John David and Abbie 9: Yet Another Baby Watch - Grace is Here!

[CarrotCake]

3 minutes ago, Snarkasarus Rex said:

This is where I am at.  I wasn’t comfortable doing something not medical-related to my child they couldn’t consent to. Turns out, both were very much against getting their ears pierced when I offered it to them.

This is also why I am very much against non-medical circumcision for boys. I know it is very culturally accepted to do this in the US but to me, it is many more steps past piercing ears. 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:37 AM, Bobology said:

Me, too! I even grew (and will do so again) some wild edible 'herbs' in my bathtub.

My state needs to wake the fuck up and allow us to enjoy some wild herbs without the risk of a schedule 1 narc charge.  

1 hour ago, CarrotCake said:

This is also why I am very much against non-medical circumcision for boys. I know it is very culturally accepted to do this in the US but to me, it is many more steps past piercing ears. 

If I had to do it over again I wouldn't have had my son circumcised, he's 22 (almost 23) now and DH thought he should be so I was like, he would know better than me. Neither one of them mind it but there really is no reason for it, unless it is religious  

[CarrotCake]

13 minutes ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

If I had to do it over again I wouldn't have had my son circumcised, he's 22 (almost 23) now and DH thought he should be so I was like, he would know better than me. Neither one of them mind it but there really is no reason for it, unless it is religious  

Do you think the general opinion is changing? That would be a good thing.

Here it was actually discussed to make it illegal for non-medical reasons but the only reason why they did not go through with that is because people will do it for religious reasons anyway and in those cases it is better to have it done in official clinics. But there are practically no non-jewish/muslim people that do it here anyway.

 

I've heard multiple times from guys that they never understood why everyone in American movies used lotion to masturbate ?

Edited July 14, 2020 by CarrotCake

[AprilQuilt]

Gracie is cute as a button, no doubt, but she's like a tiny little copy of Abbie's dad. I can't unsee it.

[Meggo]

23 minutes ago, CarrotCake said:

Do you think the general opinion is changing? That would be a good thing.

Here it was actually discussed to make it illegal for non-medical reasons but the only reason why they did not go through with that is because people will do it for religious reasons anyway and in those cases it is better to have it done in official clinics. But there are practically no non-jewish/muslim people that do it here anyway.

 

I've heard multiple times from guys that they never understood why everyone in American movies used lotion to masturbate ?

I think it might be changing? I don't think it's covered by our health care here (in Ontario) so you have to find a doc to do it and basically pay them cash to do it. 
I wasn't going to do it for two reasons. 1. Hubs is entact and he's managed just fine. 2. When our peanut came home from the hospital he weighed exactly 5 lbs on the nose (which seems so small to inflict pain - you know?) 3. There was a baby in the NICU - the next pod over, right before we were leaving, who was just howling he was so unhappy. I kind of looked at the nurse and she said "Circumcision" and I just couldn't. I hadn't really cared before - but I could NOT do that.... 
To me, it seemed like an unnecessary medical procedure. It wasn't religious for us, it wasn't cultural for us, it was just "because everyone does" or "easier to keep clean" - and that seemed … unnecessary for us. YMMV but that was us.

 

[Sullie06]

We pierced our daughters ears when she was 3. She started asking for Mommy's earrings and after a few months of asking I told her what it entailed and she still wanted to so her Dad and I took her as an early birthday present. 

[HideousGreenShirt]

1 hour ago, CarrotCake said:

But you make a decision about their body that they cannot change back.

Maybe they never want their ears pierced and they will always have the scar.

I understand this, but I, as a secular 11 year old protested against having mine pierced and was still made to. Twenty something years later, I choose not to wear earrings and am not bothered that my mom took away that choice. I would have preferred that they had been pierced when I was a baby. 

Different strokes for different folks I guess. 

Of all the choices that Gracie will not be allowed to make because of her fundie upbringing, I think ear piercing is of low concern. 

