A Piercing Objection

(I am 11, and my friend and I have decided we should get our noses pierced for her 12th birthday. We both look old for our age so we’re not worried about getting ID’d but I heard somewhere that it was okay to get a piercing at any age with parental permission, so I decide to ask my parents before going through with it.)

Me: *from the back of the car* “Mum, dad, can I get my nose pierced?”

(They look at each other, but I can’t see their expression from the back seat of the car.)

Mum: “If you really want to…”

Me: “Yay! [Friend’s name] and I are going to both get it done on her birthday tomorrow!”

Mum: “That’s nice.”

(True to our word, we go to the tattoo parlour the next day and get the piercings with no problems. I go home a few days later and they freak out.)

Mum: “Why did you get your nose pierced!”

Dad: “I can’t believe you would do something so irresponsible!”

Me: “B-b-but I asked you first and you said it was okay!”

Mum: “We didn’t think you’d actually go through with it!”

Dad: “Yeah, we thought you would chicken out!”