My 15-year-old son let his best friend (17) pierce his nipples while they were home alone with stuff they bought online. My son came to me afterwards to confess because “dad, what if it gets infected or something!!!” (post-thrill clarity?). Wasn’t mad (mainly disappointed); took him to a professional piercer & doctor to check it out and apparently the piercings were positioned well & there was no sign of infection, also got an aftercare plan. So I’m wondering now what? Obviously it was a dumb and reckless action but for some reason it doesn’t feel “groundable” to me. I feel like I should do something but also not really? We had a good open talk about everything though.
Who’s got the damage? The kid himself.
I would explain to him that I would never have approved it for exactly this reason: the (nearly) permanent damage to his body. Because I care for him. And when he turns 18, he will be responsible for his own body, and he will hopefully protect this body from any further damage.