[AprilQuilt]

10 minutes ago, HideousGreenShirt said:

Of all the choices that Gracie will not be allowed to make because of her fundie upbringing, I think ear piercing is of low concern. 

But that's just what-aboutery. We can disagree with their broader culture AND with these small parenting choices. Whether or not to pierce kids' ears is a debate a lot of parents from a lot of backgrounds have, and FJ loves a good thread drift.

Personally I wouldn't feel entitled to make that decision on my baby's behalf. Very noble. But also, and perhaps more pressingly, I don't need any more small items for my child to lose, post through the floorboards, feed to the vacuum cleaner, or put up their nose. And I don't want to be dealing with the care of new piercings. So those are my reasons - if it really matters to somebody else I might be curious and ask about it, but I wouldn't be bothered by it or think particularly differently of them.

(disclaimer: I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 16, just because I never got round to it - my parents would certainly have allowed me to do it. I liked having pierced ears and I'm kind of surprised I never got a nose piercing... I guess it was never really of the foremost concern to me, as my ears have since healed over. It's just not something that I think of much. It is probably different if you value these things more highly.)

[JanasTattooParlor]

I’m not against baby ear piercing, I think it’s up to the parents to decide if they want to go that route or wait til the kid is older to get them pierced. I got mine done at 6 after begging my mom to let me get them and then immediately had an allergic reaction and we realized that anything less than 24K gold would make me break out. I let the holes close and got them redone at 9 and didn’t have that issue again. I got my second holes done at 16, which was quick and painless, but when I wanted my cartilage done, suddenly my parents pulled the “it’s a desecration of the body” line from the Bible and told me that next thing they knew I’d have colored hair and tattoos. I went and got it done as soon as I went to college and never looked back. I also never got a tattoo because needles scare me, but have dyed parts of my hair pink, blue, and purple for fun during my summers off from teaching. For my wedding this fall, they’re appalled that two of my bridesmaids have sleeves of tattoos, one has bright orange hair, and I will be switching my normal spiral cartilage earring for a gold blingy hoop. 

[SassyPants]

2 hours ago, AprilQuilt said:

Gracie is cute as a button, no doubt, but she's like a tiny little copy of Abbie's dad. I can't unsee it.

I see a lot of JD in there too.

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

My narc idiot fundy first husband had to be circumcised at 17 yrs old due to the fact the sheath was too tight.  He told me it was hell.  Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. ?

 

[just_ordinary]

3 hours ago, AprilQuilt said:

Gracie is cute as a button, no doubt, but she's like a tiny little copy of Abbie's dad. I can't unsee it.

So true. But her dad has a “cute old man” look. He could be a cartoon character, so Gracie looking like an old man looks actually unbelievable cute. Definitely cuter than when my daughter resembled my father in law for a few weeks. I adore him but it was not a good look on her.

[AprilQuilt]

2 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

So true. But her dad has a “cute old man” look. He could be a cartoon character, so Gracie looking like an old man looks actually unbelievable cute. Definitely cuter than when my daughter resembled my father in law for a few weeks. I adore him but it was not a good look on her.

oh, my 16-month-old daughter has always reminded me of my grandfather, who was a very shrunken and cute old man when he died shortly before she was born. She stomps about like him too, looking for snacks. I find it charming! 

[Satan'sFortress]

8 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

If I had to do it over again I wouldn't have had my son circumcised, he's 22 (almost 23) now and DH thought he should be so I was like, he would know better than me. Neither one of them mind it but there really is no reason for it, unless it is religious  

We had my first son--same age as yours--circumcised. I regretted it and we did not circumcise son #2.  He's 18 now and can get it done himself if he ever wants to. 

