Elly is almost 16 months old. Most days I feel like she's about to be 16 years old with the amount of attitude she can dish out.
With each passing day I struggle. I struggle with the reality that she isn't going to be my baby forever. She is eventually going to grow up and be a big girl. That thought makes me cry and smile at the same time.
A part of me is so thrilled to watch her grow and develop. A part of me can't wait for her to be able to do things on her own.
On the other hand, the sooner she can do things on her own, the faster she's on her own and I'm in her dust. And I don't want that.
My latest internal tug-of-war is whether or not to get her ears pierced.
On the plus side, once it's done and over, she won't remember the temporary pain.
On the other hand, I'll have to endure her sobbing and that's worse than getting her shots.
Getting her ears pierced is a rite of passage for a girl. But when do you do it? I don't want my baby to grow too fast, yet I'm so excited for these steps into the world.
And if I have this much anxiety for a simple ear piercing, what the hell am I going to do when she wants to wear a bra or shave her legs. Or dear god! When she wants to go to the mall with her friends. (She won't be dating until she's 30, so at least that's an easy fix.)
Ugh! I'm so conflicted. What do you think? At what age should a girl get her ears pierced? By the time I finally decide, she'll probably be married with her own kids.
Until then, let the tug-of-war continue.
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I waited until my daughter was old enough to decide for herself if she wanted them. We talked about how it would hurt a little bit, and when she was ready we went to get them done. She picked out the earrings and had a part in taking care of them. I'm glad we waited. For me, there are just too many opportunities for those tiny little ears to get infected or torn. When she was little, I was only to happy to spend my money on cute dresses and hair ribbons instead of earrings. Of course now she's 13, and I feel like I've bought stock in Claires! Whatever you decide...good luck! :D
ReplyDeleteBettybakedgoods,
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, I know a lot of people have strong feelings when to pierce a child's ear. "Let them decide" is being replaced by parental decision when mommy intuition knows, "earlier is better" from either personal or friend's experiences of unpleasant childhood ear piercing. I think it just depends on your own personal choice whether or not you wish your baby or little girl to have pierced ears.Certainly, you've not erred in having your dd's ears pierced as an infant. You've made a decision for her that she'll thank you later for doing when you could care for them. You've followed your mommy intuition and can never be faulted for doing that.
Some feel perceived gender of their child is important while others find it a cultural tradition where all infant girls have pierced ears. I pierced our oldest daughter's ears when she was two months old and our youngest at just days old. We found an experienced individual where they specialized in infant piercing. My advice is to do them one at a time to insure they are perfectly centered. I think earrings on little girls are adorable!
Cerebrally, as mothers of girls of all ages, we know it celebrates their femaleness and femininity. After all, they are little girls, right? Growing up I remember many of my little girlfriends were not allowed to get their ears pierced. I could never understand it...but when their parents did finally let them, it always seemed they'd get infected because they were constantly touching them or trying to change out the earrings before they were supposed to. Many said it was painful, but all cried having a great deal of angst leading up to and including the actual ear piercing.
To each their own but I think the earlier the easier. If we have another girl, I will pierce her ears early as well. I took my youngest DD at days old after I asked our pediatrician and she encouraged me to go ahead before she aware of her surrounding or developed a pincer grip to play with her ears. She gave me some suggestions for moms having their daughter's ears pierced. They seem to apply to all ages.
Just when is the best time to pierce your daughter's ears? It is when you are ready to care for them during the healing phase. They are very easy to care for. If you decide to do it as a newborn or infant, then I promise she'll thank you later!
If you or any moms are unsure and would like our ped's tips, then don't hesitate to write me an e-mail.
Angie
angietune@hotmail.com
I think it's too late, until she is older to decide. If she was a little baby, she wouldn't mess with them at all, but now she will yank on them, etc. I'd wait until she is a little older. I've seen plenty of 3 year olds in the preschool I used to teach at, get theirs done and they did great. I personally got mine pierced for my 5 th or 6th birthday.
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