I’ve adopted a parenting philosophy without realizing I had done so… When it comes to milestones, fads and trends, my girls will not be the first but they will also not be the last. Now that I’ve stumbled upon it, the whole thing seems pretty wise, if I do say so myself.

Caroline has been begging for pierced ears since she could link two words together. And the child is persistent. I truly couldn’t even begin to imagine the number of times I’ve said no.

 I had originally planned on letting Caroline get her ears pierced when she turned twelve. I was a full blown teenager and certainly the last of my friends so twelve seemed more than fair. And then I started to see all the little girl ears with earrings in them. I dialed down to ten. And then this summer, we counted friends with and without earrings. Caroline was one of only three girls in her group who did not have her ears pierced. And one of the girls didn’t want them done.

Decision made. Not the first, not the last.

First there were smiles all around because Caroline looked so darn pretty.

Then the smiles came when I said, “So, what are you going to start asking for now?”

And Caroline replied, without missing a beat, “A cellphone.”