For parents only

For parents only
Dear parents,
With years of experience under my belt, I would like to give you a few things to think about:
We all love our children and only want the best for them.
We strive to shield them from mistakes that they might live to regret. Try as we might, they will end up doing as they see fit.

We all know that punishments serve little purpose. Even the most reasonable children sooner or later assert themselves and may succumb to the pressure of their peers.
If you do give your permission at some point I would suggest the following:
When it comes to piercing, a child under the age of 14 should simply be told “NO, wait until you’re old enough.”
According to the Federal Law Gazette, at the age of 14 you are old enough to get a piercing with your parents’ consent, provided the piercer has a license. This excludes nipple and genital piercings.

This poses a problem, since by law the piercing is permitted, but as a parent you still don’t want to give your consent. And thus begins the long battle of the teenager who begs you on a daily basis, offering countless reasons and naming countless friends, all in order to prove how indispensable a piercing is for social acceptance.

As a parent, your resistance may last weeks, months, or even years, but at some point you give in and leave it up to your young adult to decide—after all, they have to learn to take responsibility for their own actions. Fortunately piercing scars are very small, hardly visible and using procedures like dermabrasion (which we offer) can be made virtually undetectable, especially important where the face is concerned.

If you decide to give your consent, it is vital that you don’t send your child to the first studio you find, but that you choose a professional and hygienic one that complies with regulations and offers high-quality service. After all, no one benefits from a botched navel piercing. That is why we have taken the time to compile all the tips that can help you in your selection:

As a parent you should accompany your child or visit the studio personally beforehand. It is crucial that the studio asks for two ID cards, yours and your child’s, and that they verify both before having you sign the declaration of consent. If they do not insist on this point, you’ll know that you’re not in good hands. Keep in mind that consent given verbally or by phone is not legally valid.
If you decide to stick to your guns and say NO
No means no, even if your child begs you daily.

While your determination is commendable, it may prove dangerous in the long run, because the following may happen: A young person who has her heart set on a piercing will eventually get it sooner or later, with or without the knowledge or consent of her parents.

How does this happen? It’s simple: The peer pressure your child is under, the fact that she sees her role models, her idols, her big sister all sporting piercings and finding it cool, will cause her to want one more than she wants anything else.
Initially, your child will still be able to resist the gleaming offers of incompetent piercers, simply out of respect for you. Gradually, though, under the pressure of her friends, not to mention social networking, your teenager will give in and accept the consequences and the risk of punishment just to get a piercing.
Let’s take a closer look. How do teenagers manage to get pierced without their parents’ consent?

Either they find an amateur to do it, who does it for the money no matter how old the child is.

Alternatively, they will find a known studio, which officially refuses to perform piercing without parental consent, but unofficially does anything the teenagers ask, as long as they are paid.
They might ask a friend, who is a little older, and who happens to perform his piercing services from a bathroom at school.

Others will ask their doctor to do it, who is not actually qualified to do so, and who can no more pierce without parental consent than a piercer can. Keep in mind that piercing is not a medical intervention, and that doctors who are not specifically trained to do it are often the worst piercers around.

All roads that lead to an unqualified piercer are fraught with risk, because anybody who is willing to pierce a minor without the consent of their parents is someone who cannot be relied on to comply with regulations. He is punishable by law but is rarely held accountable simply because the young people who accept his services refuse to reveal where they go in the first place.

What you’re left with in the end is a botched piercing, a rift in the home, and if luck is not on your side, an infection, since the piercers mentioned above rarely comply with hygiene standards.

Conclusion:
When teenagers wish to get a piercing, the best option is an open discussion.
Your task is to see if your child is willing to take responsibility for the care and maintenance involved, and if he really wants it to begin with.

Together you can come to agreement and establish a period of reflection, e.g. 6 months. If at the end of that period the wish is still there, and you’ve covered the ground rules, then you can give your consent. I have already clearly outlined what goes into the search for a professional studio. Selecting a studio in the company of your child is the best option, simply because you should both feel good about the choice, and it will be a great opportunity to test your child’s sense of initiative and responsibility.

The entire process is one that you should experience together, from the preliminary phases to the actual piercing. In this way you can rest easy knowing that as a parent you’ve done all you can for your child’s safety.