Earrings

I don’t remember when I started begging to have my ears pierced, but it was probably around age seven.

There is an infamous piece of video that was shot when I was eight, and we were preparing to move from Seattle proper to the wilds of the Eastside, where I am wearing clip-on earrings until my mother tells me to take them off. My pleading was to no avail.

How did I get clip-on earrings? Obachan. She used to work for a wholesale jeweler, and Ressis and I had fantastic junk jewelry that we played with all the time that she had given us. Obachan had once had her ears pierced, but found them to be so much trouble that she let the holes go and went to clip-ons. I used to play with and wear her old ones.

Anyway, I begged to get my ears pierced. I pleaded. And begged some more. No luck. My mother told me I would have to be FOURTEEN before I could get my ears pierced.

And so I begged and pleaded some more.

Eventually, the age of piercing was negotiated down to 10. Which I must have recognized was as far as I could go, because I don’t remember arguing about it once that age was set. But I held my parents to it, and they kept their promise – my tenth birthday found me at a jewelry shop at Northgate Mall, getting holes punched in my ears. Yes, it hurt. But I didn’t care. And I kept my earlobes scrupulously clean and kept twisting my little pearl post earrings like clockwork. I had waited years for this and I was going to do my part to show my mother that I was responsible.

And it worked. I had cleanly pierced ears at the end of six weeks. That was twenty-one years ago, and the earrings I wear most frequently now are the tiny diamond ones that the Webmaster gave me for my 30th birthday. I like wearing earrings – but I also like not fussing with them too much. I went through that stage as a teenager and I have the earrings to prove it – the ones I never wear any more and should really toss.

Fast forward to this last month, when I shopped for my niece and went to my daughter’s parent-teacher conference.

I had emailed the Captain, asking WHAT on earth Belle and Berry could want for Christmas. The Captain forwarded my email to Q-Bee, who promptly responded and told me that Belle (my 3 1/2 year old niece) ADORES sticker earrings.

I hadn’t thought about sticker earrings in years. I had loved them, too, but I never wore them frequently. I was always afraid of using them up and not having them any more, and I had the clip-ons right there. So I was intrigued… but I had no idea where to look. I hit up the internet, but what I did find was insanely pricey. So I called Claire’s at Alderwood Mall. Oh, yes, they had them. LOTS of them.

I hadn’t been inside Claire’s in a while… and I was pleasantly surprised to find how much “little girl” merchandise they carry. Play tiaras? Check. Fairy wings? Check. Sparkly wands? Check. Feather boas? Check.

Sticker earrings? What kind? They had Disney Princess, Dora… and they had their own brand of them with 30 pairs in a pack.

JACKPOT.

Gleefully, I bought two sheets for Belle, and she was thrilled when she opened them up (along with a play tiara I also picked up there) at our early Christmas party with them. Just see for yourself:

Oh, yeah, Aunt Deanna scored big with those. Belle showed me her sticker earrings the next day when we went out to lunch, and she was so adorable wearing them. She felt so grown-up.

However, Ane had seen me wrap them, and when I explained what they were, she had given out a big, deep sigh. “I wish I had some,” she said longingly.

When I attended Ane’s parent-teacher conference, Mrs. V. had a folder with Ane’s work in it from the beginning of the school year until then. Each month, she has the kids draw a self-portrait of themselves and then marks the month on it. September’s and October’s self-portraits were in Ane’s folder, and November’s was hanging on the wall with the rest of her class.

Both October and November’s pictures showed Ane with earrings. She had given herself earrings in her self-portraits.

Considering my own history, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. But Ane has never said anything to me about wanting her ears pierced. She has known several girls through preschool and now kindergarten who have pierced ears, and has asked before when she can have her ears pierced, but she hasn’t been begging to have it done… yet.

I did tell her she has to be 10 years old, though. If I waited until age 10, so can she. Ten is a nice, round number.

But after seeing those self-portrait drawings, and seeing the look on her face when I wrapped those sticker earrings for her cousin… let’s just say that Santa Claus knows the wants of a little girl’s heart, has already been back to Claire’s, and there will be a surprise in Ane’s stocking on Christmas morning.

Because “Santa” also knows that sometimes getting something you want for Christmas is just what you need. Even if it is just a sheet of sticker earrings.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am and is filed under Children, Family, Mommyhood, School Days, Shopping Stories.
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