Am I being immature?

 I can understand your feelings. I would be wary as well. I don't tend to judge people by their personal adornments, but to express yourself in the presence of other people's childrens in that manner does say something about you and your social savvyness. I think refusing to acknowledge that some parents might find it disturbing is sending the message that you're selfish and don't care about what your clients might think about you. I think that's a bad message to be sending to people who are leaving their precious kids with you.

I think hair colour is not quite as confronting as piercings. To be honest, most of my male friends are completely turned off by piercings. My bf can handle my pierced ears, but he sometimes complains about the metal in my ears and I know he'd not like it if I got anything else pierced. He's not the only one I know that feels that way. 

I used to be one of thos girls...7years ago.lol I have 13piercings, goth and had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Personally if it was a daycare where I was paying 100s+ , I would see to it each and every one of thos "outcast" where fired. Ears and tongue even Nippys and belly piercings are fine. But when you are working in public with face piercings, Its a little much. ok its WAY to much. Unless your working at HotTopic.=P

Also who wants a teen babysitter whos preg watching your kids?.....>_> Not that I can say alot about that NOW. I was 17 and preg but I was 17 preg AND MARRIED. 

I dunno it just screams "less Morals" with all the " I dont care ill stick a hole in my face to get a rise out of you" attitude and the preg teen babysitter.

My husband said to me the other day, "Nobody of our generation (the hippie generation) has any business saying that they just can't understand kids today." And I agree with him. I refuse to judge people based on their outward expression of themselves.

I understand how other people do - and I think it's a shame because everyone wants to be loved and accepted for who they are, no matter how it appears they act to the contrary. Yes, I would leave my kids there because whether they had piercings or not or wore rings or not, they're still the same people.

 

FourIsCompany, awesome response.

Right now, my hair is a gloriously bright, ridiculous purple. I LOVE it.

I didn't do it to "get a rise out of people." I didn't do it because I'm some tortured goth kid who thinks the world is out to get me. (I'm not. ) I did it because I LIKE it. I like how it looks. I realize that some other people don't like it- but frankly, I didn't do it for them. They're really not a part of the decision making process when it comes to what I choose for my physical appearance.

Some people honestly DON'T get piercings/tatoos/have weird hair colors for attention. Really. Some people just plain like how it looks- and really I'd have alot LESS respect for someone who chose not to express themselves in that way for fear of "what other people would think."

People need to seriously stop judging each other based on physical appearance. I am naturally blonde. When I was about 15, I began dyeing my hair black- because I hated having blonde hair and wanted black hair. Until I decided to dye it purple, I've kept it black since, save for a short period where it was red. You know what I noticed? I noticed that the way people reacted to and treated me was like night and day. Clerks at stores were less polite. I got picked over for things in school. People on the street were less polite and less likely to stop and talk. Little things, but very, very noticeable even to a 15 year old kid with limited social skills. I find that absolutely ridiculous.

I absolutely refuse to judge people based on physical appearance. Saying that someone with piercings has "fewer morals" than someone without them....come on. Seriously?  

No, I would have absolutely no problem leaving my kids in a daycare with someone with pink hair and piercings. You know why? Because the color they decide to make their hair says NOTHING about them. At all. I have purple hair, and I am a completely responsible adult. I'm not immature, I'm not doing it for attention, I did it because I think purple is a cool color. That's it. It says NOTHING about the person that I am, my morals, or anything else about me.

The fact that "most people are judgemental," doesn't make them right. If anything, MORE people should get piercings and tatoos and have weird hair color- because people's ideas about physical appearance need to be challenged, if these are the kinds of things they think. No judgements need to be made about a person based on how they look. Not ever.

I can't believe that people really think and judge this way. Heck, maybe I'm crazy, but I generally TALK to people before deciding how I feel about the type of person they are. Makes my life a whole lot easier than if I just ran around throwing off baseless judgements on nothing but hair color and lip piercings.

 

I agree with 4IC. If the church has rules on attire that they can enforce for work  that's one thing. It's another to enforce your own set of standards on someone else imo.

