in Africa, espeically among nomadic tribes. Some small groups if immigrants to countries like Ireland, the UK, USA etc practice it illegally. Millions of young girls are victims of this hideous practice. In Somalia just before a girl hits puberty she is taken out into the dessert to meet with the "doctor" who is usually an old woman with a razor blade. The kid is then forced onto her back, legs prised apart, and everything, and I mean everthing is hacked away until all that is left is a hole. Even this is then sewen up with only the tiniest of openings left for her to urinate through. You know how you normally gor for a wee and it takes a few seconds, the hole this girl is left with is so small is can take 20 minutes for her to urinate. Then when she gets her period........what takes most of us girls 3 to 5 days, takes 12 to 15 and is absolute agony as all of the blood is backed up. She is kept all sewen up until she is married as proof of her virginity. Her husband, if he is nice, then cuts open the stitches and has sex with her. There isn't a hope in hell of her ever enjoying sex due to the butchering she has gone through earlier in her life and then when she is finished she is sewen up again. Sometimes the husband doesn't even cut the stitches he just forces himself in. Think of the joy if the woman then gets pregnant.........some of these women are forced to attempt to give birth while still stitched up, so coupled with the usual pain of childbirth the baby also has to be forced through these too, if they haven't torn apart already as she was dilating.Sometimes this doesn't happen and the baby dies.

Given the countries male circumcision originated in I can see how it began as a health practice and eventually became part of their culture but this is little more than another way for women to be subjegated, controlled and denied any pleasure in life. Both the UN and Amnesty International have a lot of shocking information available on this subject if you are interested in learning more.

Oh, wow. Ignorance really is bliss.

That really, really sucks. :mad:

Angus MacGyver

Could have been worse, the child could have had a tattoo!

crosstownk

bluewolf wrote:

They always seem to do it in Spain... I never had an issue with it...

Interesting, my sis in law is Mexican and it's quite common place in Mexico for a girl to have her ears peirced before she is christened.

Coinin

I had no problem at all with my daughter getting her ears pierced, just as soon as she was old enough to ask for it, know that it might hurt a bit, and understand that it meant permanent holes through her ears. She was 8 at the time, and we had a long chat about it. She was not too happy that I made her wear some magnetic ones for a few days first just to make sure was comfortable with wearing earrings. That said, I will probably not be so easy going if she ever asks for a belly or nose ring.

Although ear piercing is a surgical procedure, it is not for a medical purpose and I therefore had no more right to impose it on her than I would have to grab hold of a complete a stranger and tattoo them. For crying out loud, kids are people, not just plastic dolls that can be dressed up.

Kolodny

I can remember baby ear piercing being very popular for a while in the 80s in the UK. I remember the popular argument from parents was that it was better to get it done while the child was a baby because they wouldn't have to experience the pain later on (how ridiculous is that?) but sure it had more to do thinking it made your child look 'cute'. Personally, I think it's an awful thing to do to a baby. I understand it sometimes a cultural thing but I'd prefer to let any child of mine decide for themself if they want to get it done.

simu

It's tacky imho and tbh life is hard enough with a newborn to be going out getting its ears done but whatever...

I must say I've noticed that many people lose all sense of proportion once a baby is born to someone they know and waste lots of money on pointless "cute" stuff for said baby, so it goes beyond ear-piercing.

riskky

Coinin wrote:

I had no problem at all with my daughter getting her ears pierced, just as soon as she was old enough to ask for it, know that it might hurt a bit, and understand that it meant permanent holes through her ears. She was 8 at the time, and we had a long chat about it. She was not too happy that I made her wear some magnetic ones for a few days first just to make sure was comfortable with wearing earrings. That said, I will probably not be so easy going if she ever asks for a belly or nose ring.

Although ear piercing is a surgical procedure, it is not for a medical purpose and I therefore had no more right to impose it on her than I would have to grab hold of a complete a stranger and tattoo them. For crying out loud, kids are people, not just plastic dolls that can be dressed up.

And what right to do you have to wear a baby clothes,you might as well wait till he or she is old enough to decide whether to go butt naked or wear clothes and by extension we should stop taking them to church to be christened until they are old enough to form an opinion and decide for themselves:mad:

honru

Personally I find piercings of any nature quite sexual, so obviously to see them on a baby looks quite out of whack. I dislike the idea, but each to their own.

kizzyr

riskky wrote:

And what right to do you have to wear a baby clothes,you might as well wait till he or she is old enough to decide whether to go butt naked or wear clothes and by extension we should stop taking them to church to be christened until they are old enough to form an opinion and decide for themselves:mad:

There is a difference between deciding what clothes your baby is going to wear, if any, and piercing their ears. Clothes serve a purpose and function, keep the baby warm,dry etc. Pierced ears don't do anything for the baby at all they only serve to please the adult who decided to put them in.

dSTAR

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

Personally I find piercings of any nature quite sexual, so obviously to see them on a baby looks quite out of whack. I dislike the idea, but each to their own.

I am like that with tattoos.

In most Western countries it is against the law to tattoo a minor but why it isn't the case with piercings is really baffling. Jeez if you clipped your child's ear in public for giving you lip you would have the bleeding heart liberals screaming child abuse!

I don't like it, since it's unnecessary pain for the baby, but in lots of places it's the norm. When I lived in Spain, practically all baby girls had their ears pierced. I went to my friend's niece's first birthday party and everyone was asking the mother why she hadn't pierced the baby's ears yet. It's just expected there and you would be asked why you HADN'T had it done.