Saturday, April 18, 2009

Piercings: The Modern Tween vs. Old-Fashioned Dad

Our family debate of late: piercings.  Ruth, 10 going on 11, is ready to get her ears pierced. The dinner table discussions have sparked Birk's interest, as well.

Daddy, who never wants his little girls to grow up, holds fast to his rule: you must be 40 years old to get your ear's pierced (Come on, even I know that is just plain crazy).  

The girls are smart.  They argued the tattoo angle:  Daddy, you have a tattoo, why can't we just get our ears pierced?

They argued the DIY angle. Birk said:  Daddy, I heard you can do it yourself at home with an ice cube, a safety pin and beer.  The beer you pour on so there's no infestation.

They argued their friends already have pierced ears angle.  Daddy said:  If your friends jump off a bridge, would you do it, too?

My girls finally settled and went to Claire's to buy clip-on earrings.  They had a new angle: freak daddy out.  Brother John decided to join in on the fun. 

The three children arrived home, making a grand and noisy entrance.  There they were, full of smiles, pretending to be pierced with multiple sets of clip ons.

Daddy couldn't take them all out of the will, could he? 


(photo from ear-piercing.com)

14 comments:

San Diego Writer Girl said...

That is so cute and brings back so many memories. I literally begged for pierced ears from age 9 until I was 12, when I took matters into my own hands. I went to Woolworth's and got "sleepers." They were hoops with a dagger on the front and a hole in the back. They would work their way through your lobe. It took 3 weeks to pierce my ears. As in, 3 weeks of pain. Well worth it IMO. My parents were furious. My mother stood her ground and professed that only "cheap looking" girls had pierced ears. Didn't care. After they cut my hair in a pixie for 10 years, I was finally looking like a girl! I've read that what you repress, you someday express. Dad may want to reconsider...;-).

Betty said...

I can't believe all the places you can pierce your ear on. OMG! I feel old now lol

Deb said...

Hi San Diego Writer Girl,
I advised 'old-fashioned dad' to read your comment right away. Please don't let my girls find out about sleepers, do they still make those??? Thanks for your words of wisdom.
Deb

Deb said...

Hi Betty,
I looked at that diagram and felt nauseous. The thought of personally getting any of those done scares me--I'm one big chicken! I pass out when I get blood drawn. I feel old, too!
Deb

Jennifer said...

LOL! My mom told me I couldn't get my ears pierced till I was 12. My sister who's 8 years younger than me? She got her done the same day I did. UGH!

I hope your husband let's the girls get them pierced sooner rather than later! :-)

Kim said...

This is so funny! I have a tattoo and my husband wondered what I would tell our three boys when they were teens and want a tattoo. My response? "I was 37 when I got it!" This is true and therefore, they can wait until they are 37, too!

Deb said...

Jennifer,

I think I had to be 13--one whole painful year after all of my 12 year old friends. The funny thing is that my mom didn't get her ears pierced until I got married, so she was 50.

I will make sure that Birk has the same coming of age ear piercing age to make things fair :) Thanks for pointing that out.
Deb

Deb said...

Under the Influence,
Oh wow, we haven't even discussed tattoos yet. Gulp. You've got a great defense lined up on that one already :)
Deb

Marie Reed said...

This is a hilarious post! I can just see Brother John with multiple clips too! I have a little boy named John too:) I'm from the FMC!

Dumb Mom said...

No pierced ears, huh? My mom had mine done when I was a baby. I did have to argue for a second hole (which I got in 9th grade) and my cartilage piercings were just forbidden. But, lucky for me I turned 18 during my senior year of high school and gave myself pierced cartilage for a gift. Funny thing was that my mom thought they were so cute. Good luck with your earring battles:)

Lillian said...

I will probably have a heart attack when I see my daughter with piercings other than her usual ear pierce...

shelley said...

hey deb,
this brought back sooo many memories, we had such fights with our oldest about getting her ears pierced that she walked around with the stick on one's for years.. and she actually once "drew" earings on with markers... what kids will do! lol
hugs,
shelley

Deb said...

@Marie Reed: I'm glad to spread some hilarity. Thanks for the follow!

@parentingBYdummies: I think all of the piercings out there are pretty cute. One of my secret favorites is the pierced eyebrow. I don't dare say that one aloud!

@Lillian: Even though I do think there are many cool piercings, I wonder how I would react to my own girls coming home with some extra holes? I guess you never know until you get there.

@shelley: I love that she drew her own on with markers. Did she use a sharpie? :)

Unknown said...

roflmao...

my daughter got hers done right before kindergarten, on a mommy and me day...so NO daddy permission ;)