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Article “If he was a girl, no one would have batted an eyelid”

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NSW mum hits back after other parents criticised her for allowing her five-year-old son to have his ears pierced.

Tegan Pett, 24, said her son Storme asked to have it done the day before so she sat down with him and explained the procedure in detail.

‘It was easy to make the decision once I had explained the process. He still insisted so I let him,’ Ms Pett told Daily Mail Australia.

‘He was so excited. He chose his own earrings, told everyone he came across that he didn’t even cry and that he was brave.’

But after posting about their experience on her online mother’s group, Ms Pett received a mixed response.

‘We got a lot of support, but also some neutral and some negative comments,’ she said.

‘Some were saying that my son would be perceived as a “bogan”, “bad news” or a “thug”.

‘I expected some backlash but didn’t expect it to go the way it did.’

Ms Pett, who says it’s important to encourage children to make their own decisions, believes the negativity wouldn’t have occurred if Storme was a girl.

‘If he was a girl, no one would have batted an eyelid which I think is so wrong for so many reasons,’ she said.

Ms Pett hasn’t let the negativity get her down and advises all mothers and their kids to ignore any judgement in the online environment.

‘If your kids are happy, fed and loved, then that is all that matters. Who cares about strangers opinions? They don’t mean anything to you.’ she said.

‘Allow your kids to be who they are and don’t control them, guide them.

‘Make sure your kids know they can come to you and know that you won’t judge them –  the worst thing as a kid is feeling like you can’t tell your parents anything.’

And her advice for Storme?

‘Just ignore them,’ she said. ‘People’s judgements say more about them than they do about you.’

Read more - Enough with the gender stereotype! 

How do you feel about kids getting their ears pierced? Does it make you a bogan? Should it make a difference whether boy or girl?

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Image via Daily Mail

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Comments

  • yeah it is an individual choice really. no-one should be judged though for what they decide on

    Reply

  • At some schools children are only allowed to wear plain studs, cetainly not coloured stones.

    Reply

  • Sorry but don’t think 5 year olds should have their ears pierced – at 5 my children wanted this today and something else the next. They should be teens before they are allowed to make decisions about their bodies

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  • I am from india and culturally boys and girls have their ears pierced very soon after birth , some then decide if they want to wear them or not . I think it is a personal choice parents can make for their kids . I had mine pierced when I was little and chose not to wear earrings till I was a teenager
    Depends totally on the child and parents definitely should not be based on gender girls also may not want to wear earrings

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  • Gender is not an issue when it comes to getting ears pierced. Children should be in their teens before making this decision when they have more maturity.

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  • If your kids are happy, fed and loved, then that is all that matters. Who cares about strangers opinions? They don’t mean anything to you indeed !!
    Only my 12 year old and 7 year old daughters have their ears pierced (they both had it done when they were around 6 year old). My 11 year old son has been talking about having an ear pierced lately, maybe for his birthday in August.

    Reply

  • Better to do it with his mother’s knowledge then try to do it himself. My parents allowed us girls to get our ears done, mum actually did them herself. My brother after being knocked back did it himself with a safety pin. None of my six children have their ears pierced and that is only because the older ones do not want it. The younger two are only four and I would like them to wait until older. The older ones are males and a female (14), the younger ones are both sexes.

    Reply

  • I think kids (girl OR boy) should be at least teens before they pierce their ears.

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  • It is her decision and no-one else’s to judge.

    Reply

  • I’d have batted an eye whether it was a girl or boy at that age. Think they should be older.

    Reply

  • I don’t like ears pierced in general. Neither with girls nor with boys. :-)

    Reply
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