Earrings

Erin has been campaigning to get her ears pierced for months. And I don't mean subtle hints, I mean full-blown, shameless, taking-out-negative-ads-about-her-opponent Senator Plain Earlobes campaigning. (She actually talks disparagingly about her "plain earlobes" and the fact that she is the only one her age on the planet with "plain earlobes.") She has interviewed every female she knows about the status of their earlobes, the pain level they experienced upon piercing, what type of earrings they chose when the piercing took place, and has come to the conclusion that it will be so worth the pain to have earlobes with jewels.

I feel that it is of great importance to remind you of the following: She is six.

She reminds me of Kay Thompson's character Eloise, whose adventures were based on Liza Minelli's life as a child, and who lived at The Plaza in New York City. A child after my own heart, she was an old soul who had an amazing imagination and an in-bred love of room service. So much like my Erin. Only Erin lives in the suburbs and has me as her mother, not Judy Garland. Also, Eloise was notoriously independent and autonomous. The ironic part of the "Ear Campaign," and the comparison to Eloise, is that Erin has never wanted to do anything "grown-up" ahead of schedule, at least in terms of her emotional development. The child knew all her colors and the alphabet at fifteen months of age and taught herself to read at age four. So to say that she has never been ahead of herself is not only inaccurate, it is also unfair and discredits her precociousness. But as I've discussed with you at length here, emotionally, she would like to crawl back into my womb most days and live there happily until further notice.

So while I do see the "Earring Campaign" as the single greatest piece of leverage I've had to date to hang over her head and use to bribe her for fabulous behavior, I also see that there is a little lady inside of her wanting to emerge. I cannot take this lightly. Regardless of her behavior, this fervent and relentless desire to get those ears pierced could be a major stepping stone...a flying leap on her journey toward autonomy and independence. And in that vein, I think that ignoring this opportunity to let that little chickadee break another piece off that thick shell she's been wearing all these years would be a travesty.

She has gotten herself in line at school everyday, done her homework without a fuss, gone to bed with greater ease, and gotten herself dressed a little more rapidly each morning. These are amazing strides to take in four days time. Granted, it proves that she is highly capable of doing all these tasks if the right carrot is dangled. But at least she is working toward a goal. So tomorrow, as promised, Miss Thang will get her earrings. While things haven't been perfect per say, they have been improved. And I think if she's ready to take this step, I must get ready to take a step of my own. I must watch my eldest take a short walk away from me toward her own identity...and then let her walk back to me boasting jeweled, no-longer-plain earlobes. What a sight she will be. I imagine I'll hear her say something to the effect of..."Ooooooooh, I absolutely love earrings!"