Unanswered Pleas
All I wanted growing up was pierced ears. In all other aspects, I was a pure tomboy, but this one little girlish vanity trilled to me from a young age. But I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mom was luxuriating in her granola phase and thought that any kind of body piercing was unnatural and unnecessary. As the 5th girl in the family I was well aware of the obstacles to obtaining my goal. My mother doggedly repeated we could only get our ears pierced once we went to college.But did that stop me from trying?
In going through my boxes of childhood memorabilia this week, I came across a series of notes I had left on my parents' dresser. I can only imagine my parents' saved them for me out of some sick sense of delight at being able to crush my darling youthful desire. Just one of the small kick-backs of parenting.
Here's one:
Dear Mom & Dad,
I love you both. You are both so kind. Mom I love your beautiful curly brown hair. Dad you are so handsome with your nice dark eyes.
From Hollywood
P.S. This is a note to make you say yes to me getting pireed ears.
And another:
Dear Mom,
how much does it cost to get my ears pirced? Am a alowed to? If I am I will pay for it with my money. PLEASE?! I promise I will not wear weard earings and will pay for it all. If you think I am to young I'm not! I'm 10. Please!
From Hollywood
And another dated January 1990:
Dear Dad, I have left some money on your dresser please change all the change to bills. All together the moeny is $3.80. I have allredy paid tithing for it please give it to me asoon as possible. Talk to mom about me geting my ears pirced. I wrote in my letter to mom that I would pay for it all. Ask Mom for more details. From Hollywood
And one final incoherent plea of desperation:
Please Mom? Change in the money don't forget Dad! CASH!
My cries were lost in the wind and so I sourly waited until my freshman year of college to get my precious studs. You can then imagine my utter disgust when 3 years later my Mother called me from home asking me about where she and my little sister (who was barely a teenager at the time) should go to get their ears pieced together. You know, a mother-daughter bonding kind of thing. There is no justice.
And one final incoherent plea of desperation:
Please Mom? Change in the money don't forget Dad! CASH!
My cries were lost in the wind and so I sourly waited until my freshman year of college to get my precious studs. You can then imagine my utter disgust when 3 years later my Mother called me from home asking me about where she and my little sister (who was barely a teenager at the time) should go to get their ears pieced together. You know, a mother-daughter bonding kind of thing. There is no justice.
Comments
You act as if this was about principle - the piercing simply cost more than $3.80 and you just did not have the cash!!!!
Love Dad
I am appalled.
Much love, Sarah's adoring mother
this was a great post sarah! it is funny that "silly marie" (my little sis) said that the rule was 16 in our house, because i begged at least once a month for my whole life until i was over 17, and i said, "hey mom, if i get my ears pierced now i can wear real earrings to my senior prom." and my mom said, "ok." i was so chocked since the answer had been no for 17 years straight. i gleefully ran to the only place in town that pierced ears and
anyway, my favorite memory on the subject was when my cousin and i were about 10 and we put together a little skit about why we should get our ears pierced and my grandma started in about how you shouldn't be trying to attract boys at such a young age because then you will get serious with a boyfriend too young and then (with tears in her eyes!) said, "and the next thing you know there will be a baby on the way." my poor cousin and i had no idea what she was talking about and just said, "ummmm, we just think that they are pretty."
anyway, the sad ending to the story is that i have ultra sensitive ears so i haven't even worn earrings most of the time since i have had them pierced, and now i can only wear 14k gold. boo hoo.
Love your persuasive letters! Who said flattery will get you everywhere? Liars!