“But all the kids are doing it!” is not the best argument to use when asking your mom or dad if you can get your belly button pierced. Another statement you may want to stay away from is, “Belly button rings are sexy”…especially if you are just 12 years old. Your parents aren’t ready to see you as a sexual being, not at 12, and not at 32 either. It’s not just an age thing. You are their little girl and no matter how old you get you will always be their little girl.
So what can you do to convince your parents to approve of a belly piercing so that you can get the latest and hottest belly button rings to hit the market? Approach the whole thing as an adult. Run the pros and cons of belly button piercings by them and show them the most conservative belly button rings that are appropriate for your age. Make them your advocate and give them the facts so that they won’t be worried for you.
The biggest risk to getting a belly piercing is the risk of infection. Piercing guns cannot be sterilized unless they have removable needles. Because of this, your most important point of research is to find an experienced piercing shop that uses clean equipment. How do you find them? Ask your friends and then call the shop directly. Narrow down your list to the best three or five choices and then enlist your parents to make the final decision.
The next order of business is to understand the cleaning process. If your piercing is not kept clean, or if you have a reaction to the materials used in the belly button rings that you choose, you may get an infection. Know the difference between a “normal” recovery and an infected piercing. To ease your parents mind that you are ready for this responsibility, demonstrate great hygiene on all other areas of your body – hair, face, nails. Cleaning your room couldn’t hurt either! Become the queen of cleanliness.
Finally, find some photos of women who wear belly button rings that your parents are not afraid of. There can be a huge moral stigma attached to this type of piercing. Ease their minds by showing them some classy celebrities that have belly button rings. When you approach them with the facts, and demonstrate to them that you are ready for the responsibility, you will have a better chance at getting them to buy into the piercing. Don’t throw a teen tantrum if they still say no. Just tell them, “I respect your decision, but please will you just keep your mind open to it and think about it for a while.”
If all else fails, you may need to wait until you are an age where parental consent is not needed. But then again, some things are worth waiting for.