The results are in.

I thought about it, i gave her the benefit of the doubt in everything she said to me. I read her letters, listened to her arguments, drew opinions from real-life friends and Internet friends and my answer is still NO.

Lets try something here. Ask your boyfriend, husband, brother, dad or any other male figure in your life what they think of a 14 year old child (Because indeed, she is still a child) having her belly button pierced. Ask them what they think of her walking along the beach in a string bikini (Like this) PLUS a ring in her naval. They will still be stuck on her being 14 and allowed to wear that bikini. I allowed her that, i wont allow the ring. I don't think its going to kill her to wait another year or so. I simply told her (Anticipating a meltdown) that as her mother had to make decisions one way or the other and be able to stand behind and justify my decisions and that I couldn't do that with her getting a belly ring. Every man in our lives from her dad to step dad to uncle's to grandfathers were flabbergasted that i would even entertain the idea. Which frankly, was fine with me, I'm her parent, ultimately whether they liked the idea or not, i was the one to make the decision. But i noticed a pattern in the men. The women were all pretty much ok with her having this piercing, it was the men who had fits. And then it hit me like a sucker punch......

It will be the men staring at this ring in her belly. It will be the BOYS looking at this ring. Women will glance, maybe make a comment if they feel like it, but it will be the boys to men who will look, and if not make a comment OUTLOUD they will think one way or the other and i don't think she is ready for the attention that a belly ring will bring. It gives off the impression she is older than 14. It gives the impression that her mother/father/parents on lax on restrictions as to what she does with her body, and then it gives other parents the impression that I am a crazy mother. I know this because when i first heard of the other 13 YO girl at her school who has a belly ring i thought "Good Gawd what the hell is her mother thinking" and I don't want her or I to have that stigma.

So the answer was no. Not this year, maybe next. Nice try kiddo. But I'm still not able to justify it to your grandfather. My father.

He's still recovering from my first period.