Real Talk: I Was Mom Shamed at the Mall

We hear about mom-shaming all the time...people posting on social media, passive aggressive comments being thrown around, the usual.  I couldn't believe my ears when I heard what was said about my parenting choices on Friday night at the mall.

My daughter is 4, she's at an age where she understands things pretty well (sometimes a little too well), can speak for herself, make good decisions, and so on.  She's been talking about wanting her ears pierced for months, typically a few times a week, and sometimes multiple times a day.  We continually tell her yes, yes you can get them done, selfishly stalling a bit, but on Friday, after she asked for the 23rd time that day to get them done, I said get in the car, let's do this!

Now, know that I have done my research.  The pediatrician's office doesn't offer ear piercing, I checked out some tattoo shops to see what the scoop was there, and chatted with other moms about the mall experience, and decided on the mall.  Off we went, thinking there was a 50/50 chance we'd come home with just one ear done, or she would decide she didn't want it done at all, and both of those options were just fine.

We got there and let her check out the scene, pick out some earrings she liked, and learn about what they were going to do, checking in to make sure she really wanted to do it.  She insisted, yes, she wanted to get them done, so the staff got her settled into the piercing chair, we explained again what was going to happen, and she said 'i'm ready!'

Her i'm ready turned quickly from excitement to blood curdling screams, as they pierced both at the same time, and, not surprising, she was shocked.  The tears only lasted about a minute, two at max, and then she was pumped to check out her new earrings, and that's when I heard it...

"why would those parents force that child to do that"

Uh, WHAT? There's something you should know about me, I do not need words for you to know what i'm thinking, my face says it all without a single word.  I spun around like the exorcist and shot a look, and the woman and her friend took off.

Was I sitting on her, did we hold the piercing gun to her head and force holes into her head?  No, and no.  We are 3 days out and the little diva can't stop looking at herself in the mirror and talking about her new earrings (and telling random people at the grocery store, her soccer coach, the neighbors about what a big girl she is...), and no additional tears have been shed to date.

So, moral of the story, keep your comments to yourself.