All of us would do whatever our kids needed to have done to make them safe and happy. BUT, would you go to this extreme measure?
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Us Girls..Our Views 
Well, maybe. I mean, if the procedure is simple and not risky, why not? We put kids through years of braces for lesser “deformities” than those ears.
I think the little girl was very cute, but one of her ears was definitely deformed, and those ears would not be cute once she’s an adult. And then, what are the chances that she’ll get the procedure anyway? (Note: I could not hear the video, so if I say anything idiotic, that could be why.)
It’s not as if our society is decidedly against altering children’s bodies. Besides braces, piercings, and circumcision, some parents let their girls get boob jobs and such. And most parents whose kid had an easily correctible deformity would fix it, I think. I mean, a lot of kids are born with an extra finger or toe, but you’d never know it because they chop them off. They do surgeries to improve speech and correct crossed eyes and remove “growths.” They use medical technology to delay puberty and increase stature. So I don’t see that this kid’s ear job crosses the line.
What concerns me more is, why was there a story in the news about this? Why did they follow this kid around with a camera and engage her in a discussion about the unpopularity of her ears? There is no way I would let them do that to my kid. What are the parents really up to?
Actually I know of a family that had this procedure done on their son. I really don’t see anything wrong with it. Would I do it to just stop bullying? No, that’s not the reason. I would allow it to be done to promote a healthier self-image and a better future life. Now, please don’t jump my “stuff”. I believe in most cases there’s no need for plastic surgery and a lot of it is done just for the sake of vanity. That’s not the case with this little girl. She has a deformity. Life threatening? No! Absolutely not! However, with the technology we have available to us now, why allow a child we love to go through life deformed if surgery will help? I knew a young boy who was born with one ear completely folded over, and over the years I did ask myself why his folks didn’t have it taken care of. Course we grew up in the 50’s & 60’s and that was practically the dark ages in the medical field compared with today’s knowledge. No we didn’t make fun of him, any more than we made fun of the boy who couldn’t read because he was dyslexic. We just didn’t do it. However, I’m sure others did!
This surgery will allow the little girl to enjoy a better quality of life. It will boost her self-image, it may allow her to hear better with the fold eliminated, and sad though it is to admit, it will almost assuredly help towards more respect from others in the future, more promotions in the business world, etc. I hate that the world is like this, but it’s a sad fact that it is. Taller men are initially treated with more respect than their shorter counterparts. A well dressed person (with the same knowledge) will be hired over a person who is slovenly. An attractive young woman gains attention more quickly than a plainer young woman in the same situations, and is listened to more attentively. Is this wrong? Absolutely! But sadly it is the way of the world we live in . In the business world, and world in general, if there is something physically different about a person, that seems to be what people focus on initially, rather than considering their knowledge, expertise, or capabilities. People that are different, for whatever reasons, have to work twice as hard to prove themselves in almost any situation.
I can’t get past the comment of “monkey ears” that was supposedly made by adults. This is horrible! Then people wonder where the kids get this stuff. I’m sorry, this is totally inappropriate! I don’t care what the case may be…. there is always something that is beautiful about each child, boy or girl, that can (and in my opinion should) be commented on. I do so hate the negativity that is swallowing up all that is good and positive in our society. I just don’t get it! 😦
It would depend upon the situation. Would I allow my child to have *any* plastic surgery if s/he was being bullied? No. Would I allow certain? Possibly.
I agree with SKL on this one – we do braces, contacts, correct crossed eyes (although that’s as much for vision as for cosmetics). Heck, we tried to brace Josh’s feet when he was a baby, because he was pigeon toed (didn’t work, btw. Didn’t work on me, either). So for certain things, yes, I’d allow it, if it was a proven procedure and relatively low risk. I put this ear deal in that category. Would I do it because of bullying? No. Would I do it because it will ease her way? Yeah, probably. So I guess you can say that I would be doing it because of the bullying (give me a break here, it’s 11:30. I turned into a pumpkin 20 minutes ago, and pumpkins can’t type well).
My question here, as well as on another site, was… where does it end? Society freaks out about 16 year old girls getting breast implants. But what if she’s flat as a 2×4, and so is her mother and grandmother? She’s not likely to develop anything. So she gets implants to be, I dunno, a 34B, which is about average. Do we condemn her? I wouldn’t.
What about the girl who has really large breasts? She can’t find decent-fitting clothing, must shop in plus-sizes even though everywhere else, she’s “average”. Do we blame her for getting a reduction?
I think something like this is intensely personal, and must be made on a person-by-person basis. I don’t agree with breast augmentation as a whole, but I would surely be understanding of the example I gave. But I wouldn’t support it if she was doing it because kids at school were teasing over it. I would support it if she was doing it, genuinely, for herself.
I agree with you on the breast thing. I AM flat as a 2×4 and can still hear the taunts. It really does something to you deep inside. I’ve been totally fine with it my whole adult life. I love the way I look when I’m fit but when I was going through “those” years, yes, it was really awful. I tend to lean though on the side of a reduction rather than just making them bigger. It’s a very painful surgery from what I hear. One of my very best friends wants a reduction so bad but she’s afraid of the pain and the cost. She almost binds herself and cant’ even wear most “normal” clothes. I don’t know. Making them bigger when you’re not an adult sound so much different than making them smaller. Why is that?
Probably because we’ve been conditioned to acquaint “bigger” with “huge bazongas” – like Pamela Anderson and the like, who get them for the sole purpose of sexuality. But for her, that’s only one aspect of it. Of course it has sexual components, but there’s also appearance, and the general decent fit of clothing.
Just out of curiosity – does breast augmentation affect the ability to breastfeed?
Personally I would rather my chest be on the smaller side (it is – very convenient), and it seems to me that if my peers aren’t happy with the size God made them, that is their problem. I understand that augmentation is risky, and it’s not free either. Besides the fact that it seems to encourage an undue amount of concern for what others will think of our bodies. I mean, a deformed ear will be noticed immediately by everyone you talk to – prospective employers, clients, in-laws, etc. A flat chest is not something that everyone will notice on first impression.
Now a reduction – that might depend on just how big they are. If we’re talking Dolly Parton on a 15-year-old, that would be distracting! But I think it’s a rare situation where a teen is so huge that she just can’t wait until age 18 to deal with it. I guess I’ll cross that bridge if, and when, I come to it.
I grew up in a family that was always struggling to make ends meet – I could have used braces, but there wasn’t even a discussion about spending that kind of money for looks – so I probably come from a bit of an extreme angle. Still, I don’t think it’s too cruel to say that 18 will come soon enough, and then she can make her own decision about a boob job – same as tattoos and most piercings.
It would depend on the procedure. This one, I probably would go for it. I would think long and hard about it, and weigh the pro’s and con’s. My child’s opinion matters also. This little girl seemed so happy to be going to get this done. I really don’t see anything wrong with it. We want our kids happy and confident, but on the other hand we also want them to understand beauty isn’t skin deep. We don’t want our kids to think they have to change themselves to be accepted. It would all depend on the maturity and reasons behind the procedure.
I really agree with Nikki. It really depends on the reason and the maturity of the child. Also, like so many of you have also stated, we do “fix” so many other things without thinking once about it. Really, what’s the difference if we’re straightening teeth or fixing a deformed ear? I really hate my ears and I think that’s one of the reasons I don’t ever wear my hair up. I’ve never even worn a ponytail but mine are just big.
No, I think the parents here did the right thing for their child.