Where is the best place to get tweens’ ears pierced?
My 11-year-old has chosen getting her ears pierced as one of her Christmas presents. She asked around at school and all the girls said they got it done at Claire’s Boutique.
I have also heard of people going to the Piercing Pagoda or Merle Norman at the mall but I don’t see ear piercing offered as a service on the Merle Norman website.
When I Google searched “ear piercing” a bunch of tattoo and body piercing places showed up in the search so that was a little bit scary.
(From the Piercing Pagoda: “one step, single use, sterilized, prepackaged piercing earrings that meet or exceed FDA (Food & Drug Administration) guidelines. that means, no needles!”)
But Claire’s site also offer care information.
This is Claire’s site about piercing.
I was around 6 or 7 when I had mine done in the middle of the Northlake Mall. It was in a little hut sort of store in the center. The lady did the first ear and I didn’t want her to do the second. I had gold studs, double heart studs and gold hoops for my first earrings. Then I went on to ladybugs from my Aunt Linda and pears from my parents. I have never been a big earring girl. I guess because I wear glasses.
So give me all the info I need:
Which place do you recommend and why? Where have you had the most professional experience?
Do you recommend doing two ears at once? My 11-year-old thinks she wants two ears done at once because she’s afraid she’ll lose her nerve after the first ear. But I’m afraid if you jerk away you are going to screw up both ears instead of one. Any recommendations on this would be appreciated.
Also, what’s the deal with the starter earrings? I thought they had to be 24-karrat gold but my friend said you just needed the surgical steel or is it stainless steel for the posts? (I need to do more reading on this.)
Also how do you clean? Is it alcohol or hydrogen peroxide? Claire’s a special cleaning fluid — do I need that? How long does it hurt?
What are the best types of earrings for 11-year-olds? She thinks she wants dangly one but I think smaller the better. She doesn’t realize that earrings can be heavy yet.
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97 comments Add your comment
FCM on my cell
December 22nd, 2012
9:17 pm
Oh both at once for sure. i had to bribe youngest to let us near her 2nd…same way my mom did me. Ice Cream! Older one had 2 at once & oh so much bettet
Quira
December 23rd, 2012
10:37 am
Gape nuts seems to have a race problem. Sad.
Grape Nuts are neither grapes or nuts
December 23rd, 2012
11:41 am
How?
FCM on my cell
December 23rd, 2012
9:20 pm
I have heard many get the earrings done on babies, because they will not remember the pain. I always felt they were not my ears so the decision was not mine. when child showed interest we came up wirh a time to get them done. I wantwd thwm old enough.tovtake cate of the cleaning & turning, supervised by me of course. 7 seemed right to us.
jw
December 24th, 2012
8:47 am
Claire’s is fine – my daughter got hers pierced there – safe, clean and healthy – and has a cool factor amongst that age girl –
I also remember the apprehension about that event – I think your fear is more in the line of her growing into another stage of life than the actual piercings.
It’s OK – try not to let the stressing out show – this is an event for your daughter – bite your lip, hold your tongue and help her enjoy it!!!!!
Just Another day
December 24th, 2012
12:13 pm
You put WAY too much thought into this…..I got mine done at Northlake also and my mom didn’t even go.
ATL Born and Raised
December 24th, 2012
1:31 pm
Go to an actual piercing shop. Needles hurt less than guns and the piercing site is less likely to get infected. Also, those people are apprenticed and trained and know what they’re doing much more so than the teenage girl at Claire’s et al.
Madea gets reassignment surgery
December 24th, 2012
1:43 pm
What about a boy getting his ear pierced?
jw
December 24th, 2012
3:25 pm
Madea – is this where we insert the “20 penny nail and gut it up” comment – he can go to the same place unless you think the tattoo parlor would suit him better.
DB
December 24th, 2012
7:59 pm
Ok, is it just me, or does anyone else find it a little disconcerting that the blog hasn’t changed since last Friday? I dunno, it just seems a little strange to be going into Christmas with an old blog about ear-piercing. Even if it was just a generic “Happy Holidays” or even a poll as to who is traveling the farthest for the holidays, or something like that . . . I know T has vacation just like the rest of us. Still . . . maybe something to keep in mind for the future?
Mariage Parfait Gueze
December 24th, 2012
8:25 pm
She is with her boyfriend.
M.E.
