Rite of Passage

Today, my baby girl got her ears pierced.

It all started this morning when KK and I had a conversation about why I had holes in my ears. She was upset that didn't have these holes because she wanted to wear earrings. I explained that (a) you have to go to a special store to have the holes made; (b) they will put a special little gun in your ear; (c) it will hurt a lot for a second, like a shot. All this discussion only made her more enthusiastic. Constant discussion and begging ensued all morning long.

I finally called my mom to see what she thought, since I clearly remembered that she took me for the great piercing around 4 years old after my own incessant begging. Her friend recommended finding a place that had two people on duty so that both ears could be pierced at the same time. Good idea... I didn't want to leave with a little girl with just one earring.

After continued discussion with KK, I took her to the mall. I continually reminded her that it was going to hurt and told her - over and over - that she didn't have to do it. She was a determined little girl though. She picked out some tiny pink sparkly heart earrings. She sat quietly in the chair while the ladies cleaned and marked her ears. Then - pow - it was over and KK was shocked by the pain. Poor little thing jerked backwards and broke out into a flood of tears. It scared me because she jerked so hard; I feared bleeding ears or holes in the wrong spot. But the gun was much faster than her and she was perfectly be-jeweled! Once she realized it was over, she stopped crying pretty quickly and happily accepted the lollipop they offered. She then called Nanna to brag.

She looks so grown up. Mama is happy and sad all at once.