God I haven’t had daycent soda bread in ages. Would love a wedge with some kerrygold right about now. Far superior way to celebrate Paddy’s than the demon drink in my opinion! You know cutting the cross in the top is to let the devil out because obviously.

This is the best article I’ve read about Irish immigration on a Gawker site. I usually have to brace myself around this time of year so thank you for this. I’m Irish, from Ireland, and I am so sick of the adoption of my national holiday by American white supremacists.

This would never have happened if women and people’s arms weren’t left alone in rooms together.

I love this and you and that place and that piercer! That’s incredible.

Ouchie! That sounds like a keloid developed or something? Humans in general are pretty stupid.

Good luck! I love seeing all the creative ways to pierce ears. Until recently I thought it was just a case of one after the one straight up and down the edge but it’s incredible what good piercers can achieve.

May I ask, what puts you off taking her to a parlour because it sounds like you have experience and so aren’t speaking out of misplaced fear or anything?

You could do the whole stacking vertical lobe thing, depending on your current placement. It’s very cool and I believe a way to fix childhood off centre piercings.

I am fascinating by the twisting thing. It’s like all our mothers drilled it into us that we had to twist or they’d grow into our ears or something! Even recently with a new piercing, I gave it a little twist in the shower just to make sure!

Take her where you feel comfortable but don’t rule that out. They’re not all how you think they’ll be and they’ll often state on their website their policy for piercing kids. I don’t know what American laws are but in the EU you have to be over a certain age before piercers will consider piercing even lobes unless you…

The doctor did it? Wow that should be reassuring but a gun can’t be fully sterilised so that’s nuts. Also piercing is two things; following best practice sterilisation techniques etc and also aesthetic positioning and piercing at the right angle so that jewelry sits correctly. It’s not just a case of punching a hole…

Nope, a gun can’t be sterilised fully. A gun is also much more of a traumatic wound so, respectfully, I don’t agree that it’s fine.

Look, I get the point of places like Claire’s and I totally get kids and nervous parents wanting to go to a nice, friendly place but also, I don’t get doing some research before sticking needles into your body? My niece is 6 and when she’s old enough and if she wants them, I’m going to insist on taking her to the most…

Oh and you know how you were always told to twist a new piercing, DON’T. You don’t need to and actually you should’t. Everyone has their own aftercare methods but I have found doing the least amount possible and NOT touching new piercings has worked best for me. Rinse in shower, don’t touch, get on with the day.

As I said to another commenter, this is probably marginally preferable to a piercing gun!

I would imagine the majority of people have had this sort of experience with their lobes. I certainly did. I’m fairly certain mine are off centre but I don’t sweat it too much.

Which is still a preferable method to a piercing gun!

Also yiiiikes a gun in your nose nope nope nope. I pierced my nose years ago, properly with hollow needle etc, and it didn’t hurt so when I got my helix pierced and it KILLED I was shocked. Taking a gun to cartilage, I don’t even want to think about it.

Look it’s not the fault of the kid with the after school job either, y’know? It’s just misinformation and ignorance and family traditions and cost factors and so on and so on.

On top of the fact that piercing aftercare for babies must be a nightmare, babies ears grow. They won’t stay positioned where you’ve carefully instructed them to be pierced as they get older.