December 24th, 2012
11:19 pm
She got scared when she was nine and I let her. She got scared again when she was 11 and that was okay with me. She wasn’t really ready to keep up with the cleanings and the earrings. When she was 15, she told me it was time. I let her inspect the places—Claire’s or a hut in the center of Gwinnett Place Mall. She watched the women do it at both places and chose the place in the mall area. The lady talked her through it and she was fine. Go at her pace, not yours, for the best experience.
S.K. ANKY
December 24th, 2012
11:31 pm
HEPPY BURFDAY JEEBUS!!
catlady
December 25th, 2012
10:17 am
Where to get them pierced? On the earlobes, of course!
Bubba
December 25th, 2012
10:19 am
Am I the only one who thinks it might be dumb to start off taking an innocent little girls to a tattoo an piercing parlor to get her innocent little ears pierced? “Hey, while you’re here, why not pick out for next 20 tattoos and radical body piercings, liitle girl?”
cari
December 25th, 2012
10:39 am
Our pediatrician pierced my daughter’s ears. My Dad is a surgeon, and while growing up he pierced ears all the time.
FCM on my cell
December 25th, 2012
12:00 pm
@DB I wondered too but as most “regulars/long timers” were not posting that they found it pointless.
TWG & our blog “family” Merry Christmas
MsCrabtree
December 25th, 2012
6:43 pm
For my sweet 16, back in the mid-sixties, had it done in the doctor’s office. Perfect job.
christy perry
December 26th, 2012
2:39 am
Be careful with claires – there is really no training involved for the person doing the piercing!! First time for my daughter (age 5) at claire’s was almost like the earring had pushed out the skin rather than made a hole. Luckily once we took the earring out, it grew back correctly.
BEST place was our pediatricians office (Dawson Pediatrics)! Titanium earrings and trained professionals. Did cost $50, but that doesn’t matter when it was my child’s health involved! I’m sure other pediatricians offer this also! Good luck!
Frank
December 26th, 2012
3:55 am
Claire’s and anywhere in the mall is a poor choice for a proper piercing. The “Gun” they use is a mechanical type that is impossible to correctly sterilize and the excuse of using new ear rings each time doesn’t cut it when you’re dealing with Hep C & AIDS. All Tattoo & Piercing salons in the Atlanta area use single use sterile needles and have professional trained, licensed staff who do this every day. Not some squimish teen unaware of the effects of blood born pathogens. When it comes down to it she’s your child, choose wisely! ~Frank @ Allied Ink Tattoo & Piercing
FCM on my cell
December 26th, 2012
6:57 am
Hmmmmmm new topic? The movie theater was crowded yestetday. Long lines for Les Miserables. Lots of kids seeing Monsters Inc. The Hobbit still drew large auidence. Guilt trip & 40 seemed to have pretty full theaters. Rooms to go kept advertising a big sale & no intetest until 2018. The sale items/prices are same as before Christmas….so I will keep watching that bed set…..what after Christmas outing are you looking forward to?
DB
December 26th, 2012
9:38 am
We went to see Les Mis — bought the tickets the day before, which was a good thing. Apparently, every show was sold out as of 1:30 pm Christmas Day for Hobbit, Les Mis and several others in a 10-screen complex. I’m one of those rare creatures who disliked the stage version of Les Mis — and I LOVE musical theatre. Saw it in London and I dunno — it just never struck a chord in me. I always joked that they called it “Les Miserables” because it made the audience miserable. :Having said that, I decided to give the film production a shot, and hope that perhaps I just missed something 25 years ago . . . I loved the way the movie opened on the first scene and just went right into the story — no extended credits, etc. But except for a small note that identified the time and place, if you didn’t know any backstory, you’d have to wonder what all these guys were doing slogging in the ocean dragging a big ship around, and the lyrics sometimes were overpowered by the crashing of the waves. Anne Hathaway was magnificent — she was a comet across this production, brief though her visit was. She did her show-stopping song in one take — the camera is on her steadily for 6 minutes, and it was heart-stopping. Hugh Jackman as Valjean was wonderful, Russell Crowe was great as the inspector who puts his interpretation of duty before compassion. But again . . . the story just leaves me cold. As much as I wanted to be drawn in, I just didn’t care about the July Revolution of 1830 — I didn’t get a chance to really identify with the revolutionaries, or why they were revolting. Yes, there were individual vignettes that were interesting. The final scene was one of those that, while stirring, was more than a bit surreal. The production, though, is truly amazing, and I’m glad I saw it.
