Bonding or Stupidity...You Be The Judge!

I have three wonderful kids.  Seriously, they rock my world.  But do I want to be friends with them and hang out with them and their friends?  Heavens, no!  But something happened yesterday that might make you think I would want to be one of them.

It started when my oldest daughter was 6 (she is now almost 17).  She wanted to get her ears pierced.  I had to wait until I was 13 and was the last of my friends to get it done, so I agreed.  My younger daughter had hers pierced the following year when she turned 6 (right, she's 15 now).  And they were happy.  They went through the "Claire's" stage where they would spend their birthday money on cheap, hideous earrings, the "skull" stage, the "girly" stage, and for a while, the "nothing" stage (or maybe they were just too lazy to put earrings in).

The "other" piercings then became popular.  I am still not exactly sure what a "gauge" is, but it sounds horrible!  Belly piercings were a fad, but neither girl wanted one.  The eyebrow piercings were talked about, and I said "NO WAY!"  In fact, I was vehemently against any other kind of piercing other than in the ears.  "Well," my girls pointed out, "you have three holes in one ear!"  *Sigh*  Yes, yes I do.  But I have to say, I now only put a double in, and have left the third one alone since college.  I remember in high school piercing the holes myself (with an ice-cube to numb the pain). 

So, both girls got their ears double-pierced, and I was "ok" with their decision.  Soon after, Kelly asked about a nose piercing.  Of course I said no.  But then something happened...my son introduced me to his girlfriend, who had her nose pierced.  And it was totally cute!  I still said no to my girls, but it didn't sound as harsh as it once did.  Now I can't even remember when it happened, but one day I came home and Kelly had pierced her own nose...and it was also totally cute!  Not long after that, Emily had her cartilage pierced.  And I have to admit, she really does wear it well.  Just for your imaging purposes...both my girls are very girly and feminine and wear somewhat conservative, or "preppy" clothes (no punk, black, or emo).

Last fall when I asked the kids to start to think about what they wanted for Christmas, Emily's only wish was a nose piercing.  She never changed her mind or backed down.  So I gave her a coupon good for one nose pierce.  We went yesterday...me, Emily, and her best friend (who has her nose pierced).  I have never in my life been in a tattoo parlor (store? place? hole-in-the-wall?), and I admit, I was a little taken aback.  Where I live, you hardly ever run into someone with a tattoo, much less a full-body tattoo!  But the "piercer", Mike, was very nice and explained everything.  And, yes, everything was sterile and he used gloves.

Emily's piercing looked so darn cute, and she, her bff, and our new friend Mike, were all pressuring me...and I caved.  I now have a tiny, tiny, adorable diamond stud in my nose!  If you squint real hard, you can see a teeny "glint" in my picture.  It didn't hurt then, doesn't hurt now.  I really like it, but am wondering just what the heck I was thinking?!  Did I take advantage of the "bonding" between me and my daughter?  Or am I just an idiot?  Doesn't matter, because it's totally cute!