Body Modification and Ear Piercings

Let's Go To the Mall!! 

                                                            

Claire waiting to go to the
mall with her mom. 

Hey guys! This is Claire. Claire and her mommy are on their way to get Claire's ears pierced at the mall. Claire turned three years old today and that's what she wanted for her birthday because all of her friends at pre-school have them. Claire is so excited to go get her ears pierced, she wants more than just one, but mommy won't let her because she's too young. Let's follow Claire and her mom on their way to the store!

Woman with 11 piercings in
her ear.

Claire never knew that you could get your ears pierced at the mall, she didn't know anything about getting your ears pierced actually and there's some things she thought you should know. In most malls that you would go to with your mommy or daddy, there are a few different places that you could visit to get your ears pierced. One place is called The Piercing Pagoda and they can pierce your ears for you. They can also pierce your nose if you're old enough, so that's when mommy says so. Another place is called Claire's! Funny, right? Now, how many of you are good at counting? I need a special helper, how many piercings does this lady have? That's right!! 11 piercings! That sure seems like a lot but her mommy and daddy told her she was old enough to get that many piercings. Do you have your ears pierced? Did it hurt? Probably, I remember getting my ears pierced. That was a long time ago though. 

My mom and dad told me I was old enough to get another piercing in my belly button! In some cultures, they pierce lips and tongues and other stuff that we may normally think is weird but they do it so they can grow up the right way or do other things like get married or have a baby (#). 

      Something that Claire thought you should know that was important is what she was told about cleaning your ear piercings after you get them done. The lady who pierced Claire's ears gave her and her mommy some important instructions on how to keep her ears clean and healthy so she wouldn't have to take them out. The lady said to make sure whoever was cleaning Claire's ear to wash their hands before touching anything! Just like your mom or dad or even the doctor wash their hands before touching a boo boo, you should too. Washing your hands prevents all the mean and nasty germs, like Mr. Meanie on the right, from getting inside your body and making you sick. The person who pierces your ears should have given you or mom a bottle of cleaner to use on your ears after you've washed your hands. This bottle is all the good stuff that is going to keep your piercing nice and happy so it can look good for a long time. You also should not take your piercing out. If you do, that could cause the hole to go away or bad germs to get in and that would not be good. You should wait about 6-8 weeks before changing your ear piercing so that way, your piercing can fully heal and make it so when you change it to something better, it won't hurt or your hole won't close up. Other piercings may take a longer time to change them because different parts of your bodies work in different ways and it may be harder for the workers in your body to create new good skin to keep your body happy. Once you have washed your hands and grabbed your magic bottle of cleaner, you should take a clean cotton ball or even a Q-Tip and put some of the cleaner on it. Now it's time to clean! Gently, so you don't hurt yourself, clean around the area of your piercing to make sure you've gotten all areas nice and clean. Then, you should get another cotton ball and squeeze some more cleaner on it. After you've done that, clean the back of your piercing. This makes sure that the bad germs on the front and on the back pack their bags and move away from your piercings because they are not welcome! Finally, you should twist your piercing to make sure that the hole gets some air. Air is a key ingredient to a happy and healthy piercing. If you want to learn more, go online with mommy or daddy and go to this website and they'll tell you all about how to clean your piercings; http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/pierced-ears.html?WT.ac=ctg.

     Now that you know what to do to keep your piercing happy, ask your mommy and daddy if you're allowed to have one! Tell them you know how to take care of it and you think you're old

enough. Chances are, they may so no at first so you should always have a back-up plan. 😉 Tell them you know all the steps on how to clean your piercing and you only want another hole in your ear, nothing crazy just yet. You're still growing up and when you're young, you're only allowed to pierce your ears. When you get older though, then you can pierce a lot of other things but remember, only if mom and dad say you're allowed. Piercings are expensive and a lot of work, just like puppies. Rufus over there wants to remind you that if you want a piercing, you have to remember to take care of it, just like you have to remember to feed your animals or brush your teeth before bed. Now, go ask mom and dad if you can get another piercing in your ear, but don't be sad if they say no. Be happy with the body you have, you can always spice up your look with something simple for the time being like a necklace or a ring. Now, Claire has to go clean her ear piercings before it's too late!!