Not that I’m opposed to it; I really don’t care. I mean, I had my ears pierced when I was 8, then when I was in college I just let them close up because I just never wore earrings. Now, I could go all into the anthropological oddity of mutilating oneself for beauty and gender expectations, but, really, whatever. I have this parenting style called “what the hell! it’s not like it’ll kill them”. And it seems to have worked out so far.

I’m not one of those people who are like “Oh! They look so pretty now!” I think they look pretty without sparkly things in their ears. In fact, it might be my aesthetic preference for them not to have earrings in their ears. But I’m sure they will go on to do many a thing to themselves that is not my “aesthetic preference” (remember my orange highlights, Mom? Or the fact that I refused to tuck in, then “blouse out” my shirts? Oh, my rebellions were many and varied…)

Anyway, once Bassie saw that it was no big deal, she was next:

Of course, two seconds after we’re done, Dina’s all “I want to get piercings everywhere!” And I say “No you don’t” and start listing off all the places she wouldn’t want piercings: your nose? no. your cheeks? no? your tongue? no. where, then, dina?

“My belly button!”

Oh, sweet heavens! My response: I told her that piercings were kind of like pets, and you had to prove you could take care of one before you get another one.

That ought to dam it up for a couple of years.