What age to pierce a girl's ears

singleagain

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 9:45 pm

Wrote this for a narrative essay my first year in college:

When my mother found the pair of flat gold Mickey Mouse earrings, in a shop in
Downtown Disney, I knew I had to have them. After all, when I was eleven, and very
needle-phobic, I overcome my fear because of those earrings.
I have wanted to get my ears pierced since I was a little girl, but I had a terrible
fear of needles. But an outing to the Woodbridge Mall, in Woodbridge, NJ, on July 11th
,
1997 changed my outlook and my outer-look. I love Disney movies; my favorite
character is Mickey Mouse. The Disney store is one of my favorite stores in the Mall.
When I saw a pair of flat gold Mickey Mouse earrings I fell in love with them. There was
one major drawback, “you need pierced ears for those” my dad said. I, the eleven year
old, needle–phobe, surprised my father by saying “so let’s get my ears pierced.” My
father said “fine” after making sure that I understood what ear piercing entailed. We
immediately went to Piercing Pagoda. Once there I selected a pair of diamond studs, and
I allowed the worker to punch a hole in each ear. I was very dizzy and had to sit down,
and, it was probably my dad who bought me a bottle of water from the CVS next to the
earring kiosk. We called my mother, who had been shopping alone, to come meet us.
When we meet up with each other, my mom was in shock. A needle-phobe herself, my
mom started feeling very faint and insisted that we leave the Mall because she needed
fresh air. We immediately left the mall to go to a barbeque. However, we forgot one
thing.
The next time we were at the Mall, we discovered that the Disney store was no
longer carrying the Mickey Mouse earrings. I was upset, because without those earrings I
would NOT have pierced my ears.
Over the next six and a half years we bought many different Mickey Mouse
earrings; an engraved gold pair, a raised gold pair, a diamond studded pair, a clear stoned
hanging pair; but the closest we could find to that first pair was a flat gold pair with
horizontal lines engraved on it. I was beginning to think that I would never find my
earrings; the ones that were the reason I had pierced my ears.
January 2004, while visiting Orlando, Florida during midwinter vacation, my
family went to Downtown Disney one afternoon. While I was walking in and out of the
stores, looking at the merchandise for a small souvenir, I felt like a kid again. I had exited
the store when my mother called me back and pointed out a jewelry display. I ignored my
mother’s request to look and instead I glimpsed because I knew that any real jewelry
would be very expensive. Once again my mother directed me to the display, this time
pointing out a pair of earrings. They were my earrings, my flat gold Mickey Mouse
earrings. I was overjoyed. Although they rang up at $70, my mother was willing to pay
for them. I wore them out of the store, and did not stop until one day, this past year, when
they irritated my ears and I took them out. Even if I never wear my Mickey Mouse
earrings again I will treasure them, because without them I would not have had the
motivation to pierce my ears.
Motivation gives people the power to make a personal change in their life.
However, the motivation only comes when the reward becomes greater than the risk.
Earrings were a luxury I never was able to afford because needles are, to this day, very
scary. But Mickey Mouse was the motivation that had me bring my longing for earrings
to fruition, when as an eleven year old I forcefully declared “so let’s get them pierced.”

mommy3b2c

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 10:00 pm

IH, when I have my daughter, I will pierce her ears in the first few months.

amother

Copper

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 10:02 pm

Gold, beware that at age 5/6, they may be super excited but once one ear was done, will not submit themselves for the second ear. My cousin went around with an earring in one ear only for about a year before her mother (my aunt) was able to convince her (and bribe her) to get the other ear pierced as well.

I had it done for my bas mitzva but really wanted it way earlier. That's why I did it for my daughters at 3 months old.

singleagain

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 10:08 pm

PS:

I former needle-phobe now have three holes in one earlobe, one in the other.

My third hole I got as a symbolic needed to do something a little but not too much crazy after my divorce.
My fourth, was a bonding thing with a friend.

But it definitely made all the difference to definitely decided to do something I'd been scared of.

gold21

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 10:34 pm

amother wrote:

Omg! Too funny! LOL

Oy! Thanks!

gold21

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 10:36 pm

I am crazy sensitive to jewelry (I can only wear very pure gold) and somehow got multiple infections from wearing my sister's earrings or friend's earrings or whatever (Kids... Lol)

Anyway I had to pierce my ears three times altogether! But I can't remember if it hurt or not...

Water Stones

Wed, Feb 01 2017, 11:09 pm

I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 12 and asked for it.

I have a baby girl and I'll do it that way for her, when she asks for it.

amother

Dodgerblue

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 2:38 am

I got my ears pierced on the day of my bas mitzva, as did all my siblings. We never found it problematic and annoying, only fun and something to look forward to. One of the best days of my life...

behappy2

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 2:58 am

Planning to when she asks/begs 😀

smilealot

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 3:40 am

My dad always said that if hashem would have wanted u to have a hole in ur ear then he would have made u with one.
Girls are born perfect.
I only got mine pierced at 16.
I will pierce DD s when she asks for ur, as some sort of reward.

chanchy123

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 3:48 am

I plan on allowing my DDs to have their ears pierced when they are bat mitzva (or a couple of months before). My oldest DD is approaching bat mitzva so I guess if she is still interested we'll be doing it soon. This was the rule in my family growing up as well, my mother had her ears pierced after I was already born, she went to have it done with my grandmother (my father's mother) who had never had it done.

I think earrings are feminine and not appropriate for a child. I want to make sure this is done when DD is completely competent to make the decision and understands what she is doing.

I want them to be responsible for taking care of everything, don't want to deal with infections with a little girl. My two older girls have sensitive skin and are prone to irritation, so I prefer to delay earrings as far as I can before we deal with the kind of earrings they can and cannot wear.

mom35

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 3:53 am

Another one who just did it for my DD's bas mitzvah. She's asked here and there in the past, but sort of knew it would happen when she turns 12. Went with her on her b-day, and she was so super excited, old enough to really appreciate, but not too old. Hurt for about a minute, and then was totally fine after.

chanchy123

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 3:53 am

Luvme wrote:

Mine would say that all the time too.

invisiblecircus

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 4:45 am

When they're old enough to get it done without my permission.

Ruchel

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 5:54 am

When they can and will handle it. Ideally old enough to go to a real piercer = 18 (yes I asked).

Smile1234

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 6:37 am

My parents told me I can do it when I'm engaged if my chosson wants. And he did and I did. It didn't even hurt.
I plan to wait until my dd can appreciate it and somewhat take care of it herself.

amother

Mint

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 6:51 am

My parents had a rule that we had to wait until 12 to get our ears pierced. I always wanted them so badly and promised myself that when I had a daughter, I would pierce her ears right away. I got my daughter's pierced at 3 months.

amother

Tan

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 7:02 am

I pierce for the third birthday. My boys get a yarmulka and tzitzis at three, my girls get earings. Special gifts to celebrate the age of chinuch!

By three, both of my older daughters had seen their friends have earings, and really wanted them, so they withstood the pain bravely. I plan to do it at three for my 2 year old daughter, too, I "yH.

rikki 1

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 9:11 am

I do it right before they start going to 'real' school- ie Primary, as something special in honor of starting school, at age 5

life is fun

Thu, Feb 02 2017, 9:18 am

Luvme wrote:

I thought my parents were the only ones saying that.
I got mine pierced before my second child was born.
Dd got it done for her 7th birthday as she could appreciate it at this age I felt and can't wait for my next dd to have it done. She's only 5 though.....