There are moments for a parent that just happen out of the blue that will stay with you forever. These moments are not forced. They are not scripted. They are organic. This past weekend I experienced one of those moments with my soon to be eight year old daughter.
My wife had been talking with my daughter about her upcoming birthday and what she would want to do for her special day. One of the things that she requested was to get her ears pierced. Some parents get their child’s ears pierced all little after they are born so they don’t remember any pain from that experience. My wife and I decided to wait until we felt our daughters are old enough to make that decision on their own.
So when my oldest kept on bringing up the conversation with us about getting her ears pierced we felt that she was probably ready. We planned to get her ears pierced over President’s Day weekend. This past weekend we got up, had breakfast, and then went to the mall.
For me I thought I was just going to be in the background. I never got my ears pierced. I didn’t know what to expect. I asked my wife if it was like getting a shot at the doctor’s office. She told me that it is different for everyone so it will be hard to say how Lily would react.
As we entered the mall Lily grabbed my hand and asked me if I could hold her hand while she was getting the procedure done. I gladly accepted and told her she could squeeze my hand as hard as she wants. As we got to the piercing place I could see some nerves settle in on Lily. She sat down in the chair and grabbed my hand with both of hers.
I knelt down to tell her that she would do great. She gave me a nervous smile and said to me, “You can squeeze my hands as much as you want.”
I laughed a little and told her that she had it backwards. She could squeeze my hand as hard as she wanted. She laughed a bit. It was almost time. The two clerks at the piercing station were ready. They each were going to put the earrings in at the same time.
I heard them count to three and pull the device to get the earrings in. The left ear was no problem. The clerk, who did the right ear, was having an issue with her piercing gun. It was stuck on Lily’s ear. A tear started to fall down Lily’s face. She let out a quiet whimper. I told her she was being brave and she was almost done. As a reward, I told her that we would find mini huggie earrings which she could use for special occasions because of how dazzling those earrings are.
Her face was turning red. The clerk couldn’t remove the piercing gun from her ear. Finally for what seemed like an eternity, the clerk was able to get the gun removed from Lily’s ear. I picked Lily up and told her she did great. After a few more tears, Lily was happy to say that she got her ears pierced. My wife, my other daughter, and my sister, who was visiting from out of town, all congratulated Lily on how brave she was.
Later that day Lily said to me how much it meant to her that I was there holding her hand. I told her that it meant the world to me and I will always be there for her. She hugged me and told me she loved me.
Those are the moments a parent lives for. You create a stronger bond with your child just by being there for them when they need you the most. I have talked with many parents, especially dads for the Life of Dad Show. A reoccurring theme that parents tell me is that kids want to know that their parents are there for them. Parents are a child’s security blanket. This past weekend will be a moment that I will always cherish. My daughter needed me and I was able to be there for her.
