Would you pay to have plastic surgery on your child at age 7?

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   Stevennix2001posted 13 years ago

   In a recent video on yahoo, a couple of parents pay to have plastic surgery done on their daughter, to avoid having her get bullied at school about her ears.  By the way, she's only 7 years old too.  Personally, I don't even have an opinion on this, as I can understand the logic.  Then again, there is a little something called...resolve that I think most kids lack these days.  However, that's just me.  Anyways, here's the video if you want to know more:
   
   http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-1574 … y-24902719
   
   What are your thoughts?  Would you pay to have plastic surgery on your child?  Why or why not?

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   Eaglekiwiposted 13 years ago

   Interesting.
   Must take a look.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Okay, well let us know what you think then after you watch it.

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      Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Oh thats kinda sad,that small people have such low self esteem.
      
      Initially I thought the video might have been about medical surgery for removing an extra toe or dangly bits in the wrong places....clearly I can see how that would impair a young persons life.
      
      But....being bullied for having funny ears ,or cosmetic surgery for less socially acceptable features...c  r  a  z  y...bad.
      
      ( You mean all this time ,I could have had a different nose instead of a bike on my 10th birthday !!)
      
      
      Actually thinking more on it ,what are the parents telling kids anymore?

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         Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, I would have to agree with you there. I mean it would be different if the surgery was absolutely necessary for the child's health, but doing it to avoid being bullied?  I'm not so sure about that, as I do think there's such a thing as resolve that kids need to learn.  After all, it builds character.
         
         Then again, it's not my money here, and maybe the parents were bullied a lot as children, so they're trying to help their daughter avoid the same fate.  Something that I can understand, as I too have been bullied a lot when I was younger, and wouldn't want my children to go through; not that I have any, but I'm just speaking hypothetically.
         
         
         Aw don't say that EW, I think your nose only makes you look more distinguish and sophisticated. Not to mention, you're already among some of our prettier girls that we have roaming around here on hubpages.
         
         I honestly don't know, as I don't have kids.  However, I do wonder what the long term side effects will be though, as I think I heard somewhere that there are long term side effects to plastic surgery even as an adult.  Of course, I could be wrong on that but if it's true, then I hope it won't affect the child that gets the surgery in the long run.

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            Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            One of the prettier girls  well aren't you just the cats whiskers  Steven-cheques in the mail my friend she says gigglin.
            
            
            No seriously ,it saddens me really.
            Obviously the parents are thinking beauty is only skin deep, and while I agree its their right to do whatever they want ,its sad the message they send kids ,all kids.
            
            What they are really reinforcing is Hollywoods value of self,which we all know is quite superficial.
            The teenage movie stars ,the magazines ,the nasty "whose hot and whose not" rollercoaster
            
            Media shouting not so subtly what beauty is according to the media and the commercial industry. After all they target the youth (and their parents) in clothing cosmetics and accessories) The Industry is huge and the amount they must spend on advertising is aggressive marketing.
            
            The Anorexic dilemma is bad enough ,without the cosmetic angle adding to the mix.
            Kids are vulerable and sadly it seems the generation before them has let them them down.
            
            Didnt relise I felt this strongly about it til now either so thanks for the great thread!

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               Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

               
               
               
               
               Wow, you really do have a strong opinion about this subject.  Far more passionate than most of the other hubbers who've posted so far on this.  I can definitely see where you're coming from, as you're right about what kind of message this might send the kid down the road.  Plus, as I said earlier, there's no guarantee that the surgery is going to keep a child from being a victim of bullying, as a bully doesn't necessarily need a valid excuse to pick on another child.
               
               
               Your welcome EK, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, as you definitely seem to always have interesting things to say.

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         camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I'm not sure many children would develop high self esteem if constantly bullied and ridiculed.

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            Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            The problem is in the bullying, not in the childs ears! (IMO)
            
            Next year it may be knees that knocks together.
            
            I think going under the knife ,so she can feel better shows an unstable sense of self worth.
            
            
            This kind of person will always need their worth validated ,and its just not a realistic solution IMO for her esteem.

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               camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I think you're living on cloud 7.

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                  Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Land of the Long White Cloud actually.

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                     camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     Seriously - My child has a huge nose and is being mercilessly bullied. This makes my child totally miserable. My child can't cope with it all. That means my child has low self esteem, too. An enormous nose and low self esteem. What a pathetic child!
                     Not really the right way to go, is it?

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                        Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Wow, are you serious?  I didn't even know you had a child that was being bullied over their nose.  That's awful.  I'm sorry to hear your child has to put up with that.  Kids can definitely be too mean sometimes.

