Hey harmless, I am with you and espe3 here, NO WAY that ear thang is done without the parental permission

I think ena got her ears pierced at age 16 (years!!!)

Saludos,
jer...

Harmless,
This is my take, or personal experience, regarding the ear piercing issue.
I'm not so sure about how it works these days, but I can't tell you 32 years ago, when I was born, they did ask my parents if they wanted my ears pierced, I was their first child so my dad felt sorry for me and said no; as a result, every time I wore my blue baby clothes (remember they didn't use to be able to tell the gender before we where born in those days), my mum got tired of people assuming I was a baby boy, and one day while my dad was on a business trip, and I was about a year and a half, took me to have them pierced; she says she'll never forget how I fought, cried and screamed and spotted my white little pullover with red blood stains (plus, the result wasn't very perfect ), so when a few months later my sister was born she did have her piercing done at the age of one or two days old, before they left the hospital, because that's the only way to not feel a thing, sometimes the newborn won't even wake up.
My other sis was born 13 years later and didn't have her ears pierced at all....until as a pre-teenager she wanted to be able to wear the same nice earrings as all of her friends and she did it.

hello everybody!

ok, so within a month then, and they usually ask the parents (i was assured they didnt bother, probably a change in hospital policy in the recent years, or maye it depends on the place).

anyway, do you not think it's a bit like branding? i am a young woman with no holes in my ears (apart from the ones i was born with). never really felt the need to get my ears pierced (that i can remember) and ppl dont confuse me for a man, ever!!

what is it with ear piercing?



harmless

I think the deal with any piercing is kind of the rationale of putting bulbs and lights on christmas trees. It�s adornment.

For me the 'to pierce or not to pierce, that is the question'...question isn't branding, but rather a purely cultural one. (And by the way, boy am I glad that we've gone on a baby custom tangent that has nothing to do with umbilical cords!!! And...just so my position can't be misconstrued, I DO NOT support the piercing of umbilical cords! )

I'm a gringo with Mexican-American roots, my wife's Spanish and we pierced my baby's ears at 5-6 weeks while living in California. Mainly because that's something that we viewed as completely normal between the two of us and, with as popular as piercing this, that and the other seems to be nowadays...chances are that your daughter.....or even son will pierce something during their lives.

Though it certainly wasn't easy to see my sweetheart cry like that for a few minutes, I'd rather her do it then as opposed to when she's 16 or older. I apologize to anyone else out there with different values, but that's just always seemed a little odd under my as well as my family unit's personal paradigm.

Good conversation...
:cheers:

Harmless,
Branding? Mmmmm, I wouldn’t go that far; as an earlier poster pointed out, it’s just a tradition that surely goes back a long, long time.
It is quite amazing and peculiar to think that in every culture and civilization that has ever existed everywhere throughout the globe people have felt the need, or inclination rather, to accessorize, whether with the use of jewellery, paint (make-up, tatoos), piercings; and some other a lot more strange ways…
This custom it’s quite a “HARMLESS” practice I’d say, considering that if for whatever reason someone isn’t very fond of her/his pierced ears, all they have to do is not use any type of ring in them and with time the little holes close themselves back up.

Having ears pierced at a very young age seems to be pretty common. Irene had her ears pierced at a few weeks old.

It's an old tradition, I'm 50 and my mother had my ear's pierced when I was a few months old. I've never regretted it! I hate to wear those pinching earrings!
:cheers:

I was 25 when I got my ears pierced, Although piercing baby's ears is also a "habit" here , I chose for it myself and personally I think this is the best way.

Harmless- The confusion with the gender I was talking about is as a baby when there's no way of telling a baby's gender unless you have to change their diaper! Not when you're grown up! That's an entirely different issue! As far as policy changing- who knows! My sister is Pim's age, and was born in a Spanish hospital and the hospital weren't the ones who pierced her ears. (relax everyone, my aunt did both of ours- she was a nurse!)

Pim, I have to disagree with you on one point about the holes closing back up... if you get them done at such a young age the best that is ever going to happen is that the outside of the holes kind of close up, but the actual piercing remains(the hole that goes through)- to close up the entire thing you need plastic surgery (not a big deal to close the holes up!) I know because one of my holes is lower than the other (long story) and when I was 10 I went 2 years without wearing earings and it didn't close! (much to my mother's dismay- she hated seeing me without earrings- but understood about trying to close the hole- I wanted to have it re-done). So its MANY years later, and I still haven't done the procedure... but I will someday... But no biggie- I just have to stick to small earrings! Holes close back up depending on how long you've had them- so it all depends.

Martime-I don't disagree with you- but I'm glad mine were done! (I'm such a weenie about needles- probably why I haven't gotten my one piercing fixed yet!- or get any more! ) And I still like that it makes it easier to tell the girl babies from the boy babies apart!

morning!

>The confusion with the gender I was
>talking about is as a baby when there's no way >of telling a baby's gender unless you have to >change their diaper! Not when you're grown up!

of course i realise that, but it's also part of my point. nowadays, alot of ppl know before the baby is even born whether its a boy or a girl, so you may not have to ask or guess/assume, cos you know already.

and what's so problematic about asking? do ppl take offence cos you dont know if they had a baby boy or girl? hope not! i ask often ask more more obvious and stupid questions than that!

i just think, it's part of a general attitude that girls should look (and possible act and think) in a certain way (that is predictable and reassuring!): girls wear earings, dresses, play with dolls and want to be nurses.
nothing wrong if you (my 2-year old niece loves her doll! tho her 4-year old brother sometimes runs off with it!!).

and we've all heard some women say, i couldnt leave the house without my earrings/make-up/high heels, etc. i think that's weird!

also, as pointed out, ear piercing is permanent!

maybe it's just penis envy on my part, who knows!?



harmless

quote:

"maybe it's just penis envy on my part, who knows!?"

Okaaaaaay, I think this thread just officially went off topic

Saludos,
jer...

i knew you were going to say that!

Jejejeje, I am so predictable!!!

The thread went from new baby customs to penis envy in one fell swoop

Actually, a good amount of new babies have penises so I guess it is not too off topic after all :jeje:

Saludos,
jer...

Harmless-
Obviously someone who knows the family is going to know if its a boy or girl- But how many people are going to check the baby out (strangers) and ooo and ahhh over it and ask a couple of questions- You're right, people shouldn't get offended if you ask if its a boy or a girl (if I have children, I can assure you I won't douse her in pink! Blue is my favorite color! ) but some people do- get offended that is, or look at you funny like you should know!

You may be right about it meaning for girls to look like girls... I don't know but I think they look cute with their little earrings As far as the make-up heels- jejej! I just want comfortable shoes and the less make up I need for an occasion, the better!

Someone mentioned branding... well its not like like the microchip that England was debating a few years ago!(which on the one hand, for its intended purpose, isn't a bad idea) THAT'S one way to know where your teenager is! (In case any of you are wondering, there was a debate a few years back about implanting kids with a microchip- so that if they were kidnapped or runaway, you'd know where they were- but it didn't get past the debating stage.) Its also not like we're tatooing the baby with our initials or family crest!