To pierce or not to pierce

It was just before she turned one. It’s something that I had been putting a lot of thought into since my daughter was born.

Every woman in our family had their ears pierced. Most of them had their ears pierced when they were babies. In our family, babies often received tiny golden hoops as welcome to the world gifts. The tiny golden hoops I had received as a baby were safe and sound in my mother’s jewelry box just waiting for my daughter’s ears.

I spent many evenings sitting on the couch, laptop on my lap researching the risks of ear piercing. I read the articles firmly denouncing the practice as mutilation and I took them with a grain of salt. I had my ears pierced as an infant and I did not feel mutilated.

I spoke with our doctor and listened to the medical recommendations.

In the end, as a couple, we decided to go with tradition.

It was just before she turned one.

We researched the best place to have the procedure done and in we walked confident in our decision. I looked at the tiny studs and picked out the pair that suited her best.

I began to question myself. Was it going to hurt her? Would her ears become infected? Would I regret it? Would she grow up and regret it?

All of a sudden, the angry anti piercing blog posts started racing through my mind. I heard their voices in my head; the mum’s who claimed that it was mutilation and it wasn’t my decision to make.

I started to panic.

I started to panic but I didn’t change my mind. I don’t know why I didn’t change my mind. I don’t really know why in the end I went through with it and allowed her ears to be pierced.

Our decision was partially based on culture and tradition. I realized that this wasn’t permanent. That if she grew and decided she didn’t want to wear earrings that her holes would close up and that would be the end of that. For some reason this part of me decided that it would be easier to do it now, as a baby, then when she was 5 or 15 or 25. I realized that I had this vision of my daughter, wearing the tiny golden hoops that sat in my mother’s jewelry box and that at one time had donned my own ears.

I can’t really say why we made the decision to pierce our daughter’s ears before she turned one. I can’t even say that I would make the same decision again.

I can say that I don’t regret it. We haven’t had issues or complications. She never played with them or fussed over them.

She loves her earrings. I love that she loves her earrings.

The tiny golden hoops sit in my jewelry box. She’s a rough and tumble girl and I worry they may get caught and pull.

Her ears still shine and sparkle in her beautiful golden studs and I don’t regret a thing.