Growing Up

There's been a lot of growing up going on in our house recently.  It's ironic it's been happening at the end of the school year as our 9 year old wrapped up her time in 4th grade.  I was finding it very confusing that she could be on the eve of being a 5th grader.  Little did I know.

First up, she decided it was time to get her split ends cut off.  She had plenty of split ends to part with.

Then she started considering taking a few inches off.  Nothing dramatic.  She just figured the hair was getting pretty far down her back and she could spare a few so why not even things off.  We suggested Locks of Love repeatedly.  No, thanks.  We pointed out that summer is a great time for a cut above the shoulder to help you stay cool.  No, thanks.

Tangle magnet mane.

I sent her off to the Super Cuts with her father.  I figured if anyone could inspire a few extra inches to come off it was him.  He could sell ice to Eskimos. 

Color me surprised when I got this text.  No tears.  Just a happy kid getting styled.

Then a soon to be 5th grader came home with my husband.  She kept checking herself out in the mirror and touching her hair. 

And there were no tears. No angst over the hair.  Just smiles and delight.  And a different kid.  And I fell into the well and decided that if she was old enough to handle that like a rational human being then she was old enough to get her ears pierced.

I'd held off allowing this kid to get her ear pierced for roughly 2 years now. It probably had something to do with the fact that I didn’t get my ears pierced until 8th grade. But it mostly had something to do with the fact that I wasn’t interested in cleaning the holes for her.  I figured she could get her ears pierced when she seemed responsible enough to take care of them herself.

Only she’s been ready for awhile. Something inside my soul was still holding back though.  But I was slowly weakening in the face of her above average sense of responsibility. Seeing her with the new haircut was the push I finally needed.

She was delighted.  She tore herself away from staring at herself in the mirror long enough to squeal and grin.  The next day we hit Claire's in the mall.  She tried to tell me Justice pierces ears, too.  I tried to tell her that would be un-American.

My kid got her ears pierced at Claire's and all I got was this crappy bag and two holes that need to be cleaned three times a day.

She was super duper couldn’t believe her luck excited. Off to the mall we trekked. Off to the Claire’s and the 16 year old girl making minimum wage who put a tiny black dot on my kid’s ear lobe to aim at.

Can't believe she's there.  Can't believe it's finally going to happen.

No matter how much I assured her it wouldn’t hurt, my daughter's smart enough to still wonder what it would be like and feel a few nerves. I offered to rescue her and take her home without holes in her ears. Silly Momma!

Bracing for it.

And then it was done. And I took home my soon to be 5th grader. Sigh. 

The face of a happy kid.

We hit the cookie place at the mall on the way out. The soon to be 5th grader thought it was to celebrate. Someday, if she’s lucky enough to have a daughter of her own, the soon to be 5th grader will realize it was to take a moment to breath in the new air of this new kid and wonder where my baby went. It’s neat to watch them grow and bloom but sometimes it leaves you feeling like you’ve lost your footing.  The best medicine is a cookie with some icing on top.

Profile. The better to gaze upon the hole in her ear.

No more growing up allowed this year. My heart can’t take it.