Tongue piercing deal

[Joseph E. Smith]

There are nerves and trigger points in the area of the tongue that would be pierced, which are best left alone... seriously, not a good idea for over-all health reasons. The nose is a better place.

[missy]

gee - and I thought Noah's deal of getting an X-box if he's on the honor roll all this year was gonna be a tough one to carry out!!!!

I'd say go ahead and make the deal. She may change her mind in a year - but I will almost guarentee you that if you DON'T make the deal, she'll still want to get her tongue pierced in a years time. If you do make the deal - who knows? (you know, the old allure of forbidden fruit syndrome??).

Nate never wanted anything like this (tattoos, piercings, strange hair) - he was "easy" that way, so I didn't have to do much. But with him, it was stuff on his truck (headers, straight pipes, paint, tires, rims, you get the idea). As long as his grades were good (he had to keep that good student insurance discount) and he used his own money (I certainly wasn't gonna pay for them!) - he could do what he wanted.

[flanum]

Id be with Tyler on this.
Ive had a stud for a long time now(about ten years) never had problems. Very often get bored with it and leave it out for months on end.
As regards tooth chipping and unnatural tongue moving, it sounds like these people didnt return to have the initial(extra long) stud removed and have a smaller stud put in.
How about suggesting a belly button stud instead or a double piercing in her ears if the tongue thing is a bit worrying for you?

[dwinterfield]

My rule of thumb is that if I want a tattoo, I have to choose a design one year in advance. If I still want it, then I probably will always want it.

I can't think of a single design I might have wanted at 20 that I would still want at 50.

This very thought crossed my mind yesterday as I saw a woman with some very fresh tattos. There's lots of body art I can appreciate, but it's hard to imagine anyone's taste staying that fixed. I guess we'll get to find out.

As a general observation, tattos and piercings aren't for me (he said a littel whistfully) but I imagine they are mostly healthy. We don't have kids so it's not something I've had to deal with personally. The kids I find a little creepy are the ones who become totally immersed in the 60s - tie-die lovers listening to the Beatles. It seems you're not really rebelling if you're living out your parents or grandparents youth.

[djm]

What would djm say?

Why? What do expect from lil ol' moi?

I personally can't stand the idea of body piercing. It grosses me out. I can't even bear to look at someone with an eyebrow-ring without getting twitchy. I don't have any tats, either, but that's because I could never make up my mind what to get, and the things are too damn permanent to make a wrong choice. People are spending a fortune to get tats burned off when they get older and realize the stigma attached to having such an appearance in our society. Its just not a significant enough desire for me to pursue.

As for the daugher, I think that's really too individual a situation to make up a general rule of treatment. Does she normally do well academically? Is she a doper in goth leather and making your life hell? What is the significance in her getting straight As? - probable? - unlikely? - ridiculous?

Anything that puts piercing off as long as possible till she grows out of "highschool" phase is probably a good idea. I remember being totally floored the day after highschool ended. Everyone I knew, that I had spent so much time and energy with, and was so important to me, was gone, never to be seen or heard from again. All the things that mattered, clothes, music, recreational activities, changed overnight. It was a bit of a shock. I would guess that the longer you can put this off, the closer to being out of highschool and into a whole new phase of her life, the less likely she will want it done.

But I could be wrong ...

djm

[Jack]

Most people don't know this, but I have/had 3 piercings since I was 14-15. I got all of them done with a parent's permission, and I regret every single one. I wish somebody made me wait until I was 18 (or 25) because I would not get a hole poked in me!

[Wanderer]

I pierced my own ear at 15 with a piece of cork and a safety pin. I don't regret it and still wear an earring on occasion.

Everyone's different

[Jack]

I pierced my own ear at 15 with a piece of cork and a safety pin. I don't regret it and still wear an earring on occasion.

Everyone's different

But not everyone is weird.

[Denny]

I pierced my own ear at 15 with a piece of cork and a safety pin. I don't regret it and still wear an earring on occasion.

Everyone's different

But not everyone is weird.

in their own little way...are too

[cowtime]

I'd say NO. Not while I pay the bills and provide food and board.

This desire would also send up all kinds of danger/warning flags to me.
Actually, I 'd be freaking out.

(this is the reaction of a Mom to two almost 30yr old daughters- one who wanted a tattoo 10 years ago and as a professional geophysist/engineer is very thankful today that she was not allowed to get one. The other daughter was a good student who sent up the same warning flags and 10 years later is a recovering drug addict. )

She should work for the grades for herself, and the reward of knowledge and increased self-esteem. A pierced tongue does not send out a favorable impression to most folks.

I'd definately try to delve into just WHY she wants this done. Don't ignore it thinking "not my kid".

[Turtle]

Thanks all, I appreciate the input! I think I'll probably take her up on it.
She's a smart kid, and for the most part has her head on straight. She
knows that when I make a deal I stick to it, so if she doesn't make the
grade she won't press the issue. I've found that if I am fair, open minded
and consistent, she is much more likely to share her inner thoughts and
experiences with me. This gives me more insight into things that could
become real problems for her, and makes her more likely to listen to
my objections on the important things in life. I guess the real crux is
determining what those important things really are.

Turtle

[jbarter]

I would never have a piercing. I firmly believe that evolution/intelligent design* has given me exactly the number of body holes I need. (Added to which, I'm a complete wimp)

*delete as applicable

[fancypiper]

Piercings are forever and I have known several people that regret ever getting them.

Piercings seem sort of "slutty" to me, and I would never want a daughter (or son, but the ex-wife gave in) to have one.

I would vote no. And stick to it!

[Walden]

If prisoners were given tongue piercings when they were incarcerated, we'd call it cruel and unusual punishment.

[Tyler]

Man, some of y'all just need to lighten up a bit
simple rebellion is going to happen in your teenager whether you want it to or not (and whether you think you can controll it or not), and the chances are likely that if your child appears to not be rebelling in one form or another they are likely doing it BEHIND YOUR BACK!

And for the record...tatoos and piercings are not an "if-then" indicator of drug abuse or any other kind of distructive behavior, for that matter. By thinking so, you are including myself and anyone else who has ever done anything remotely rebellious into that category. Generalizing and associating your child's natural rebellion may in fact encourage the type of behavior you were hoping to avoid. By keeping a cool and tolerant head about your child's rebellion you increase the likelyhood that they will continue to come to you about those types of dicisions rather than making them on their own.