When it comes to making a decision for your child, most parents try to put themselves in their shoes to see how it'll impact them before reaching a verdict. That's exactly what one mum has been trying to do when deciding when to take her daughter to get her ears pierced.
She explained how her mother-in-law has been pushing her to pierce her 10-month-old's lobes - saying she's a "bad mother" for choosing to wait until she is older. Taking to Reddit, she said: "My mother-in-law tells me I'm a bad mother because I'm choosing not to pierce my 10-month-old daughter's ears.
"I've told my sister-in-law that I'll be waiting until she's older and can choose whether she wants to have them pierced. This was reported back to my mother-in-law and her words were, 'That is not what a good mother does. A good mother makes decisions for her children. She doesn't leave it up to her child to decide. Girls must have their ears pierced'."
She went on to explain how her sister-in-law's daughter got her ears pierced at nine-months-old, making her feel like she's fighting a losing battle.
"Relatives constantly point out that she doesn't have them pierce and ask me why, and every time I offer the same reason, 'I'm waiting until she's a bit older to pierce them'."
Fed up of everybody putting their two cents in, she has taken to Reddit to ask users how to handle her pushy mother-in-law.
She said: "Surely I’m not a bad mother for letting my daughter decide? It’s her body, I wouldn’t like it if someone held me down and started putting holes in my body. I don’t know how else to reason with my mother-in-law."
In response, one user said: "You should be setting boundaries instead of trying to reason with her. She's made up her mind, you're not going to be able to reason her out of it.
"You could say, my husband and I have made a decision. If we want to talk about it, I'll let you know.
"Otherwise please stop bringing it up or I will hang up or leave if we can't find something else to talk about. But I know that can be really tough."
Another user added: "Hard nope. I’m all about self mutilation for the sake of vanity. I’ve got several piercings myself. The thing is the word 'self'. It has to be a choice.
"Keep a close eye on your little one. Your mother-in-law might try to take things into her own hands."
A third user said: "Lots of people say that they get their ears pierced that young because they can’t remember the pain.
"As someone who got my ears pierced after I got married, it doesn’t hurt that bad.
"Ear piercing can get infected so easily and that will definitely hurt so I completely agree with wanting to wait.
"Regardless of right and wrong in your thinking though, you and your husband are the ones who make decisions for what’s best for your child. Your mother-in-law needs to learn her place."
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