A point/counter point I read over at ParentDish recently had me waxing nostalgic about when my husband and I went round and round on the subject of ear piercing. In keeping with my family's tradition, we had our older daughter's ears pierced the day she turned 6 months old. A couple of years later, out of the blue, a nasty infection set in, and both studs had to be removed. We know now that she has extremely sensitive skin, but had such a terrible experience that we decided to forgo the tradition with our younger daughter. I'm looking forward to taking both girls to get their ears pierced when they decide they're ready, and making it a special, girls only, rite-of-passage event.
This is a hot button issue for the parents of young girls, with arguments for and against piercings ranging from "it looks beautiful," to "it looks slutty" (someone actually said that to me once - on a message board, but still!) to "who cares?" In some cultures, piercing a baby girl's ears is as natural birth - and may even happen on the same day. In others, it's considered part of becoming a mature woman. And sometimes, it's done just because it looks really freaking cute.
How did you decide whether or not to pierce your daughter's ears? Are you waiting until she's older, and can appreciate the experience, or did you do it when she was a baby? Have you had mostly positive or negative feedback?
