Solidarity

What exactly is the definition of Solidarity? Maybe I won't be using it correctly - but I will let you all worry about that. I am using the word to say that I am totally backing SuperStar 100% through the next 8 weeks of what I remember to be a very trying time when I was her age.

See..........look really closely at this picture. Look at my exposed ear and then look at her exposed ear (or do it the other way around and look at hers first - I really won't be insulted if I am the second look). Do you see anything? It was hard to get a good pic that showed what I am talking about really really well - but you do see that we both have on sparkly earrings - right? Well, if you could see us in REAL LIFE - you would see that we have pretty much identical earrings on.

Yes........SuperStar overcame her fear of shots and got her ears pierced!! But it wasn't an easy process.

About 2 years ago I suggested she get her ears pierced for her birthday. When I was little I begged to have my ears pierced - and my mom said not until you are 10 years old. I think I was in 3rd grade when I first started asking.........and I waited.......and I waited.......I think I counted those days more intensely then I counted down to my drivers license. I really really wanted my ears pierced. So when SuperStar was in 3rd grade I offered to take her. BigGuy and I had taken CuznM when she was that age (her mother said we could). But SuperStar wanted not a single thing to do with that kinda pain. Which didn't surprise me. I mean, she is the kid that I have to make sure has a doctors appointment scheduled when BigGuy can go IF there is a shot involved. We have had to restrain her physically (the two of us working together with a nurse) for her shots. So there was no way we would be able to get her ears pierced - in a very public window of Claires at the mall - using anything but her free will.

Then just a bit more then a week ago she came up and said, "Can I get my ears pierced?" Thinking she would back out I said, "Sure we can do it this weekend." And I waited for her to come back having changed her mind.

Only she didn't. In fact.....she jumped BigGuy as soon as he got home from work and told him ALL ABOUT her plan to do it. And so it was decided.

On Friday (they were off school) we went to the mall. The ride was hilarious - she was nervous - anything I said she told me I was making her MORE nervous - evne when I said I was hungry - so I stayed quiet. We got into the store easy enough and she was all about signing up to get it done. SuperStar picked the most inexpensive earrings they had - and then (because I talked with BigGuy and he said "give her the works") I suggested she get the pair that she would most like wearing for 3 months. So she upgraded to some sparkly daisies. And it was on. They put the dots on her ears - they talked about what they were going to do - they made sure the sparkles were what she wanted because, they explained, after they opened the boxes there was no turning back - she was ALL IN - and the boxes were opened, the earrings were loaded onto the little guns - and she started to turn red and break into a sweat.

Now I had mentioned (quietly) to the woman that SuperStar generally needed restraints for shots - so the plan was to have both store workers do the ears at the same time - no backing out after the first. But the anxiety was already settling into SuperStar - she took a few laps around the store. Then she backed out. The woman explained again that they wanted to give her time to think it through and they went back to the work the store. I explained that the earrings now belonged to us - that we would be leaving with a $40 pair of earrings (earrings, piercing & the care kit all came together) regardless of if they were in her ears. AND that if they were not in her ears the next pair to pierce her ears would be paid for by her. She did the math quickly - it came up to about 2 months of allowance IF she didn't buy any candy. Priorities you know. She even told me that I was making her feel guilty about money ............... hmmmm..........if that all it took then perhaps I have been doing it wrong..........I assured her I had no intentions of forcing her to have her ears pierced - I just wanted her to understand what would be up the next time she wanted to pierce her ears - and I added that she should just do it now and after we would go get a soda and have a giggle and that I would be totally jealous I missed out on wearing the sparkly pair that she decided to keep to herself. In the end she changed her mind. The girls came over - counted faster then SuperStar could react to and BOOM her ears were pierced.

And to stand by her I bought a pair of earrings they had that matched the ones she had - and I vowed that if she could overcome her fear of having her ears pierced I could wait 2 months to change the earrings just like she would have to (turned out 3 months wasn't the time frame - my mom must have lied to me). And then she said I promised her a Smoothie - which I hadn't!

So we went and got a Smoothie to celebrate her most recent step toward being an adult. And I put my earrings in. And she told me she thought it was silly that I was doing that and I could take them out when ever I wanted - dang - she could have told me that BEFORE I made the purchase. However now I am very happy to be wearing them because I have overheard her telling her friends, "My mom is wearing earrings just like mine because she loves me." I might have to wear them forever.........
The girls came back