by
Dara • Tuesday, February 5, 2013 •
Mommy, Can I Get My Ears Pierced, Please…
Aside from my wedding ring, I’ve never been big on wearing baubles. Guess I’ve always been a Tomboy at heart. Much to my husbands chagrin, I’ll randomly bust out a pearl necklace or bling it up with a pair of diamond studs – typically reserved for special occasions. I’ve even boycotted watches since Highschool (remember Swatch?) and hate the thought of anything dangling from my wrist, neck, ears or ankle. So you can image my disbelief upon hearing my three year-old daughter demand to get her ears pierced the other day.
Silly me for thinking clip-on barrettes in Lola’s beloved Jewfro would be enough. Just the sheer thought of pierced ears on a toddler brings visions of JonBenet Ramsey dancing in my head. The next thing you know, she’ll want to audition for TLC’s child beauty pageant show, “Toddlers and Tiaras,” something I would never condone.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to deprive my daughter of these fun life experiences. After all, I do file her nails and occasionally polish them with Piggy Paint. Call me prudish, but I always envisioned a few more years ’til girly requests such as ear piercing came up. Guess that’s to be expected when you send your kids to pre-school in New York. Perhaps the biggest dilemma I’ll inevitably have to deal with: what to do when Lola’s twin brother, Noah, begs to do the same.
For any parents out there: at what age did you decide to pierce your toddler’s ears? Looking forward to reading about your experiences.
xo
Fashion Junkie
by
Dara • Wednesday, September 12, 2012 •
Fashion Junkie Junior
Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. At the tender age of two and a half, my daughter is already exhibiting common traits of a Fashion Junkie. Case in point: she throws a tantrum if anyone even attempts to choose her outfits and feels compelled to change multiple times a day… but not just because of mac ‘n cheese and poop stains. She’s beyond obsessed with leopard-print (Gap’s fedora is her current fixation) and jeggings, proudly prances around the apartment armed with a Hello Kitty polka dot purse, faux credit card, plastic tube of red lipstick and pretends to go shopping at “the store.” Thankfully Bloomingdale’s hasn’t entered her vocabulary yet.
But what really threw me over the edge were the words she recently blurted out after attempting to test-drive my 4” Miu Miu wedge booties; “I Want To Be Mommy!” While the statement was certainly flattering, it dawned on me that I want my daughter to love me for who I am (though I’m still trying to figure that out!)… not for what I’m wearing. With this in mind, I’ve decided to re-think my shopping strategy this season. Instead of making impulsive online purchases at 4am – the only time I can focus with twin toddlers in my house!, I asked myself, “Self: do you really need 5 more leather Mackage jackets?” Truth be told: I’ve been a compulsive shopper for years and admit it’s a BandAid solution for a much bigger problem. Read more about that in this blog post.
Now that I’ve hit the big “4-0,” it’s about time I grew up and set a good example for my twins, not to mention save for their college fund. As a result, I’ve decided to temporarily boycott boutiques & e-stores and start shopping in my very own closets. Yup… I managed to snag separate storage for both my beloved footwear and clothes (thank you, hubby!). Much to my delight, I’ve discovered a veritable treasure trove of fashionable finds. Some items worth noting: Elizabeth & James pointy-toe snakeskin wedges purchased on Shopbop circa 2008 (sadly, never been worn), a teal Christian Lacroix lace dress that my insanely stylish Mom scored from Loehmann’s infamous backroom in ’98 (thankfully it still fits like a glove) and a mint-condition pair of Marc Jacobs T-straps in rich oxblood leather, which just happens to be the shade du jour. Maybe I’m way off base here, but perhaps someday my dearest daughter will appreciate the clothing sacrifices I made. Yeah, right… so long as it doesn’t affect her wardrobe.