Emily decided to get her ears pierced last week. I was at the park playing Ultimate Frisbee when Lisa drove by and yelled out the window that Emily had made the decision. Then she drove off leaving me stunned. Emily is only three but she has seen her sisters ears pierced for the past year so I imagine she has been considering it for a while.
When Shannon went to get her ears pierced it was just as shocking and seemingly out of the blue. However, Shannon's and Emily's experiences end in similarity at that point. When Shannon had hers done the girl at the mall did one ear then did the other. Shannon is pretty tender and didn't really enjoy the experience at all and cried for a few minutes after. She was happy to have them pierced but not happy about the pain and she let her mother know.
Emily on the other hand was handled by two women at the same time. Both had their own piercing gun and they gently talked her through what they were going to do. Then, suddenly and in synchronization, they both pierced an ear at the same time. Emily grimaced, pursed her lips, and had a single tear creep out of her right eye but, beyond that, didn't make a fuss at all. Emily hasn't complained about any tenderness or soreness at all from the experience. She has been pretty darn tough about it; tougher than I would have been at her age I imagine.
She has also been very proud. If you ask to see her ears she gets into this funky pose with a hand on her head, her hip cocked to one side, and her leg thrust out. It's really funny to see. She wanted far more complicated and bulky earrings to get started with but, for the time being, she is happy to settle for small purple flowers.