Tell us some things about yourself

My name is piercednpainted, pnp, pnptheancient1, AMY. I am 43. I live in the cornfields of Illinois. I have two children, Shawnte who is 25 (21 yrs old-2 small tattoos and (8 year old ears and 25 year old nose piercings) and Matt who is 18 (12 year old ears & 17 year old tongue piercings). I also have a 4 year old grandson Jonjon. We have 5 cats and 3 dogs.

I was raised under the beliefs of Meher Baba which is a combination of Hindu/Buddhism, my uncles brought these beliefs back from India....and I just connected with it.... I also followed the Wiccan faith and have belonged to a local coven for 15 years.....but to be honest I take what feels right within me and follow various religions and beliefs....Teutonic, Odinistic, pagan, druidism...just to name a few.

I have been diagnosed with tumors and lesions all over my brain but they don't know what or why and keep monitoring. I also suffer from neuropathy. They drug me up with different drugs that I so do not like the way they make me feel. But at least it helps keep me from being bed ridden.

When did you get your first mod?

I am an ancient soul that is deeply connected to the modification community... I started with my ears when I was 9, even back then I was very interested in modifying my body I was just too young to know it, I am a member of the body modification community for over 20 years, my goal is a body suit including facial ink, I've 17 piercings so far and plan to add more... I've suspended once.... and will suspend again if I can find the right group.

What are your reasons for modifying yourself?

I feel that there are many reason that I do modifications... such as I feel it lets me beautify myself on the outside. I bring my inner beauty out to my shell I've been given this lifetime, and express this beauty with mods. And also it helps me to take control of my  body and mind against my illnesses. Plus it spiritually balances my mind and soul when I do modifications.

How do you feel about minors being tattooed?

I believe that kids below 20ish shouldn't be tattooed. It is a major permanent modification and needs to be thought out more than just, 'hey that's cute.... put it on my forehead!' I mean what if they decide they want to be a lawyer or a doctor later in life? But hey I'm a old fashioned. My daughter didn't get tattoos until 20ish, but she realized that this was a major decision that she would have to live with for the rest of her life. So I was happy that my kids listened and didn't rush into anything. She is 25 and still happy with her tattoos... that doesn't interfere with her career.

What about being pierced?

Excluding ears, 17-18 for body piercings also... Kid's bodies are still developing, especially genital piercings. It takes a lot to heal and properly care for. You can not just go and get the piercing and not expect some kind of responsible care. My son hounded me for his tongue piercing. Finally at 17 I felt he was mature enough to take care of it and also that his body had finished developing. So I took him to get his tongue done few months ago. Everything is healed fine and he understood why I waited to take him. My children were very understanding in regards to modifications. And age limits since they hung out with me at tattoo conventions etc most their lives....

How do you feel about minors getting more "extreme" mods, like scarification, scalpelling and dermal punching, and tongue splitting?

I think that kids should wait on extreme procedures also. This is something that will affect them for the rest of their lives. And these modifications should be thought out also. I would say around 20ish for extreme procedures too.

Most everything depends on the maturity both mentally and physically of the child. My daughter was mature enough at 8ish to get her ears done. But my son didn't really mature until 12ish for his ears to be done.

Do you have any advice for kids?

I think kids shouldn't be in such a rush. They have their whole lives to be modified.... it's not a race or anything like that. Don't get me wrong, I believe they should express themselves as individuals, but they should be modded because they wish to be modded, not just because its cool, or because of peer pressure.

And what about parents?

Parents should be more opened minded and understanding about kids and their individuality. You can approach this in a mature manner that kids will accept and understand about the age limits. Modification is a major decision that most have to live with their whole lives. If your child is mature enough at 8 or 12 to get his/her ears pierced then let them.... if they want green hair let them.... you don't have to argue about it all... you can listen to them and guide them in modifying their bodies but at the right ages...depending on maturity.... both inside and out.

Anything else you want to add?

If you belong to the IAM/BME community I'm listed under piercednpainted and you can find all my tattoo and piercing pictures there. Thank you for you time. And stay tuned for your regularly scheduled broadcast.