Our girls are 9 and 7. They are feisty and active and outdoorsy and amazing.

At the start of the summer the 7yr old starting asking about getting her ears pierced.  We had never brought it up, or offered it and preferred to wait for them to want it badly enough to ask.

For it to be important, not a whim.

Our thought was to last for the summer and get them done before school started, so on a quick trip into Victoria (and with a strong woman by my side) this mama took her girl in for a piercing.

We decided to hit a tattoo and piercing studio instead of our local mall. I had heard (and so had the girls) that it hurt less when done with a needle, and that was enough for them to be okay with it.

For me, I remembered how much that gun had hurt (I still have nightmares about it) and figured anything would be better.

And it was.  The studio was clean, the ‘tools” were sterilized and I felt confident that with the time and effort our gal put in, these earrings would be perfectly aligned… something I was panicked about! I mean, come on… this is for LIFE!

our izzy went first (she might be the brave one, even tho she is the younger!)

Ok, she may have been a little bit nervous!

First went the aligning. She spent a good chunk of time making sure that the holes were lined up well… not just in the ear lobe, but also from afar.  I was super paranoid about this! I didn’t want to scar my children with mis-aligned earrings…(perhaps dramatic, but true!)

One we were centred, and ready, Izzy lay down on the surgery table.

The “grabber” tool centred the pre-marked hole and held the ear lobe firm for the piercing.  Notice the snuggling of the scarf… so sweet!

And in goes the needle.
I wish I could tell you all about what was happening in these next pics… but I can’t. I looked away. I tried not to weep, or shake or sweat or swear. I am not good in these situations… really not good!

With the needle in, we were ready to pop the chosen earring on and be done with the whole business.  And, as you can see… it didn’t hurt. Not at all. This kid was stung by a wasp earlier in the week and said it was a million times worse than getting her ears pierced.

We got a pair of stainless steel, high quality earrings. They are teeny-tiny and perfect for young kids. We have had them a month already with no problems (and we are crummy at the cleaning) No infection and no pain!

Now, I am a pretty square kinda gal. I dream of being brave enough to get a tattoo, but the reality is I can barely watch my girls get their ears pierced. So walking into a tattoo parlour was a new thing for me, a bit out of my regular comfort zone… but totally worth it. My girls were cherished and made to feel comfortable.  The whole “lets put a hole in your ear’ thing was done very professionally and I appreciated all the time they put into making it perfect.

Another check box on the list of growing up I guess.