 

[AussieKrissy]

I peirced my daughters ears when she was three. At four she didn’t want them anymore. I felt bad and took them out. I was always in the mind set that I was going to wait until she asked for them. I wish I had of done that instead of changing my mind and doing them “now so she won’t remember it”. Also I was thinking by the time she got around to asking age it would be netball time and you have to take your earrings out for that. And earrings have to stay in for the first six weeks. Long shot but I was trying and failed to be preemptive 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

4 hours ago, AprilQuilt said:

oh, my 16-month-old daughter has always reminded me of my grandfather, who was a very shrunken and cute old man when he died shortly before she was born. She stomps about like him too, looking for snacks. I find it charming! 

My son looks like his father, nothing about my side of the family, looks wise in that one. Personality wise, he has my fathers, patience and temper. He hates waiting (I'm NOT impatient at all ?) and has a hilariously short fuse and is a total drama queen about it.  When he was little and he's have one of his little fits, hell when he has one of his big fits now, we'll say "Calm down Walter Jr". Walter Sr being my father. 

 

Not that it matter's but my dad's name isn't really Walter & my son is NOT named after him in anyway. 

[purple_summer]

I got my ears pierced at two and I barely remember it. I don’t wear earrings everyday (yay allergies) but somehow my holes have never closed. I’ll probably do the same with my hypothetical daughters. I guess it’s a cultural thing- it’s not a big rite of passage or something you have to be “old enough” to do, every girl had them done as a baby/toddler. I learned to take care of them the same time I learned how to bathe myself ??‍♀️

[Audrey2]

In my family you could choose to get your ears pierced when you were thirteen. I got mine pierced on my thirteenth birthday, after going to friendly's for a special birthday dinner with just my mom and dad- no siblings. I think my sister got hers pierced very close to her 13th birthday as well, but her birthday is a week before Christmas so she may have waited till after.

[Rio]

1 hour ago, Audrey2 said:

In my family you could choose to get your ears pierced when you were thirteen. I got mine pierced on my thirteenth birthday, after going to friendly's for a special birthday dinner with just my mom and dad- no siblings. I think my sister got hers pierced very close to her 13th birthday as well, but her birthday is a week before Christmas so she may have waited till after.

My mom said I had to wait until I was twelve, and it was so exciting then to hit that milestone and get my ears pierced. Some of the best things from my childhood were just simple things we waited and hoped for. So glad I wasn’t spoiled with material things like my kids are.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Rio

[SassyPants]

I had to be 13 too. All my friends had them at about 10. I was so excited to get them pierced at 13!

[potato]

I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I turned 12 but by then I had developed a very strong fear of needles and I didn't want to get them done. Partially because of that, my mom let my younger sisters get theirs done at 11 and 10. After some thinking (and maybe something to ease my anxiety a bit), I got my ears pierced shortly before I turned 21. It hurt a lot, but I'm glad it's over with. 

[Tangy Bee]

My mom pierced our ears at 3 months. It's just something I've been use to. Always looked forward finding ear rings to match outfits when I was a kid. No skin allergies so I can wear any type. I actually put my ear rings on before I'm completely dressed. I remember my sister was pissed when she was asked to remove her ear rings before knee surgery. I guess we're too obsessed with our ear rings.?

[Jana814]

I have a HS classmate who got her daughter’s ear pierced as an infant. Hers were done as an infant also. 

[adidas]

When I first started asking I think I was 5. Dad said I could get my ears pierced for my 21st birthday ?

I begged daily ... and wore my parents down! 21 became 18, then 15, then 13, then 10 ... and I got them done for my 8th birthday ❤️ I still love buying earrings to match my outfits. 

Sideline convo: didn’t have my boys circed because it’s not really done here. My obgyn recommended against it in 1996 and said it causes more problems than it solves.

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

2 hours ago, Jana814 said:

I have a HS classmate who got her daughter’s ear pierced as an infant. Hers were done as an infant also. 

My BFF's sister had her daughters ears pierced when she was still in the Hospital. Her husband is Puerto Rican and I guess it is a cultural thing where his family is from.