Ruby has been thinking about doing it for awhile. She loves to pick out earrings for me and would often ask to wear a pair of pearl clip-ons. I think the tipping point was a conversation with our 9 year old neighbor across the street who got her ears pierced when she was 5. Ruby proudly told her "My mom and dad said I can get them done whenever I want."
During the few days leading up to the big event, Ruby kept asking "Does it hurt?"
Aleks and I sort of hemmed and hawed about it, trying to avoid giving a straight answer. Because, in all honesty, it does hurt and I guess I just didn't want Ruby to make a decision based in fear.
In the chair, as the Claire store manager got her gloves on, Ruby asked again "Does it hurt?" And still, us adults didn't want to give a firm answer. I was suddenly struck with the disservice we were all doing her and just said, "Yes. But it's not that bad and people do it all the time. If it hurt that badly, people wouldn't keep doing it."
The anticipation kept her hyped up and silly.
And then, thankfully, they offered to do both ears at the same time and she was surrounded by two Claire employees with plastic gloves, holding those plastic piercing "guns" up to her ears. Ruby was gripping my hand and as she started to close her eyes I said look at me and her eyes met mine just as the new earrings went into her ears. No tears, just a brave girl who said "ow" with a heartbeat I could see throbbing in her neck.
It hurt for a bit afterward, but by the time she was unwrapping the lollipop they gave her, all pain was forgotten. Maia said she was going to let Ruby do it first and if it didn't hurt, then she would get her ears pieced too. Needless to say, Maia asked if I could buy her the clip-on Eiffel Tower earrings she saw at the store.
Pierced ears this week, kindergarten next.
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