I am officially the mother to a big girl. We made a big decision this weekend. Well, it didn't feel big at the time...but it ended up being heart wrenching. I wish I had thought more about it.
When I was 3 weeks old, my mother got my ears pierced. Basically the day Layla was born, people started asking me when I was going to pierce her ears. I kept saying "soon soon!" but never thought that hard about it. I grew up with earrings, I knew I wanted my daughter to have them and I wanted to do it early so she wouldn't have the memory of the pain.
We made a snap decision this week to pierce her ears. We took her to a near by Claires, held her (snuggled, and loved her BIG time after the first ear) and I watched in horror as my baby girl went through a serious amount of pain for absolutely NO reason other than my own vanity. I felt awful. I immediately regretted it after the first ear. It was the worst decision I've ever made as a parent. I look back and think "I took away the decision to pierce her ears from her". Some people are probably thinking "it's just ears!" but it isn't. They are her ears. I never thought I'd feel this way about piercing her ears....so it's taking me a bit by surprise. But I so wish I had never decided to do it. I so wish we had let her grow up and make the decision on her own. However, the deed is done. Our girl has big girl ears now.
And look. She even has pig tails.
I don't know how she grew so big so quickly. I love every single last ounce of her. Even the boogers that run out of her face constantly. And the drool. And her insanely busy hands that never stop grabbing things. I just love all of her. She's incredible.
MIsty,
ReplyDeleteStumbled across you blog and enjoyed reading. Came to your recent post about having your daughter's ears pierced and had to provide some encouragement for your thoughtful decision.
Don't think you're a bad mommy for having your dd's ears pierced, but a smart mommy. Like your mother piercing your ears as a newborn, you’ve eliminate the angst, anxiety and fear when she sees other little girls in pre-school with earrings and wants them, but is afraid and fearful.
As other moms see your pretty daughter with earrings, I promise many moms ask you about it and wish they had done their dd's as infants. Your a super mom! When moms ask, be supportive, informative and offer assistance.
Your daughter has received the “gift of pierced ears” from her mommy and she will be thankful later. Also, she’ll look adorable in her upcoming holiday pictures.
Amy