well my parents are very much against body modification.
There are some things, however, that I think shouldnt really be a parents concern. Like when a child wants to dye their hair.... who the hell cares?! Is it hurting anyone? No. My mother never let me do it and now that Im older I will never have the chance to.
I understand about facial piercings tho. Those are different. They are on your freaking face!
But I still get piercings behind me parents backs. Im 19 now so whatever, but still. My parents would freak out. lol

My answer: Not as of yet. My darlings aren't quite old enough for that.

My hubby works in an industry where he employs teens. He makes them take piercings out because, though they are more common, they are still not professional. Piglet 2 might do well to remember that she will be in the work force one day, and I don't see facial piercings becoming any more acceptable. She will scar when she grows tired of it and pulls it out for good. She won't be sixty with a piercing...though that might be kind of funny! haha

i wanted to get a piercing at the age of 16, too. i thought it was really cool, but i decided that i should wait and see if i still wanted to go through with it later in life.

I was 19 when I pierced my lip, I lived in with my boyfriend, had a baby boy, it was my decision. I had made the decision to do this at the age of 16 but my mother decided not to let me. I know a lot of people who went and got their lip pierced. The pain was easy, considering child birth, piercing my lip was the easiest thing I've done. But honestly if my daughter came to me and told me she wanted to get pierced I would tell her wait till 18. Its a big decision, there is a chance that your body will reject, you could end up with an infection, scarring. That little hole doesn't really ever go away its a scar that you will live with. My biggest issue was that when I had a court case for custody I had to take it out, most facial piercings will close up right away. I think you telling her she cant till 18 is a great thing, its a huge decision that should be made with a straight head. Yes they can be cute and all, but is it a lifetime commitment or something you just want right now for a little bit.
At least shes asking for a piercing and not a tattoo.

I agree with you on the 18 thing. My son is not old enough yet to want a piercing so I do not know what I would say to him if he wanted one other than if he really wanted one b/c he wants one and not b/c everyone else has one, he can wait until he is 18.

As far as doing piercings yourself, I knew a lot of people that did their own piercings.  I am not sure how or why.

i think the best way to deal with a rebellious teenager is to let them do what they want within limits, and have them understand that you only set these limits to keep them safe. Guilt tripping them almost ALWAYS works.

As for body piercing. I think it should be allowed, as long as it is done at a safe certified piercer. If piglet 2 is much feeling opressed, perhaps you can open up options and go through the necesary precautions with her? Maybe bring her to a piercing parlour and sit with her while she gets her lip pierced (most likely in the future she'll remove it, although there will be a teensy scar) ? That way, she won't feel you are going about it unreasonably.

"my house, my rules, my body until the day you turn 18."
I understand that this is maybe how you raise your children. But in my opinion (not trying to offend you), it seems kind of an immature and childish thing to say. Just because your children are childish, it doesn't mean you can also be in return.

I think it's really important for them to understand that you will start treating them like adults as they grow up, so they should start acting like adults. When suddenly a lot of control is given to a child, it really makes them think. Of course, not all children are like this.

Studies show that schools that have a uniform, the students rebel more and show more skin than schools that don't have a set uniform.

As for topics like parties and what not, I think it's best to trust your child on what they're doing provided they give you all the necessary contact information and addresses to the parties they go to. However, it is understandable if you stop her from going to places if piglet 2 doesn't know what poeple are trustworthy or not yet. If she wants to hang around poeple, then they should be people that you have met as well.

This is where she can take the initiative to introduce her friends to you. She should understand that the more involved you are in her life, the more you should be able to trust her. ^^

I hope that helped!! I'm still struggling with my own parents as well!!

Coming at this from the teenager's POV, I understand both sides. My mother has been so open to my piercings, and I'm blessed in that way. I got my belly button done when I was 13, lip and cartilage at 14, and started stretching my lobes at 15. I'm planning on getting two more piercings before I'm of age (cartilage and second navel), though she had already agreed to a tongue piercing before my boyfriend ix-nayed it. :P Her opinion, which has rubbed off on me, it that it's nothing permanent and that if I want to take it out, it'll always heal over. Personally, I love my piercings and they've helped me; I've always had horrifically low self-esteem, but my piercings helped me to come into myself and begin to embrace my body.

I look at it this way, if she get's her lip pierced it'll only be a short while. I'm young, I just graduated high school, most people that I know go through these phases only for a short while. I think this would be the lesser of the evils, because it's always a possibility that if she can't get her 'teen angst' out this way that she'll find some other, definitely worse way.

Hope this doesn't offend the ear stretchers- but at least she doesn't want to do that. Gauging makes for sad, saggy ears later in life, but a piercing leaves just a little red hole until it closes up and scars over (which can be minimized with cortizone, shea butter, and the like). You could let her get one "crazy" piercing, like maybe an industrial, or a tiny nose stud. The pain might just turn her off from more, and it won't be as visually offending as a giant bull ring or a big lip piercing moving up and down every time she opens her mouth. 

@mamapig - hm...that's strange because the pain of gauges [don't freak they're tiny, if i left them out for a few months they'd go right back to normal size] and getting my ear pierced in the first place, didn't turn me off of getting more. now maybe when i get the industrial done, i'll change. however, i have a really high pain tolerance and it probably wouldn't bother me. though...since i'm only a punk-y 16 year old i've got a comepletely different perspective than you...my mom would agree with you on this...

thats the motto in my house as well. -_-

Ground her until she's 80... or atleast until she's mature.

I personally couldn't stand the idea of having a lighting rod stuck in my lip. Ew.