Piercings: Of Hearts & Ears

This post was a foregone conclusion.




My little girl got her ears pierced today. It was a part of a day of pampering and shopping with Mom that took place today in celebration of her tenth birthday.





I think little earrings on small children are the cutest thing - except on my children. Call it what you will, maybe a reluctance to see that step of maturity - or maybe just selfishness. But I have taken a firm stance for several years now against this step. I had jokingly told her that some time in her early thirties, I would be okay with her taking that step. Sometimes I would say sixteen was a good age ... but really, I have thought all along that when she reached twelve I would concede.

Frankly I have trouble saying "no" to either of the ladies in our household. And Ab has taken a very mature approach to this subject over the past year or so. In spite of the fact that she may have felt a little left out when her classmates have had earrings - some for years now, she has resigned herself to the fact that she would have to wait.


I know this sounds trite and prudish. But I want my children to be children as long as they can - and I have thought of this as something of a rite of passage, I don't want maturity to snatch away my lass too quickly.



You see, I remember vividly the day in which I first took notice of the harsh effects this world was beginning to have on my daughter: she was just beginning to crawl; prior to that she had been held and coddled and snuggled ever since God first let us hold this gift.



One day I happened to caress her chubby little knees and I could feel the way that her skin had been toughened by crawling. Those knees that had been soft and pliable, were now beginning to protect themselves against the harsh environment around her.



I thought then: this is the first of many times her softness will be threatened by the world.



It was a somber realization.



Now back to ear piercing, this willful puncturing of the earlobes - while very common - is still a small violence against my precious girl. That's why it bothered me.



My little girl - though still a little girl - is growing up. Her independence, her new interest in appearance, her maturity, these all give me joy but it's a mixed bag - they scare me too.


But I gave in early on this issue.



Honestly, I find myself doing that more and more these days (beginning with the kitten that is annoying me at this very moment! But that's another post). I hope that my leniency is based on a desire to be balanced and that I will not yield ground in the areas that truly matter.




I guess that is part of the dilemma of being a Dad.
But I wouldn't miss it for anything.