Theresa
December 26th, 2012
9:49 am
Sorry folks…..No blogs for awhile as Michael and I are separating for the time being.
More later.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
10:12 am
@ TWG…how horrible. Prayers to you during your leave of absence that all works out. Been there done that, don’t wish it on my worst enemy. Anything you need, you have my email.
@ DB…I think that was the problem with the revolt of 1832. The PEOPLE (whom Gen Lemark championed, thus the students used his deat, from plague, to attempt to “rally” the people). Gavroche (who is well done by Daniel H.) tells you that they had overthrown the old King but the new one is no better at helping the “people” (aka the poor). Thus the students failed…always wondered why Hugo wanted to write about what is largely an obscure footnote of French history. When I decided to not car as much about that, I realized that what makes this story great is the powerful message in it. The redemption of man, the rise and fall of one’s beliefs, the hand of God at work in so many lives. Truly the line “To love another person is to see the face of God.” in the fanale sums the reason of the whole story. I believe the bible has 7 kinds of love and at least 4 are presented in les miserables.
@ AJC…Can you get Keith to fill in? I am sorry TWG is going through this but this blog is about the only thing that has me on your site.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
10:14 am
@ DB sorry I did not complete my thought….the reason the revolt failed is that it did not inspire anyone to care about it. Not the PEOPLE it was helping…nobody but the handful that stood up to make a change. However, it is thought that those few sowed the seeds for the French Revolution which did succeed.
HB
December 26th, 2012
10:28 am
Theresa’s posts usually are shaded, so I think the above post is likely a troll. As for why Hugo wrote about an “obscure footnote”, the novel was published in the early 1860s. It may have even a moment that still resonated strongly with Parisians 30 years later as opposed to Americans studying French history 150 years out.
Valerie Lyons
December 26th, 2012
11:18 am
The French Revolution occurred between 1789 – 1799, much earlier than the setting for “Les Miserables,” if that’s when the story is set.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
11:22 am
@ HB good point. I did read recently that the original film was 4 (4.5?)hours long…they of course had to cut it…got it to about 3 and then trimmed more…leaving it at 2 hours 38 min. I also read that the actors went into the 1900 page book to really learn more about the story/characters and bring more of that to the movie than was in the play. I think you see glimpses of that (one part with Javert after the revolt in particular & another with Eponine/Marius) in the movie. It does however make me wish I could see the 4 hour version…as very little of the music is “missing”.
TWG has had times where her posts were not shaded (I think when she uses the blackberry?) so I am not sure if it is troll or not. I do find it odd that there was nothing about re-running previous columns or having Keith fill in…or anything offical from AJC. However, with the holiday that could just be a bad timing issue. I do not think TWG would leave us all hanging with a topic this lame/old for this long unless something really is going on her life though.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
11:25 am
@ Valerie the June Rebellion (the student revolt in Les Mis) occurred in 1832 so well BEFORE the French Revolution.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
11:26 am
NO sorry you are right….which rebellion after 1832 am I thinking of?
FCM
December 26th, 2012
11:39 am
And of course that goes back to Gavroche saying that they had overthrown the king, had a new one that was not better….he meant The Revolution….DOH!
Erin
December 26th, 2012
12:17 pm
Wow … hope that post above was just a troll and not a real separation.
As for piercings, I had mine done when I was 12, at a jewelry shop nearby which was offering free piercings with the purchase of the starter earring set. I don’t remember the name of the shop, but it was a sterile, single-use set. I do remember the woman who pierced my ears had several sets of earring holes in each earlobe, piercings all along the cartilage and a nose piercing as well. She got the holes exactly centered in each earlobe.
It didn’t hurt and I was very careful to keep them clean. I think I used alcohol, twice a day, and turned the earrings probably far more than was necessary. I DID have some problems later, but only because I took the starter set out a couple of weeks too early because I was just *dying* to wear all the cute little earrings I’d found in the meantime. So I did have a bit of an issue for a few weeks but then it cleared up and I haven’t had any problems since.
missnadine
December 26th, 2012
1:26 pm
I think it is a troll. She would have definitely put up another post, if only to get some advice or support from others who habe been through the same. If any of you follow her on facebook, send her a note.
Full time lurker
December 26th, 2012
2:23 pm
Wow…..What a surprise. Maybe a troll…..However when I was separated, then divorced, I avoided most of my family and friends and became a recluse. I know I did not want to talk about…..Especially to strangers.