In college a girl that lived across the hall got a really nice, small ring put in her eyebrow.  She was an education major and had to take it out after a while when she was looking for schools.  I think ear piercings, small eyebrow rings, and studs in the nose are really pretty.  In a daycare, I would be concerned with babies and kids grabbing at that stuff.  I used to babysit for some very young babies and I never wore any jewelry or glasses b/c they would latch on and pull.  I would think that a daycare would have it's own dress code or rules about jewelry.  If not,I supposed she's free to do whatever she wants.

The only thing I would have a problem with is the pregnant teenager, and not because she is any less of a person or any less of a good caregiver, but just because it's a church setting and they preach against that sort of thing.

Piercings in teenagers, say to me...

• risk taker
• crowd follower
• self interested (kids/teens can't help this...is a stage of development)
• anti-'rules'

Nice kids, I  am sure....but not my first choice for baby sitting...esp if I were a churchy type...which I'm not. I have audlt friends with piercings and honestly...their reasons are usually so much different than the teenagers. I always thought that was really interesting.

 

FourIsCompany

My husband said to me the other day, "Nobody of our generation (the hippie generation) has any business saying that they just can't understand kids today." And I agree with him. I refuse to judge people based on their outward expression of themselves.

I understand how other people do - and I think it's a shame because everyone wants to be loved and accepted for who they are, no matter how it appears they act to the contrary. Yes, I would leave my kids there because whether they had piercings or not or wore rings or not, they're still the same people.

 I agree with you Four, but I can also state that having this kind of appearance does matter, it can hurt you. I know of a man who worked for me a few years ago. He was tattooed and had numerous piercings. He was a great worker and over the course of time I promoted him to a supervisor position. He was qualified and he was good at it. It was a fight to get him the promotion (because of his appearance) but over time he proved himself in that place.

 I ended up moving somewhere else and when a position opened that I had no one to fill, I called Robert and had him come and interview. Once again it was a fight in order to have them even consider him and after a long time of going back and forth they hired him and once again he proved himself.

 I left California and after leaving heard that there were layoffs and closures. Robert was out of a job and last I heard from him he has been unable to get anything other than a common labor job. The only reason he got the two opportunities was because I was there to fight for him. Even though he has recommendations from two places and personal referenced from me no one will hire him as a lead, or as a supervisor. He had 15 years overall experience with 4 being in leadership yet he could not even get a lead position working in a warehouse.

 I also know another young man who had a lot of tats. One was on the back of his neck and one on his knuckle. He got married and had a son and wanted to pursue a carrier in law enforcement. He graduated from the Huntington Beach Police Academy at the top of the class; numero uno and no one would hire him because of the tats. In order for him to be considered he would have to have the one on his neck and the one on his knuckle removed. You might ask what terrible thing he had on his body that would prevent him from ever working in law enforcement? Was it a swastika, or a rude word? Nope, he had a Christian fish on one knuckle and a cross on the back of his neck.

 It should not matter, but it does. I counsel my sons and other young folks to limit marking themselves in visible non- reparable ways, not because I think it is wrong but because it will limit them in life. They will be judged for it and their personal morals and strengths will not be considered because of the studs sticking out of their foreheads or the tattoos showing on their bodies.

IMO, someone with a lot of piercings who choses to work with children and yet does not chose to remove those piercings for work is not taking the job very seriously. If I chose to work in a bank, I would dress in bank-appropriate clothing - a suit, a blouse and a skirt, whatever, and I would actually (gasp) wear some makeup. If I could work from home, I would wear whatever the heck I felt like and never go near cosmetics. IMO, it is an employee's responsibility to think about what is generally considered an appropriate "look" for the job and then to try to match it while at work.

It's the same reason you wouldn't want daycare workers wearing very low-cut or revealing clothing. Sure, it's a means of expression, and the human body is nothing to be ashamed of. But there's a time and a place for that type of expression, and IMO working with young, impressionable children is not necessarily that time. Not to mention the safety concerns of piercings and small, grabby hands.

