Farrah Abraham is defending her daughter's new face piercings ... she says there are trade-offs to raising a teenager and is glad her 14-year-old isn't experimenting with drugs, alcohol or sex.
The "Teen Mom" star tells TMZ ... she wants to support her daughter as best she can, and if that means signing off on lip and ear piercings she wanted for her birthday, so be it ... because Sophia could be doing a lot worse.
Sophia got lip and ear piercings for her 14th birthday ... but mom says she made sure professional piercers were involved ... and she says Sophia actually didn't end up getting all the piercings after a professional advised against it.
While parents are blasting Farrah on social media ... she says some need to look in the mirror, because plenty of teens her daughter's age are already boozing, experimenting with drugs, dating and having sex ... things she considers way more dangerous than a piercing.
Sophia got a septum piercing last year for her 13th birthday, which Farrah also defended ... but this time she's advanced to the lips and ears.
Still, Farrah says it's better than something permanent ... like tattoos, or you know, a baby ... and she thinks it's better if Sophia has some avenues to express herself, and she couldn't be more proud of her.