Under 18? How to Ask Your Parents About Piercings
I have had an affinity for piercings even in my younger years; which means I fully understand just how difficult it can sometimes be to get Mom or Dad on board with the idea of getting a new piercing. I often get asked questions like “how old were you when you got your first piercing?” and “how did you get your parents to say yes?”. When it comes down to it, these types of questions have very personal and circumstantial answers that may not work for everyone, but I figured I’d write a little article about things that helped me and may help you when it comes to getting those piercing waivers signed!
Do Your Research The first step at any age to getting a new piercing is to do some research! To make things easier, I’ve made a basic checklist of things to know:
What piercing do you want to get?/ Is your anatomy suited for the piercing you want?
How long will it take to heal?/ What kind of aftercare does this piercing require?
What jewelry can you start with?
Do you need any documents (like ID) to be pierced?
What are the studio hours? / Do you need an appointment?
How much will everything cost?
Also, ask if your parents have any specific concerns (will it scar? What about sports? MRI safe?) and make sure you get the answers for their questions too!
If you’re interested in getting pierced here at our studio, each of our piercers has a staff page so your parents can learn about who exactly is doing your piercings, and also see portfolios of our work! We are also accessible 8-12 hours a day by phone, and nearly 24/7 on instagram, facebook, and yelp- so you can contact us with any and all of your questions! Finding a clean, safe studio with reputable piercers is important and will certainly put your parents at ease. You can check out our articles on sterile gloves and autoclaves to learn more about finding a safe studio, as well as read our article about picking your piercer to learn how to find the right piercer for you!
Offer To Pay Offering to pay for your piercing is a great way to show both responsibility, and maturity. Whether it be with money from your job, birthday money, or offering to do extra chores in trade, this will show your parents that you are serious. When you’re willing to invest not just your own time into a piercing, but your own money as well, the conversation can change. Parents are typically more willing to let you get a new piercing when they aren’t financially responsible for it.
Get Good Grades Piercings take time, effort, and responsibility to heal. Good grades also take time, effort, and responsibility to maintain. Not only will good grades make you and your parents happy, but they will also show that you have the level of responsibility required to properly care for your piercing. It may take some time to get your grades where they need to be, but putting in the effort to do so will show that same responsibility. If you already have good grades- awesome! Maybe try helping out more around the house to show effort and responsibility. Keep your room clean, help with dishes and tidying, and even offer to wash the car or windows; whatever might impress your parents and show them you are ready for this!
If They Still Say No… Sometimes even with all your effort and all your trying, your parents may still say no. As your parents, it is their right to do so. The best thing you can do is respect their decision that you aren’t ready yet. When you are 18 you’ll be able to get pierced all on your own without them. While it may be upsetting, it will show more maturity to be respectful and wait. Who knows! Showing them respect and not fighting their choice may show them your maturity, and they may come around with time. It took me a full year, and a thoughtfully put together powerpoint to convince my parents to let me pierce my nose, and it only happened because I was respectful (though disappointed) with their original no answer. Margo even wrote everything down for her mom including pricing, hours, healing, the works and mom still said no at first. These things take time, and in the end they’re worth the wait!
As a minor you do require your parents to be pierced and convincing them can be your biggest hurdle. But pointing out the responsibility required to have and heal a piercing, doing your research, and offering to pay can make your parents a little more willing to let you get that awesome new piercing!