Mum sparks heated debate about having her four-year-old's ears pierced

A mum has sparked a heated debate online after questioning why her ex-husband won’t let her pierce her four-year-old daughter’s ears.

Writing on a parenting forum, she explained that her youngest child feels left out because her other daughter already has her ears pierced.

She said on Mumsnet: 'My DD4 wants her ears pierced, because DD3 has them done and so do I. DD4 is 4 years old and pretty articulate for her age so knows it will hurt, she has clip ons but wants real ones.

What age should children have their ears pierced?

'Her dad is saying no not until she is much older, he sees her once a fortnight and school holidays but is involved.’

The mum then explained that her ex didn't have an issue with his step-daughter getting her ears pierced when she was four, but he is putting his foot down with his biological daughter.

She continued: 'My argument is when we were together he was all for DD3 getting hers done at 4 years old because DD3 wanted them and her dad wasn’t involved, came with us and couldn’t understand why people have an issue with it. He was stepdad to the older 3 and we had DD4 together.

'She has been going on regularly for a year and if she wants them I don’t see the problem, it's a pair of ear studs not a nose ring.

'I'd like to take her in the summer holidays when she is 5 but he says no.'

She then asked if it is she or her ex-partner who is being unreasonable – but other parents didn't give her the response she was probably expecting, with some claiming she shouldn’t be piercing her daughter's ears at all.

One said: 'I think doing that to such small children is horrible, so I agree with him that you shouldn't.'

Another added: 'Personally I think pierced ears on a child that young looks common. It should be a joint decision between you and your DDs Dad though.’

A third commented: ‘Yeah I wouldn't go against her father's wishes'.

But other parents disagreed and claimed the dad was being a hypocrite.

One said: 'I won't get them done without his agreement but I think it's unfair he was all ok with DD3 getting them done at 4 years old but won’t allow DD4 at 5 years old because it's his own flesh and blood.’

Another added: 'If he was happy for your dd to have them done he is just powered tripping imo. Just get them done. When he sees dd happy is he going to be the one to take them out?'

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