Hope it all works out T
jmb
December 26th, 2012
2:36 pm
I seriously doubt that TWG would post such an intimate life detail on an open blog with so many trolls attending and I seriously doubt her and Michael are separating. She didn’t even tell us when she moved to AZ so why would she tell this?
S
December 26th, 2012
2:36 pm
How about NOWHERE! Tweens are TOO young for piercings!
FCM
December 26th, 2012
2:59 pm
She has posted on Facebook…12/22 about doing menus and a cute ee card. Sunday she asked if LOTR is the new holiday movie to be played endlessly. 17 hours ago 2 posts a picture of Jessica Simpson pregnant and “Bethenny Frankel, Jason Hoppy Separate: Reality Star And Husband Call It Quits”.
Full Time Lurker, you are right, I became a hermit (and then a cougar but that is a different set of baggage–he was 25 and I was 35) for a time after my marriage. In fact after I broke it off with Mr 25, I became a hermit again. Hermit is instinctive when we are hurt/vulnerable. It is not where you want to stay though. So if anybody reading the blog is in that boat this holiday know you can and will survive. It is not easy, it is not fun when you slog through it…but you will be better when you heal.
elizabeth
December 26th, 2012
3:22 pm
I realize that you may not want to take your daughter to a tattoo/piercing studio, but they use needles rather than piercing guns. The guns can do far more damage than a needle. I found this out first-hand. At Claires, you never know what training or experience the employee has had. At a tattoo studio, they have far more training, experience, and cleanliness. I’m not saying that Claire’s is bad, but don’t immediately rule out other options. And no, she definately isn’t too young to have her ears pierced! There are lots of cute appropriate earrings for tweens.
missnadine
December 26th, 2012
3:40 pm
FCM and Full Time Lurker – she has always posted really personal things, even cringe-worthy at times IMO, so I would not be surprised if she opened this up as a discussion point. It is were true, and the speculation about her not wanting to share at all was accurate, she would not have posted that they were separating. She would have either 1) said nothing or 2) just said that she was taking a few days off.
FCM
December 26th, 2012
4:09 pm
Having blogged here for 6+ years I am aware she posts really personal stuff (sometimes that causes her and Michael an issue at home). However I stand by the idea that it seems odd that NOTHING is being done by AJC or any thing. They posted a note when she gave birth that the column would stop for a minute (then Michael wrote a bit). They have said she is on vacation that Keith will fill in. The fact nobody is doing anything but let this stay up forever, is what got DB & I to question…WHATEVER has TWG sidelined, I hope it goes ok (even if it not her marriage).
motherjanegoose
December 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
test…my post evaporated…
missnadine
December 26th, 2012
10:06 pm
FCM- not trying to argue with you, really! I agree it is weird. While I have been pretty vocal at times and have told her that she is driving her husband insane with issues such as this, the gift giving, the holiday drama, and especially all that personal stuff, I certainly hope that nothing is wrong. As someone who has been divorced (now remarried for 18 years), it is an awful time. It is always a lot easier to be a Monday morning quarterback which is what I can be at times, but, when someone puts it out there, it is easy to comment, even if it is not positive.
Captain Kangaroo......The cheese and cracker guy
December 26th, 2012
10:11 pm
I swear I think I saw her at that Atlanta airport this afternoon. She had 3 kids with her, much like in her photo.
If this is true, sad…….However, I would like to ask her out.
Observer
December 26th, 2012
10:22 pm
I hope TWG is NOT reading nor posting new topics on this blog and enjoying this Christmas/New Year holiday time with her family. No explanation needed.
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
December 27th, 2012
1:00 am
Hey Guys — That was a troll. I just haven’t been posting because I’ve been spending time with my family! Everyone is fine, and I appreciate everyone’s concern. I hope to God I never have to post something like that. It would be awful.
It usually grays my posts when I am logged into the system but sometimes I comment without being logged in.
Rose got her ears pierced on Monday and we have family visiting for the week. Michael has two weeks off so we’re just hanging out. I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
December 27th, 2012
1:01 am
PS I banned the person that posted that. They commented with concern after starting the rumor.
Warrior Woman
December 27th, 2012
6:09 pm
I don’t think both at once or one at a time matters, as long you do both the same visit. We’ve done piercings at Claire’s and similar places, but our best piercing experience was at Lucky Draw tattoo. They were the cleanest, the most professional, the least painful, and just overall the best experience.