Yeah, and that pregnant teenager... that's not the greatest role model for the little ones! Although at least she's getting practice working with kids? 

I have two nostril piercings, used to have a  lip ring.. and a labret until I had to take it out, I also have 00g ear lobe piercings, and two industrials in both ears.

 What ever happened to just simply liking the way it looks? It's for personal gratification for most, not to shock others. Granted, many teens just get it because it's cool. However, not every teenager with piercings or weirdly coloured hair is a rebel, just trying to get with the crowd, nor do they have lesser morals (??? don't understand how that one came up! Seriously)

Of course, in a professional enviroment I would take out most of my ear jewerly, and sometimes one my nostril piercings (worked in a place where they allowed nostril piercings, but I couldnt have two. Weird, but whatever). However, society needs to get used to it on the streets. People are becoming more bold with their tattoos and piercings.

 

Ratsicles

Some people honestly DON'T get piercings/tatoos/have weird hair colors for attention. Really. Some people just plain like how it looks- and really I'd have alot LESS respect for someone who chose not to express themselves in that way for fear of "what other people would think."

I never got any of mine because I thought I'd get attention, I just wanted them because I love body modification. But I'm trying to look at it through most of the parents views. I wouldn't trust my child with any of those girls If I didn't know them judging by their looks.

Cita

IMO, someone with a lot of piercings who choses to work with children and yet does not chose to remove those piercings for work is not taking the job very seriously.

Cita

It's the same reason you wouldn't want daycare workers wearing very low-cut or revealing clothing. Sure, it's a means of expression, and the human body is nothing to be ashamed of. But there's a time and a place for that type of expression, and IMO working with young, impressionable children is not necessarily that time.

I agree to this. I don't think any of them are taking it seriously. My friend was being rude when I tried to explain that it wouldn't be a good idea if she got the lip ring, and her response was "Well, they can't fire me, can they?" She also says how she doesn't care about the parent's thoughts or the boss. I mean okay, I understand our boss is very annoying and I don't suck up eiter but there is no way I'm going to sit there and trash the PARENTS. How awful.

I try and dress nice. Jeans and a nice shirt, or a nice shirt with a sweater.http://www.target.com/Juniors-Mossimo-Supply-Cardigan-Sweater/dp/B000SDIXJE/qid=1193507074/ref=br_1_2/601-6676117-5265742?ie=UTF8&node=373780011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1 

I mean it's not like I get extremely dressed up, but every day shouldn't be a sweat pants and t-shirt kind of day. That's what it is for them and with their piercings and hair, it makes it all the worse. But with one of the girls, she's already got in trouble for wearing a pair of shorts that were up to.. uh, ..you know where.. and she's not even been there a month. And these kids are under age 2.

I think that when you workin in a field like daycare where people trust the lives of their children with you, it's important to do what you can to make them comfortable since they are having faith in you. I think that dressing in a non-traditional way is disrespectful to the people who you work for. Do I think that it makes you a certain "type" of person, of course not. Sometimes in life it's important to step back and think about how you affect others. It's really important in my line of work for the same reason and most hospitals have a very strict dress code. Whether we want to admit it or not, the way people look has a great influence on how we feel about them or trust them in many circumstances, this has actually been studied in the medical field extensively (patients don't like jeans, tennis shoes, etc.....). I like to do crazy stuff with my hair and especially my make-up, but I keep these things for my personal life and try to look as conservative and professional as possible at work for my patients.

All I can tell you is that when DS #1 was a teenager (he's 36 now) he ran around with the most bizarre looking group you'd ever want to see.  They didn't only have strange piercings, they had a wide range of strange hair colors/styles and wore some pretty goofy looking make-up. One in particular looked so awful that whenever he came to the door I was torn between wanting to hold up a crucifix to see if he'd ignite or throw water on him to see if he'd melt.  All of them grew up to be fine, upstanding members of the community and the worst looking one of the bunch ("Mr. Ignite or Melt";) is now a rather successful attorney.  So I learned way back  then it's not wise to judge based on current clothes/hair/make-up fads.

Joyce