A MOTHER has revealed that she let her 12-year-old daughter get her tongue pierced.
Whitney Ainscough, 31, a mum from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, claimed that people will “judge” her for it, but she isn’t bothered, as it was something her daughter Cora wanted.
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Posting on social media, the influencer, who has three children – Cora Bentley, 12, Addison Squires, seven, and Adley Christopher, three – shared a short clip of her and her eldest child whilst in McDonald’s.
Alongside the clip, the self-professed ‘bad mum’ wrote: “Cora got her tongue pierced last week. A lot of people will judge but she wanted it.
“It’s been cleaned properly and it’s something she wanted.”
As the pair tucked into their fast food, Whitney said to the youngster: “Cora, show us your piercing then…why have you got that done?”
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To this, the 12-year-old stuck her tongue out to show off her new bling, as she responded: “Because it looks nice.”
In England and Wales, there is no specific legal age to get a tongue piercing.
Despite this, some studios may have their own age policies, often requiring parental consent for those under 16 or 18.
The 12-year-old then confirmed that the piercing hurt and the swelling was bad, but she would recommend it to other youngsters.
To this, Whitney explained: “Mum tried to talk you out of it and I told you how bad the swelling was.
“You couldn’t talk properly, couldn’t eat.”
The content creator, who has previously been accused of posting rage-bait videos online, then asked: “Are you happy, though?”, to which Cora simply beamed: “Yeah.”
But it appears that Cora doesn’t want to stop there, as she shared: “I just want my thirds done next, then I’m done.”
Different parenting styles explained
There are four recognised styles of parenting explained below:
Authoritarian Parenting
What some might describe as “regimental” or “strict” parenting.
Parents with this style focus on strict rules, obedience, and discipline.
Authoritarian parents take over the decision-making power, rarely giving children any input in the matter.
When it comes to rules, you believe it’s “my way or the highway”.
Permissive Parenting
Often referred to as “soft parenting” or “yes mums/dads”.
Permissive parents are lenient, only stepping in when there’s a serious problem.
They’re quite forgiving and they adopt an attitude of “kids will be kids”.
Oftentimes they act more like friends than authoritative figures.
Authoritative Parenting
Authoritative parents provide their children with rules and boundaries, but they also give them the freedom to make decisions.
With an authoritative parenting style, parents validate their children’s feelings while also making it clear that the adults are ultimately in charge.
They use positive reinforcement techniques, like praise and reward systems, as opposed to harsh punishments.
Neglectful or Uninvolved Parenting
Essentially, neglectful parents ignore their children, who receive little guidance, nurturing, and parental attention.
They don’t set rules or expectations, and they tend to have minimal knowledge about what their children are doing.
Uninvolved parents expect children to raise themselves. They don’t devote much time or energy to meeting children’s basic needs.
Uninvolved parents may be neglectful but it’s not always intentional.
A parent with mental health issues or substance abuse problems, for example, may not be able to care for a child’s physical or emotional needs consistently.
But to this, Whitney clapped back and confirmed: “I was 31 when I got my tongue pierced.
“You’ve got your belly, your tongue, two [sets] of ear [piercings], you’ve had your rook and your helix.”
Social media users react
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @itsmebadmom, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as at the time of writing, it had quickly amassed 598,500 views, 14,400 likes and 931 comments in just two days.
Social media users were horrified that Whitney would let her daughter get her tongue pierced and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this.
Wow that’s absolutely ridiculous
TikTok user
One person said: “Your parenting once again is shocking.”
Another added: “She’s too young.”
A third commented: “All them piercings at 12! That’s so wrong!”
Meanwhile, someone else wrote: “I’m shocked a piercer would do this, they are supposed to be 18 years of age.”
Whilst another slammed: “Wow that’s absolutely ridiculous.”
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