The Tragic Ear Piercing

The Wednesday before we flew back overseas we had AB's ear pierced. I had been planning all along to get them done while in the US, but truthfully I have been putting it off primarily because I couldn't bear to purposefully inflict pain on her purely for the sake of vanity. But alas, for her at least, vanity prevailed and I could not put it off any longer.

I myself had just turned 2 when my ears were pierced. However from what I understand my mom's motivation in getting my ears pierced was to stop people from thinking I was a boy. Apparently I looked so much like my dad that even pink clothes could not convince people that I was a she. I wanted to get AB's ears pierced when she is young because the holes are a lot less likely to close later on when she is supposed to be responsible for herself and forgets to put in earrings for months at at time. Also, I do not want her to get a crazy earlobe infection, therefore she must have them done in the US and not where we live right now.

So, my mom, DB, AB and myself took off the the mall late that Wednesday evening. AB had no idea what was coming, not that I did not tell her she was going to get her ears pierced, she just did not know it was going to involve pain. I was told to go when there would be two technicians available to do the piercings. I figured during the week there would be a greater chance of two workers at night, you know, since during the day at at least half of all adults are at work and get their shopping in a night. My reasoning was off because we arrived about 30 minutes after the second technician left for the day. Oops. Sorry AB. It physically hurt you more than it physically hurts me, but I was totally with you emotionally.

AB was excited to get to sit in the tall chair...the piercing chair. She watched with curiosity as the ear piercing technician (is that what they are called?) prepped everything to pierce AB's perfect, unmained ear lobes.

She cleaned AB's ears, marked them with a purple dot, then... WHAMO!!!! AB got her first earring.

Clearly it hurt. While she was dealing with the pain... WHAM-O!!! She was slammed with one in the other ear! Poor AB. Beauty is pain.

After getting both ears pierced the technician needed to clean AB's ears. However, fool AB once, shame on you. Fool AB twice, shame on mommy. Fool AB three times, shame on AB! AB had learned her lesson and she was not about to let the technician touch her again. She used every evasion technique she had acquired in her 2 years of life, but alas Gigi (my mom) was stronger and the technician was quicker.

Do I detect a faint smile? Perhaps you like what you see?

Maybe one day she will thank me for it.

This is how DB spent the whole ordeal, and his facial expression sums what what he is probably thinking, and I think it might be a little cocky. He is thinking "Stinks to be you AB. At least I know mom is not going to damage me when I am 2 years old." That is okay DB. Be a little cocky. Apparently you have forgotten that little procedure that happened to you the day after you were born, ya know? I think AB might have gotten the better deal compared to what happened to you little guy. AB's pain was short lived, but even today AB is convinced her ears still hurt every single time I put the antiseptic on her earlobes. What a drama queen.