Should mothers who mutilate their children by peircing their ears have them taken into care?

Question

In my opinion they are not fit mothers and shouldn't be left with the responsibility of raising a child in a safe and responsible manner.

Answer 1

Blimey, Barneyboy! Your point may be extreme, but you are only following a train of thought to its logical conclusion. Zero tolerance for rubbish parents who get their baby's ears pierced!

Answer 2

Wow, just trying to get a rise out of people huh? Why not ask a question about circumcision too.

Personally I wouldn't peirce my baby's ears, but mutilation? Unfit mothers? Come on... don't you think playing this issue up like that undervalues the REAL abuse problems in the world today???

Not to mention... for all the partisan answerer's out there... when someone takes a hard-line stance for or against something like this they risk the kind of fanaticism that is the root of all the religious/racial problems in the world right now. No one point of view is better than another, just the same way no particular religion is 'better' than another.

You always have to consider people's beliefs, their sociological cohort and their values before judging. (Better yet, don't judge at all.)

Don't be a holier-than-thou zealot.

(Also, why are you putting this all on Mothers? Don't you think fathers are involved in this decision for their kids? Or are they just too busy bringing home the bacon while their wives are off 'mutilating' the kids??? Ignorant... just ignorant...)

Answer 3

You cant be serious, mutilation.............wow........ .what did your mommy do to you to give you such a poor opinion of women, i didn't pierce my daughters ears as a small child but when she was 8 she wanted it done so i let her, when 13 she wanted her nose pierced so i let her. Piercing ears is no different then say getting vaccinations as a small child which in most states is mandatory except for instances where it is medically not recommended or against a religious belief, in the instance of childhood immunizations where there are deaths occurring from said vaccinations , we still have to put our children through it, should we then be labeled an abusive parent>
Put your thinking cap on and try and find a way to halt the true abuses that children suffer and try and make a real difference, not petty questions to get some attention.

BTW~Do you have any clue what happens to many children that are "taken away" fom their parents, even as bad as it can be with an abusive parent , the horrors many of these children endure both physically and or mentally destroy them for the rest of their lives, God! Don't you watch Lifetime!

Answer 4

Blimey!

Who'd have thought 'Newborn & Baby' could be even more psycho than 'Religion & Spirituality', eh : )

For what it's worth:

An ear piercing is a purely cosmetic procedure. If a parent gives her consent for something that is medically necessary, she cannot be faulted for what is done to her child at any age, even a few months.

In the case of a piercing, however, there is no reason not to wait for the child to be of sufficient age to make her own decision.

My sister had her ears done at age 12.

Because she wanted to, and not because it had been decided on her behalf 11 years earlier.

Edit: There's a fascinating gender commentary wrapped up in this whole issue as well, if you think about it - I project my own ideas of what a 'feminine' identity is onto a female infant. Interesting.

Answer 5

First of all its not mutilating your child. Its something that has been going on for years. Do you think the people in Africa who pull there daughters hair out when they become women are mutilating their child? No, its their culture. And this is ours, so get over it! My child had her ears pierced when she was 3 months old. And I'd do it again if I had another daughter! You have a right to your opinions, but your lashing out to mothers and fathers that have their children's ears pierced, and honestly I don't appreciate you calling us non-fit mothers or fathers. Worry about the people in the war, worry about the kids out there that have no home or their parents beat them daily. Quit worrying about the little things, and get a life!

Answer 6

Personally I dont agree with any piercing until the child is old enough to decide but I think youre going a bit over the top. When you look at some cultures female circumcision is still accepted - now THATS mutilation and should be an offence.

Answer 7

I feel some parents should wait until the child is older before they do this. I wouldn't say there irresponsible just because a mother want there child to have there ears pierced. But I do think they should wait until there much older because this give them the rights to there body.

Answer 8

I would consider having my baby's ears pierced before she has any recollection of the event in the future ie before she's two years old, so that she doesn't remember how much it hurt her. I sincerely hope you won't call Social Services on me, because I believe it's the right thing to do. Piercings of other parts of the anatomy can be decided by my daughter when she is old enough to make up her own mind and feels able to take the pain.

Answer 9

I'm mexican and had my ears pierced at 2 months. I had my daughter's pierced at 7 mos. It's a cultural thing. It's a latin thing. I now live in Costa Rica and they pierce ears before the baby leaves the hospital! The doctors do it.

My daughter didn't cry at all. And now that she's 21 mos loves that she has earrings like mommy.

Try being open minded. The differences in cultures is what makes this world a beautiful place.

Answer 10

Are you for real?? If you think thats what makes you an unfit mother then i have a feeling that you are not a father yourself as yet. And as a mother I left the mutilation to claires accessories and she was 6 at the time. What can I say I wasnt in the mutilating mood that day!

Answer 11

No! There are parents out there that are abusing there kids by punching and kicking them everyday that arent getting there kids taken away. I think child services has a lot bigger things to deal with than ear piercings! Those heal, and only hurt for a short amount of time. Unlike those kids that get beat everyday!