Ear piercing for boys

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I concur with everyone here....I don't think it's any big thing...but it's Luz's decision.

Nowadays, just be thankful he's not wanting to get his balls pierced or summat.

OH, but I also don't think two earrings is bad either...and the whole 'left is right and right is wrong' to denote sexual preference went out in like the 90s I think

I honestly don't know what the current left or right thing is. I am just an old out of touch type when it comes to the kids fads. I just know there is no harm in it IMO. Robin has been asking for 3 years now. It seems to be the fad around his school and he feels left out. But he ALWAYS respects his mothers wishes. That is one of the things I really love about Robin. He honors his mother. So if she says no it's no. But that doesn't stop him from bugging her about it. Thats just a trait of a teenager.

I agree to leave it up to his mother, but perhaps both mom and son should wait until he is here in the states and has had time to adjust some and make friends. Once he's here, the friends he makes will have more of an influence on his appearance than anything his mother says. Just my observation as a parent, but it seems like the kids who get involved in extra curricular activities (sports, band, etc) are less inclined to be trendy about such things. If it really is about him wanting to fit in and feel like he belongs to something, get him into sports or band when he gets to the states.

[bowhunter 0]

Boys and men with earings is no big deal today, but I still think it looks gay, especially when they do both ears.

Not that there's anything wrong with that - J. Seinfeld

Gary, here's my 3-cents . . . when raising kids, there will be many, many battles, so you have to carefully pick the hill you're willing to die on. This isn't one of them. On the flip side of that, since he's fifteen and still living under his mother's care, it is her decision. I'm with you . . . leave it up to Luz. She's his mother, and from what I've seen, has a pretty good head on her shoulders. Like you, I think it doesn't much matter. But I would draw the line at the ear, for both sexes. In theory there may be no difference between an ear and a lip, but in practice I think there is.

[rebeccajo 14]

Hmm...Gary why is he asking you?

This might be more about testing the waters with you than it is about a piercing.

*never underestimate the trickiness of a teenager - even the good ones*

Edited October 1, 2006 by rebeccajo

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hmm...Gary why is he asking you?

This might be more about testing the waters with you than it is about a piercing.

*never underestimate the trickiness of a teenager - even the good ones*

Very true.

[bowhunter 0]

Hmm...Gary why is he asking you?

This might be more about testing the waters with you than it is about a piercing.

*never underestimate the trickiness of a teenager - even the good ones*

It's both. He has an answer from mom, which he would like to change, so . . . let's see what step-dad-to-be says. Then he can go back to mom and say . . . well, Gary says . . . Just be careful how you play this because you don't want to be put in a position between mom and son.

[meauxna 15]

hey Gary, No Kids here, so take it as you will.

What I'd look out for (the 'gay' thing is no longer an issue, the side makes no difference) or go ahead and ask him is "what gauge?". One of my clients is a retailer & I'm amazed at the jewelry that parents not only allow, but buy for their kids (15 y/o girl and zero gauges?!!).

A zero-gauge earring is not a little hoop and the kids all want what's 'in'.

There's a damn good reason I never up-gauged my jewlery---I need to not have a giant hole in my earlobe if I want to get the contract, know what I mean? And those big holes? They don't close up all that easily, especially if pierced to a big gauge (they actually punch a big hole instead of stretching it out).

So you might ask him stuff about why he wants to do it, what 'look' he's emulating (the hip hop dudes seem to all wear 4 caret diamond studs, pirates wear hoops etc), the tribalists or punks might go for the big gauge.. find out what he's up to.

IF I had the decision to make, I'd give it a lot of thought before giving permission.. or rather, I'd want to know a lot more. Body mods are very 'in' right now, but how appropriate are they going to be in a future life, and how much will current mods influence his direction in life.

I'm into maximum options, which means staying fairly neutral, visibly anyway.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Luz's son wants to get his ears pierced. She is opposed to it but I said I didn't care. What do you think? Is this appropriate for a 15 year old boy?

My dad told us back when that he'd yank any earpiece right out of the ear if we were to come home with one prior to our 18th birthday. His home, his rules. It was just that simple. I still don't have my ears pierced and don't expect to have it done in the next 60-80 years either...

[Caladan 19]

First off, he's fifteen and should yield to the wishes of his parents.

That said, earrings for boys aren't taboo any more when they're teenagers, and I know a few young i-banker types with diamond earrings (they just wear them after work, not on the job.) And chances are he'll seek it out on his own once he's old enough, so it might be better to ensure he does it safely and has thought through it rather than flat out forbidding it.

Piercing with a needle is safer than piercing with a gun that punches through the skin. If he wants to do this, find a reputable piercing parlor that abides by safe standards. (Not mall kiosks.) They should use fresh needles, autoclave their tools, and sell jewelry that can be disinfected thoroughly, but most important, they should be willing to show you the studio and answer your questions. If they're not, find another place.

Gauging (where you slowly stretch the hole) is very popular with some subgroups of kids, but it is a lot harder to get rid of once the kid is older & applying for jobs, sometimes requiring stitches to get back to normal. That said, a standard 20g (bigger numbers = smaller holes) piercing like most girls have might not close up, but it will hardly be noticeable.

My fiancé has a tiny mark on his earlobe that I never noticed until he decided to prove that it was still open with one of my earrings.

[Welshcookie 17]

My 19 yr old got addicted to piercing and tattoos. Last count he has 30 piercings and about 12 tatts I took him for his first one at the age of 15 (ear) cos he has diabetes and I didn't want him to go off and do a DIY job. I don't think he has much room for any more....hopefully.

[babybunny 2]

I like the ear piercings

[sarah and hicham 3]

I think it's up to Luz since it is her son. I would be pissed if my Mom said yes and my step dad said no. It's really up to the Mom since it's her son.

[homesick_american 1]

Luz's son wants to get his ears pierced. She is opposed to it but I said I didn't care. What do you think? Is this appropriate for a 15 year old boy?

I would say not, but I'm pretty conservative when it comes to body adornment.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gary, if you don't mind me saying this... I'd really be concerned about how he manages to integrate once he's here in the states. He's older and I think in the Philippines they finish high school at age 16. This is going to be a huge change and he may express resentment towards you and his mother for taking him away from his friends and family over there. That's why I think it's so important that he gets involved in something beyond just school.

Sorry if that's going a bit off topic but I do think it relates to what he's already expressing with wanting to get his ear's pierced. Perhaps his mom and him can come up with a compromise and say he achieves certain goals once he's here and then let him get them pierced if he still wants to. Friends are SO important and it's going to be tough to just fit in. In any case, I hope that he adjusts well and that all of you are patient as the transition may be a bit painful one for a teenager.

Edited October 1, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[rebeccajo 14]

That's why I think it's so important that he gets involved in something beyond just school.

Think music....expands the brain and usually a more 'disciplined' circle of friends...

[Caladan 19]

He might just want to get his ears pierced for non-acting-out reasons; it's good to consider the factors, but I wouldn't take him wanting to get his ears pierced as a sign that he won't want to join the marching band or the choir or the track team, etc. It's a lot more common for kids in high school now, and he might just want it done because he thinks it looks cool, not because of an underlying psychological fear.