If I could tell Dr. Mitchell one thing it would be that he ought to hope that his daughter actually asks first and doesn’t just run out one afternoon and has it done. Or worse, that she’s at the beach with her friends and decides to have it done late one night – one of those spur-of-the-moment things that you always seem to hear about at the end of a wild beach trip.

Mitchell pointed out in his column that a 2002 survey reported that 50 percent of the young people questioned said that they had a piercing. This is how things have changed. In the old days, a survey would not have been necessary. All one would have needed to do would have been to look at the subject’s earlobes, which is where piercings normally appeared. Today you have to look a little closer, like at the top of the ear, the eyebrows and lips. And that may not be all. There could very possibly be a spike through the tongue, the chest and even further south. Ouch!

Now I don’t have any personal experience in this area. I will admit to wandering into a tattoo/piercing parlor late one night, just to see what was involved in the process. I had the opportunity to see a young woman, plied with just enough liquid courage, lift the hem of her T-shirt and allow the artist to put what looked like a hook into her navel. What followed was enough yelling and blood to reinforce the fact that a sharp object entering the skin is not my thing.

So there are no piercings on my body and my daughter is nowhere near old enough to entertain the idea. But as a high school teacher, I have seen many students return from their spring trips sporting more jewelry on their bodies than when they left. I always ask two questions – “why?” and “did it hurt?”

I am especially curious about tongue piercings. It is my opinion that the person who has that done must have an extremely high tolerance for pain. For there have been times when I have bitten my own tongue and the pain has caused me say extremely ugly things. It’s right up there with stumping your toe or hitting your thumb with a hammer.

Dr. Mitchell pointed out in his column that there are a few hazards associated with piercings. Among them are pain from nerves that have been accidentally pierced, scarring from torn skin, broken teeth from studs in the lips or tongue and of course, infections that may require medical treatment.

One student who had recently had his tongue pierced told me that in order to thoroughly clean (disinfect?) his mouth, he had to take in a mouthful of hydrogen peroxide and hold it for more than a minute. He said his mouth foamed up like a rabid dog’s. I’m sorry, but that’s just nasty.

Now I’m all for freedom of expression. And when my daughter hits that stage of her life, I’m going to encourage her to change the color of her hair or write a poem or something like that. I sincerely hope she won’t decide to let someone stab her.



Tom Mark is sports editor of The Tifton Gazette.