DEAR HARRIETTE: My 15-year-old daughter wants to get her nose and eyebrow pierced. Her best friend from school just did it, and now she thinks it’s her turn. I think it’s a terrible idea. I think it will limit her options for work before she even figures out what she wants to do in her life.
I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but I think my job as her mother is to help guide her to make smart choices as she grows up. This is difficult to do when her peers are being allowed to make other decisions. How can I keep my daughter following the path we laid out for her, given all of the outside factors? -- Pierced, Washington, D.C.
DEAR PIERCED: Your job is to guide your daughter and to set restrictions while she is still a minor. You have the legal right to prohibit her from getting these additional piercings, at least for now. In the best of worlds, you won’t have to use that card, though.
Instead, talk to your daughter about her choices. Tell her about the range of career opportunities before her, and point out that in some fields multiple piercings and tattoos can prove to be a deterrent. Let her know that some fields allow them as well, but your job is to help her have as many options as possible until she is ready to choose her path. Encourage her to wait to make any permanent markings or holes in her body until she has reached the stage of knowing what she wants to do with her life.