A Decade of Goose

Goose turned 10 over the Christmas break.  On her birthday we went to the mall so that she could get her ears pierced and visit the American Girl Doll store for the first time.  She wanted to do the ear piercing first.  DynaGirl was also getting her ears pierced.  Years ago, we (well, more like I) had somewhat arbitrarily designated the girls’ 10th years as the time they were allowed to get their ears pierced.  DynaGirl opted not to when she turned 10, but when she found out Goose wanted to do hers, she thought she’d jump on the piercing train.

Claire’s is not the place to be four days after Christmas.  It was crazy crowded with after Christmas sales, and everyone and their dog was getting their ears pierced that day.  We waited in line for almost 20 minutes, which gave Goose plenty of time to completely psych herself out.  She started crying about 10 minutes into our wait.  I tried to reassure her that it wasn’t going to be as bad as she imagined, and even told her that we could come back another day if she’d like to wait.  When it was our turn, DynaGirl volunteered to go first.  She was very brave and stoic–a champ at hiding her fears and masking the pain.  (She gets that from me.)  Goose got in the chair, but when I started to pin her hair back so the piercing girl would have access to her ears, she started to lose it.  She just couldn’t do it.

We left Claire’s, and Goose bawled all the way to the American Girl Doll store.  They were tears born from fear and disappointment, but mostly from frustration over

Goose and her mini-me, Lauren, which happens to be Goose's middle name.

thinking she had failed to do something she had set out to do.  I was beginning to worry we had ruined her 10th birthday, but a few minutes in the splendor that is the AGD store helped snap her out of her funk.  She picked out a new outfit, a little skater number complete with board, and even got her doll’s ears pierced, which was considerably less expensive than what I had just paid to get DynaGirl’s ears pierced.  It was also less expensive than getting your doll’s hair styled at the salon.  Twenty dollars for 5 minutes in a chair with a “professional”??

After Goose picked up her doll from her post-piercing cubby, she had decided it was time to go back and face her fears.  Come heck or high water, she was getting her ears pierced.  There would be no more stalling and no postponing.  She was adamant.  So we went back to Claire’s.  She stilled looked more than a little nervous sitting in the chair, and at one point, I thought she might even be sick.  But in the end, she did it, and was grinning ear to ear the rest of the day.

And that is so Goose.  Stubborn to a fault, but steadfast in her determination.  Don’t ever try to tell her that she can’t do something.  Don’t even suggest that she try again another day.  If she wants to accomplish something, she will.  Sometimes it takes everything I have to ignore the kicking and screaming along the way, but when it comes down to it, this is one of her traits I am most proud of.

Don’t go changin’, Goose.  I love you just the way you are.  Happy birthday!

Goose, now with ear bling!

 

 

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