My big kid’s first slumber party is happening this Friday night, for her eighth birthday. When did that happen? I guess when Franny was a baby I just imagined a small version of me walking around at this point, but she’s really not. You can project all kinds of wants and desires onto your kids, and you can’t always tell what you’ll end up with. I guess what I wanted for my first kid was less fear in her life than I had and a better schooling experience. I think we’re doing okay so far.
The de rigueur food for the modern girl’s slumber party is spaghetti. Spaghetti has been served at the last two she attended, and so she is afraid to serve anything else. I talked her into a bolognese sauce, at least. There’s no reason to suffer just because my house is being invaded by squeaky short people. Since her school has a mixed age group model, she has invited a couple of older girls. I wonder if she will sleep with her stuffed bunny with all these maTOOR girls around.
I promised her that once she turns eight she can get her ears pierced, but I told her we would not be going the gun route. I think the timing’s great since she’s over here most of the time now, and we can take good care of them so they heal well. She is excited, and scared. I think this will probably be the most voluntary pain she’ll experience in her life. Ah, womanhood rituals. Next week we’re doing mother/daughter lip collagen followed by tottering around in high heels for three hours.
My mom let me pierce my ears when I was 8 too! I think it’s a good age. :) Waiting was a bitch, but appreciated them so much more once I was FINALLY 8. :)
And what’s with SPAG at a slumber party. I mean, I like it and all…but…what happened to pizza, chips, and other junk? Are kids more healthy than in the 80’s?
Weird. Good luck with the chillun’ invation.
I got mine pierced at nine, I think, but had been agitating for the piercing for about two years.
Also – Hope: “And what’s with SPAG at a slumber party.” I roffled because I thought of Jim Spagg; you know, the original Ugly Naked Guy on public access? He’s dead now, but my brain instantly went there. Five horrified girl faces staring at the boob toob while Spagg cavorts and says “Wowsa Yowsa.”
::snerk::
I have to agree with Hope on the food. We had pizza, junk, chips, carbonated beverages, and other things that are possibly damageful of the body. Weird.
I got my ears pierced when I was 8, as well. They used a gun. When I was 9 I had to get them pierced again. This went on and on until I’d had my ears pierced in the same spot FIVE different times. It wasnt because I wasn’t taking care of it, it was because they used a short post and I have fat earlobes. So when it would swell, it would swallow the earring. It sucked. I’m 20 now and my ears are pierced 2 times in the lobe (a friend did the 2nd hole with those sharp starter earrings and I had NO problems with it.) and I dont even wear earrings now. Such is life.
I hope your big kid has fun at her slumber party! ^.^
I got my ears pierced at six and it was a disaster! Eight seems like somewhat of a magic age, as long as you don’t have Fat Lobe Syndrome, apparently.
Happy Birthday to Miss F! She is more matoor than we are around here, anyway; while it is possible to have an actual PART in the Nutcracker, slumber parties are still in the realm of “things you do when you are old enough in a couple of years”.
My mother’s best friend from when she was a kid took me to get my ears pierced for my 16th birthday. My mother was surprisingly (to me) livid. From the perspective of my aged years now, I get that the friend really did this to get at my mother, rather than as a special favour to me.
My oldest son – now 11, but then 10 – got his ears pierced at a tattoo studio. I refused to let any of those mall chicks with guns NEAR HIS PRECIOUS EARLOBES. That, and you’re never too young to learn how to properly tip a piercer/tattoo’er. Those are LIFE SKILLZ.
Since they don’t normally do anything to anyone under 18, the guy who did the piercing interviewed my dear one extensively to determine if he was “mature enough” to care for them properly. I think THAT scared him more than the big needle. ROCK.
“You can project all kinds of wants and desires onto your kids, and you can’t always tell what you’ll end up with.” Ain’t that the truth.
But what fun! A slumber party! Ear piercings! My grandma did mine when I was 9 with the ice cube and needle, fainted dead away. I missed all this kind of fun stuff having all boys. Lucky you.
Now my youngest is in must. have. drivers. license. mode. It’s driving me batshit and I don’t have enough valium. But a slumber party! Whee!
Damn, my grandparents held me down when I was 3 or 4ish and stuck a needle with thread in each ear. I’m pretty certain there was no ice used, because I remember the pain vividly. Then she wonders why I self-mutilated my own cartiledge (sp) at 16; and again at 18 as a “human pincushion” as my grandfather called me. Yup, started me young, they did! I bet F’s slumber party is way cooler than any of mine. Be sure to play “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” for that nostalgic feel!!
Wow, I really feel like a late-bloomer. You’re doin Franny’s ears at 8… my friend pierced her baby’s ears at 1. My ears didn’t get holy til 15! And yes, there was a gun involved. The funny thing is, I really didn’t want them pierced. But mom thought I should be moar girly and wear jewelry. My lobes are still almost always naked (unless I’m going to a party or some other function). At least the holes haven’t closed up on me. I just never really liked wearing a lot of jewelry. I’m sooo ungirly. ;)
I punctured mine when I was 15-16. It caused all kinds of DRAMA. My mother like to had a heart attack. (My grandmother secretly approved.)
JAYSUS. people, they were MY ears! You’d think I’d branded my forehead with a swear or something for all the pouting and lecturing that went on.
I mean, I just got tired of having crimpmarks on my lobes (yeeeouch) and having to wear fugly clip-ons or nothing, when there were dangly, sparkly EAR shinies that made my magpie soul cry out with lust.
O YARZ, they would be mine.
And so it was done, the end. :)
I’ve had my ears pierced with a gun, and with a needle. Holy crap did the gun experience suck seven asses. The needle was WAY less painful, faster, and healed much better.