As previously mentioned, Lyla decided she wanted to get her ears pierced as a stepping stone to turning four. If you care to read about how I terribly over-analyzed this decision when she was a baby, feel free to click here ---> [hi] I have to laugh at my silly self now, but at the time it seemed substantial enough to require some critical thinking. I actually feel completely neutral about babies with pierced ears, it's really not a big deal. Alas, I'm glad we ultimately left it as a choice to make for herself, even though it does make her look way more grown up.
We arrived to the salon on Monday morning right as another little girl was getting her ears pierced. Unfortunately, we entered the doors simultaneously as her screams echoed throughout the building and her arms were being held down in a locked position. It was a serious case of terrible timing. We tried to distract Lyla as best we could and luckily she was unaffected by the other little girls apparent traumatic experience.
I fully expected Lyla's nerves to creep in and for her to chicken out. To my surprise, she remained confident as she picked out her earrings and sat in the chair. She waited patiently for the employee to finish with another customer, remaining cool, calm, & collected.
When the time finally came, I laughed as Lyla refused to hold my hand or the stuffed animal they had to offer comfort. She basically had the attitude of "let's just get this over with" and that's exactly what they did. It was a simple process and I was shocked when Lyla didn't even let out a peep. Considering she sometimes wails when I brush her hair, I assumed a needle going through her ear might generate some real tears. Nope. She was so brave. In fact, I was the one with leaky eyeballs. Haha! I'm so proud of my girl.
They gave her an official certificate and we filled it out when we got back home. One of the questions asked who she was excited to show her ears to. I thought her answer was cute... "everyone, except for people I don't know." Then she said, "write it in just like that, Mom."
This reminds me a lot of the method in which she stopped using her bottle. I stressed for months about taking away her bottle, as all my attempts seemed to fail. I finally decided to just let it be when Lyla openly agreed to throw away all her bottles when she turned three. We encouraged this idea, but really didn't expect a three year old to have so much self-control. I assumed it was just a stall tactic, yet it was a justifiable excuse to ease my worries about having a bottle dependent daughter. We celebrated her third birthday and without any mention she announced that she would no longer use a bottle. No questions, no complaints, no crying --- she was just done, all on her own. Although there was little involvement from her parents, I still consider it an incredible victory saying goodbye to bottles.
Anyway, I think this ear piercing decision was a lot like that one. She has been talking for months about how she would get her ears pierced when she turned four. Thanks to Kirk, she was fully aware the procedure required a needle going through her earlobe. But she insisted she would be ready at four years of age. And once again, she followed through just as she said she would.
