From the mailbag:
"Dear MamaBear,
My 13 year old wants to get her lip pierced.
I say no.
She's very mad at me.
What do you think?
Anne in Jamestown"
Dear AiJ,
Piercings.
Ugh.
MamaBear hates these.
Then again, I don't even have earring holes meself.
While I totally disagree with piercings, I'd first want to know…
What is driving your child to crave them?
- Is it peer pressure?
- Is it a way for her to state her individuality?
- Is it part of the way her clique dresses?
Get the answers *first*. Don't reject her desire out of hand – truly *listen* to just why she wants to put holes in her body.
Some more resources that might help you are:
Whatever you choose to do, always make certain the lines of communication are left open. It will help your parenting for the future.
Thus speaks…MamaBear
That’s quite a scary thing for a 13 year old to want lip piercings! And of all things? Earrings would be understandable. I think as parents, we should tell our children that peer pressure is really something they should look down on…and that they should follow what they believe in themselves not what others do.
I totally agree, Nancy. The thing about peer pressure is, you have to start at an early age to get your kids to think for themselves, else they’ll feel, you just don’t like my wondrously magnificent friends, you old fogie.
Parenting…it’s a hero’s journey indeed. 🙂