Rites Of Passage

When my daughter asked to get her ears pierced for Christmas, my first response was to tell her: 

“No, you’re too young.”

It just so happened that my own mom was with us at the time and she quickly reminded me that I was two years younger when I had my ears pierced. So for Christmas, my husband and I gave Barcelona a little jewel box with a note “for your earrings” inside.

The days that followed, however, Barcelona simply replied: “No, not yet!” when asked whether she was ready to go get her ears pierced. Yesterday she surprised me with a bold announcement first thing in the morning that she wanted to get them pierced TODAY!

So we packed up and went to a neighborhood jewelry store, picked out her birthstone earrings and filled out the necessary paperwork. When Barcelona asked whether it would hurt, I couldn’t answer. My grandmother pierced my ears with a clothes pin and a sewing needle. I could not remember whether there was any pain and I had no idea what it felt like with an ear piercing gun.

But the perky young gal working at Claire’s reassured Barcelona the procedure was quick and virtually painless. My little one proved a trooper with her eyes barely welling up after the first ear had been pierced. The second ear was done quickly and she was proud of her own bravery.

My daughter getting her ears pierced is a true right of passage, but am I ready for her to grow up? No, not yet! 

written for http://blog.sacramentoparent.com