Following a concerted campaign, the Princess has had her ears pierced. I remember getting my own ears pierced at 12 and my father commenting disapprovingly on bodily mutilation and comparing it to the neck rings African women sometimes have which I think was a little harsh.
Herself is, in any event, very pleased.
The ear piercing has led to two unexpected follow-up requests:
1. From her – when can I have my tongue pierced?
2. From Daniel – when can I have my ears pierced?
Very difficult, from a feminist perspective to justify a negative response to question 2; I was reduced to saying “well, we’ll see how you feel about it when you’re 10” and hoping for the best.
Funny ! my father said exactly the same things when I got my ears pierced (I was 16). He also said that when I was an old lady with dangling earlobes, I would remember him. Well I still enjoy wearing earrings, so we will wait a little more for the regrets… Your princess is beautiful !
When Daniel is 10, let him have his left ear pierced, as there is a celebrity precedent for same — many famous Elizabethan noblemen such as Sir Walter Raleigh as well as modern celebrities such as Harrison Ford. You might also mention that it was a custom of sailors in sailing ships to have the left ear pierced with a golden earring so that if they were lost at sea and their body happened to wash up on shore, the golden earring was to be taken as payment to give them a decent Christian burial.
I might note, I have an allergy to the metal nickel, which is frequently used as an alloy in metal costume jewelry, and in “surgical steel” — hence I cannot wear earrings with “surgical steel” posts. All my earrings have to have 18 carat gold posts, and any jewelry I wear next to my skin for any length of time has to be either sterling silver or 18 carat gold, or I get a nasty rash. If the Princess’s ears do not heal promptly, that might be the problem.
Viviane, maybe fathers are the same everywhere…
WOL – that is interesting about pirates but yet I think poor D will continue earringless. Though he would so love to be a pirate.