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                           camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           No Steven - I haven't got a child who's being bullied about anything. But if I did ...
                           I remember a Turkish boy with a hair lip. He was about 15, and desperately trying to grow a moustache to cover it up, but it just wouldn't grow enough. If only his parents could have had something done about his lip when he was still a child. Things like that really do cause misery.
                           I also had a colleague with flappy ears, and we'd all joke about it, him included. He eventually had them pinned back.
                           On the other hand, I know a woman whose mother encouraged her to have liposuction, breast implants, a nose job, and her lips pumped up when she was about 16, which I find very wrong, especially because she was better looking before all the surgery - that is to say, it was totally unnecessary.

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   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   "plastic surgery done on their daughter, to avoid having her get bullied at school about her ears." There should rather have that surgery performed on the bullies.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, that's true.  Personally, this sounds too much like a quick fix if you ask me, as people can get bullied for almost ANY reason.  Then again, what do I know? 

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   camloposted 13 years ago

   Yes, I would if it were something that would save my child a lot of problems, like a bulbus nose, hair lip, buck teeth or whatever - but only with the very best medical advice and surgeons, no matter what the cost.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well you do bring up a good point there Camlo, as I think any parent would do whatever it took to prevent their child from being bullied.  Then again, as I said earlier, a kid can be pretty much bullied over anything, so the surgery doesn't exactly negate the possibility of it.  However, I can see what you're getting at though. 

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   Peter Owenposted 13 years ago

   ooh - tough call. I guess I can see it after watching the video. But at what point does it become cosmetic? You know there will be parents out there who want their kids to simply be better looking. And they can always find a starving surgeon, who has been sued too much, to do it. How do you stop them?
   As they said in the video, plastic surgury is up 30% in kids.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, you do bring up a lot of valid points there.  It's definitely a tough call to make for any parent if you ask me.

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   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   I'm still debating on whether I should have plastic surgery on MYSELF (and trust me, I need it a heck of a lot more than ANY 7 year old)!!
   
   Seriously, when I saw this thread topic I was fully expecting it to be another "pathetic pageant parents" story. If you haven't seen it, check out Toddlers & Tiaras.
   The word that comes to mind is grotesque.
   And I don't mean the kids....

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Aw come on MM, I'm sure you don't need any surgery, as I sure you're already beautiful the way you are.
      
      Wow, parents pay to have their kids go through plastic surgery just to win a few beauty pageants?  I can understand the story behind the parents on the yahoo video, as they're just trying to do what they feel is in the child's best interest.  However, the parents that are having their kids get surgery to win pageants need to get their heads examined if you ask me, as that just sounds crazy.

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   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   When I was a kid (a loooooong time ago), cosmetic surgery on kids' ears was quite common. I think they called it "pinning the ears back" or something. I see nothing wrong with it. Your ears are as grown as they're going to be by the time you're three years old, I believe. It's a relatively simple procedure -- way less invasive than something like plastic surgery on the nose or something like that.
   
   Most plastic surgery I wouldn't recommend for kids, but I see no more harm in this than piercing a kids' ears. You know, it's funny how adults think. We take little baby girls and pierce their ears, but would be put in jail if we gave our baby son a tattoo. (Not that I'm advocating that, btw. I'm totally against it.)

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That's very interesting, as I didn't know about some of the things you've just mentioned.  Thanks Irohner for enlightening some of us with this post, as it's very interesting to know. 
      
      To be honest, I'd be skeptical about piercing a baby's ears, as I've seen some babies get all grabby with their mom's earrings whenever they're held by their mothers.  Therefore, I'd be too scared the child might accidentally rip off their own earrings while the parents weren't looking.  At least, I would probably.  Then again, I tend to over analyze things sometimes, so I guess you can take that however you want to.

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   recommend1posted 13 years ago

   Kids getting their ears pinned back is a totally normal procedure that is carried out thousands of times each year and is not even a newsworthy item.  Imagine yourself going through life without the name that your friends call you now - imagine that your name is and has always been 'wingnut'.  Not hard to see the logic of this cheap, easy and safe little ear job ?
   
   Besides, there are the safety aspects to consider in high wind situations.

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      camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, I'm thinking of getting my ears pinned back. Nobody's ever mentioned it, but when I tried on one of those knitted hats about a year ago, I saw - to my horror - that I can't wear one because my ears stick out too much.

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         Joy56posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         yeah i have been meaning to bully you about that and your lack of ability in the guitar playing department.
         
         Just been reading all the thread.   Seems like you would make a good father.   Surgery is horrible for a little one, though........

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   megs78posted 13 years ago

   I see nothing wrong with it either.  In the same way that we get braces to straighten teeth, eye surgery to correct a wandering eye,  I think its quite alright to go ahead with the ear surgery.

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