<p>Well- he was thinking about a $ sign since he was discovering Ayn Rand and the whole capitalism thing. He was also really into his Texas identity (which he still is) and had some artwork of a Texas map with a Texas flag in it. IT wasn’t bad, but I just thought he should wait. (You are right- it could have been a LOT worse considering the source)</p>
<p>Nose rings are the only piercings besides ears that don’t make me cringe and feel squeamish. I suspect it’s from having known alot of people from the Indian subcontinent growing up. Just a matter of what one is used to.</p>
<p>MOWC, I WAS considering the source, therein lay said chuckle.</p>
<p>My tat story is : Straight out of college comes this world changing sociologist who goes to work in the North Carolina prison system in a program to erase or at least slow down the rampant recidivism. He’s at it hard and heavy for 3 years then up and quits. Goes to work for a company I represented at the time selling paper. I asked how he came to quit. He said, “All I can say is I already had one foot out the door thinking I wasn’t making a difference . I was talking to an inmate due for release about potential job openings and looked up to see that since his last session he had gotten a tat that said ‘F THE WORLD’ (spelled out) from temple to temple, directly above his eyebrows. I took that as a sign.”</p>
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<p>This is the reason adults always presume younger people do things, but it’s not a reason I have ever heard anyone over the age of about 13 give for one.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone need voice “approval” if they don’t feel it, but I also feel voicing “disaproval” to an adult is infantalizing. I can see saying “I myself don’t think it’s appealing” or something of that nature, but disapproval implies some sort of moral judgment and probably a challenge: you’re doing it against my wishes. I think that’s a mistake, myself.</p>
<p>Full disclosure: my D doesn’t even have pierced ears. She had a needle issue until recently. She has contemplated an eyebrow ring if anything, which I think are rather cool, but she has inherited the family (mostly her dad’s but mine too) psoriasis issue, and it’s just inviting more sites for it. Which is also why she doen’t have a tattoo.</p>
<p>My hair stylist (who is one of those very wise, seen-and-heard-it-all women) says that piercings, hair styles, and hair colors of strange hues are all temporary and can grow back, so basically parents should breathe a sigh of relief that such things aren’t really permanent (like tattoes).</p>
<p>My D got her belly button pierced at college as soon as she turned 18. Fortunately that didn’t last long, and she took it out.</p>
<p>I agree with bookiemom’s hairstylist. My son has tattoes - we thought we had managed to convince both kids they were not a good idea being so permanent - your tastes will change - etc etc. Pretty much as soon as he turned 18 he saved up the money (those things are expensive) and got one - now he has 3. Ugh. I would much rather he had got a piercing. Told my D if she gets one in college money from us stops. After that it is her business.</p>
<p>^^ An exception is tongue piercings which can cause infections and permanent damage to the teeth, Ask your dentist about tongue piercings.</p>
<p>Also cartlidge peircings - ther is little blood supply to the upper ear so if you get an infection it is difficult to treat with antibiotics. There was a news article about it on TV a while back where the girl was hospitalised on a drip. I don’t mind the look of upper ear peircings but after seeing that on TV discouraged D from getting one.</p>
<p>Son’s Girl Friend had lip piercing when we first met her – ugh. We didn’t say a thing but she told my mom that her parents would like her to get rid of it. When she interviewed for graduate programs, she removed it – permanently.</p>
<p>Splashmom said nothing about disapproving or forbidding her daughter to get the piercing. She said that she and her husband would not be supportive. She also told her daughter that she realized that she was old enough to do whatever she wanted to do. I don’t see anything wrong with giving an opinon when she was asked for one. Why in the world would she encourage her daughter to do something that she doesn’t think is a good idea? Teachers in our school district are not allowed to have facial piercings either, or at least not the tongue. </p>
<p>My daughter came back from Kenya with a large henna tattoo on her back and teased us that it was real. It was a little smudgy in one area so I could see it wasn’t, but we had fun telling her brothers it was just to see their reactions. My kids know that I think anything except ear piercings are icky but I wouldn’t do anything about it if they chose it. I think a little stud isn’t too bad but nose rings are gross. I just think how horrible they would be when you have a cold.</p>
<p>My mother thought ear piercings were barbaric, and I wasn’t allowed to have my ears pierced till I was 16. Then, maybe 15 years later or so, Mom had hers pierced! So I guess she got used to the idea.</p>
<p>I’ve never been able to appreciate other piercings, but I remember Mom’s attitude and wonder if I’ll change my mind someday - if I’ll get used to it and begin to think it attractive. In Europe, extra piercings are common. My landlady - my age - had a nose stud. I found it very distracting - I would think it was something “less pleasant” stuck to her nose. I kept wanting to say, “Do you know how old you are? How silly you look? Why do you think that is attractive?” </p>
<p>If my D wanted something, I would probably do as the OP did. I would say, “If you’re coming to me for permission, you don’t need it. If you’re coming to me for money or approval, sorry, you’re out of luck.”</p>
<p>Funny the timing of this. I got a call from D this afternoon. “Mom, what would you say if I told you I was thinking of getting another piercing on one ear?” I answered, “I would tell you to put the thought in the closet and if you still want to do it later that’s fine. Just don’t do it on impulse.” <em>says mother who knows daughter is calling from a mall</em> Says D, “Good idea mom.”</p>
<p>We shall see what happens.</p>
<p>worse tattoo I have seen lately on a woman was stars, all this kind of blue gray color all over her arms- of various size from dime sized to tennis ball sized- it was just bad</p>
<p>another had some words tattooed acroos her chest, and was wearing a hoodie that zipped up, with words across the chest, so it was like</p>
<p>aber/have a nice/finch</p>
<p>what was she thinking?</p>
<p>I have told my Ds at least purple hair grows out
I do watch Inked, and some of the work is beautiful, but who wants a 6 inch picture of their dead cat across their backs…some people do I guess</p>
<p>Kathiep: this is the line I was reacting to:</p>
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<p>This stuck out to me in the OP. it seems just the faintest controlling, to me–you can do whatever you like, as long as it is what we like.</p>
<p>that was also something I noticed…perhaps wishes isn’t the right word…</p>
<p>A friend of ours (a mom who should be too old for new nose piercings) freaked us out by showing up with what appeared to be a nose thing. Turned out it was a very convincing fake.
