22 May 2010

Parenting Teens

A friend did this last night. G came home with a different earring, a BIG "diamond" one. D was quite upset. I didn't like it but tend to put this sort of thing into the "things we don't fight about" box. D was very mad. He mowed the yard for about two hours. He had several discussions with G between clipping vines and mowing.
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Wellllll... he's still really mad. He still really hates it. But he is going to bend on this when he saw how important it was to G. It is starting to look all bruisy and icky. It wasn't even a gold earring they used! I took him out and HE bought rubbing alcohol and a gold earring. Hope it doesn't get infected. But wow. I hope his taste doesn't run into mohawks or purple hair next. It wouldn't bother me *so* much, but poor D can't stand much more, bless him!
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Maybe I'm not too upset because I remember doing this once myself. KT and I were 15 once and liked to listen to Duran Duran in her basement with her cat. We used a hot needle, a cork, and some ice and pierced each other's ears. We were cool. Now we are both all grown up and she is a professor of history. :)

12 comments:

  1. lol MrsC. Sometimes you just have to bit your tongue because the drama really is not worth all the fuss. We've had 2 boys do tongue piercings [so funny; they could barely talk for days & eating was totally out] & one did a nipple piercing ~ which got infected. serves him right. As they would fiddle with the ball on the bottom of the tongue piercing it was prone to coming off & being swallowed. Came expensive in the end. ☺ I figure they grow up some time ~ & hey, I pierced my own ear. Just one. I think I did the wrong ear. I got some odd proposals. *sigh* Teens. I'm so glad I'm not one any more.

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  2. It could be so much worse! I saw a young man with a plug (big disc) in his ear lobe the other day at the electronics store. All I could think of was--"I bet your parents love that--not." Funny though, I have/had a nose ring and thought it was so cool in 1993. Now I am too chicken to wear it anymore--don't think the Baptist Pastor's wife should have a nose ring. And I don't want to encourage my children to pierce weird body parts when they are older. Still praying they will be so turned off by my 6 tattoos that they never want any of their own.

    I think you handled it well. But I feel so sorry for D.

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  3. Did he get a perm too? One of my ex-boyfriends got a perm when he was a teen so that he could look black... and he was Korean.

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  4. All my brothers and sisters have multiple piercings, including their tongues. Mom wasn't thrilled, but she shrugged it off. "When it's important, they'll put it aside." Sure enough, as each of them have grown up, had their own kids and taken jobs where their appearances matter, the bits of metal have disappeared.

    At fourteen my oldest began to push for a body piercing (he wanted a lip ring). After much discussion ( read: a heated argument behind closed doors, with me being the one pushing for middle ground), Gary agreed to ONE earring at the age of sixteen. Interestingly, by the time sixteen arrived my oldest had lost interest completely. The other boys know the rule as well and Daniel (who is almost eighteen) didn't bother to take us up on it. Joe has indicated that he likes his lobes free of extra holes.

    I got my ears pierced at age sixteen. One hole each. That's enough for me.

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  5. You guys are cracking me up!

    And... here's what my two cents was on the earring:

    I asked him please to quit straightening his hair in exchange. Just... please. Because I like the curls. SO... we are both happy. :)

    Sorry... he's also not black or Korean. I think more like German-Irish-Euro-etc mutt mix. :)

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  6. Thank God my kids are 7. I'm so not ready for teens yet. We have enough drama as it is.

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  7. I've dyed my hair twice. Once blue. Once red. Both for swimming and both times the color came out within a couple of days.

    Of course, that's what happens when you blast your hair with chlorine twice a day 5-6 times a week...

    My friends were shocked that my mom was okay with my dying my hair. I wasn't.

    ~Luke

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  8. I dunno.
    Sounds like a normal teenager to me! You really have to wait to about age 21 for a return to 'acceptable' decision-making.

    Looking back, I know I drove my parents nuts too!

    Dad

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  9. Well, I told my oldest who said she could do what she wanted when she was 18 that if she wanted to continue do get free room and board as an adult guest in our home she had to maintain a professional, employable appearance. Pierce your ears, belly button, nipples whatever... just make sure you can get a job. So, don't pierce your face. Period.

    Well, you know she took off. She didn't want free room and board. I don't regret our "line in the sand." I think it is appropriate that at some age you start looking for ways to support yourself and get off your mom and dad's payroll.

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  10. I really like the "employable appearance" policy. That is awesome!

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  11. Oh, boy. I don't even want to think about how my husband is going to react to something like that in the future! He won't even allow our daughter to get her ears pierced - it's kind of a cultural thing, really. Thankfully, for our family peace, she has no interest anyway. Maybe her brothers will feel the same? One can hope.

    For the record, I'm with you. It will pass eventually.

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  12. I hope it's not infected! We all do things like that as teenagers, G is being a normal boy!

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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