Ive wanted one ever since I was 16.
Which was 30 years ago!
However-I do like those magnetized or other “fake” rings you can wear- when I want to stick out just a little bit.
Or for effect, like when my mother took my then 11 year old daughter to the mall with her cousin and she came back wearing a “lipring”.
My sister about had a fit.
That alone was worth it ;)</p>
<p>I actually don’t think there is anything wrong with doing something innocuous like piercing, ( among several reasons) to fit in.
We all do stuff to fit in, and who’s to say that what we feel is important, is more important than what someone else does.</p>
<p>Piercings generally grow back and while I would agree that there are many areas that aren’t attractive, and don’t heal well- it is much more accepted in our culture and isn’t necessarily a sign of “wildness”.</p>
<p>It isnt unusual anymore for men to have both ears pierced for example- ( I guess that takes care of the * the right side means what?* )
Ds principal has both his ears pierced although as far as I know, nothing else.</p>
<p>Its also pretty common for not only baristas and record shop employees to have facial piercings, but bank tellers and waiters.
Getting less common, but I think as it becomes less common, there still will be some who are drawn to it as a way to “rebel”.
Since cigarettes have pretty much run out their “coolness” factor.</p>
<p>But before I forget- I wanted to mention that while tattoos have to have parental permission in our state before 18- piercings do not.
Which a friend was shocked to find out, when her 9th grader came home with a navel ring. actually she had, had it for a while, but it started to get infected and * then* she told her mother</p>
<p>At our house, DD’s requests for a nose piercing, starting at about 14 or 15, served as the launchpad for a series of conversations about what piercings meant to her generation vs. ours; not judging books by covers while realizing that others will; tattos and piercings that leave long-term marks; delayed gratification and long-term thinking. Guess who was worn down first . . . not DD, who now sports a tasteful stud that’s really her.</p>
<p>For the record, nose piercings are traditional in my culture (Indian), but they’re an…ahem…provincial tradition…I don’t know how to say this politely…but it’s the equivalent of “low-brow.” Mostly it’s a tradition of village women and it’s quite the opposite of the sophistication it’s supposed to represent here. My Indian mother would never let me get one for this reason–in our culture it is most definitely a sign that you lack sophistication and aren’t from the city.
However, in the U.S. it’s much different. I’ve seen plenty of demure young girls with subtle nose piercings that even my mother liked. If I were you I would be rather pleased that my daughter was getting one–much better than a belly button piercing which screams Trashy. It can look quite nice and you can have a nice bonding experience picking out a piercing with her. One of my friends has a bit of a big nose so her tiny diamond piercing actually makes her features look more delicate–looks better than before actually.</p>
<p>One thing not to gloss over is the healing of the hole, if D decides she doesn’t want it anymore. Depending on how long the hole has been used, many piercings do not just heal over when the ring is left out. Some leave a permanent hole that can only be closed by a plastic surgeon.</p>
<p>My daughter’s pretty averse to needles, so I doubt tattoos or piercings will ever be high on her wish list. We have talked about it (I’d love to get a tattoo; she’s flirted briefly with the idea), and my only input has been that we both have fairly rare blood types, and one can’t donate blood for a year after a tattoo (not sure what the rules are re: piercings). That alone is reason enough to keep me from getting a tattoo and seemed to kill my daughter’s interest. If she ever seriously considers piercings, I asked that she find out the Red Cross guidelines before making any decision…and no tongue piercing until she’s paying her own medical/dental bills.</p>