What do pierced ears and chickens have in common?
Sierra finally got her ears pierced. For those who don't know, she had to complete a goal first in order to be able to do so. The goal was to keep her room clean for six months straight. Some may say, so what? She should keep her room clean all the time anyway. Uh huh. Is your room 
clean 24/7 for six months in a row? Mine is certainly not. Others say...six months? Harsh! Well, there is a good reason. I needed for her to prove that she was responsible enough to be able to care for her ears. Too many of her friends seemed to be getting infections after getting their ears pierced. If she is responsible enough to keep her room clean for that long, she is responsible enough to keep her ears as clean as they need to be for the first 6 months of piercing. She started this journey when she was 8...went for about a month, then it all fell apart and she had to start over. Then she decided to time it out so that right around her 9th birthday, if successful, she could have pierced ears. And hooray! She made it! And let me tell you, I have never seen anyone so responsible with their ear cleaning. Her ear cleaning solution and cotton balls have gone with her EVERYWHERE. Sleepovers. Summer day camp. Oregon. Three times a day, without fail, she cleans and twists, twists and cleans. This Sunday is a very exciting milestone...she gets to change earrings. She already has a strategy that she'll change them every other day, always leaving in the originals for overnight. This will be the strategy through November, which will complete the first 6 months of pierced ears. She's not taking any chances. And I'm extremely proud.
clean 24/7 for six months in a row? Mine is certainly not. Others say...six months? Harsh! Well, there is a good reason. I needed for her to prove that she was responsible enough to be able to care for her ears. Too many of her friends seemed to be getting infections after getting their ears pierced. If she is responsible enough to keep her room clean for that long, she is responsible enough to keep her ears as clean as they need to be for the first 6 months of piercing. She started this journey when she was 8...went for about a month, then it all fell apart and she had to start over. Then she decided to time it out so that right around her 9th birthday, if successful, she could have pierced ears. And hooray! She made it! And let me tell you, I have never seen anyone so responsible with their ear cleaning. Her ear cleaning solution and cotton balls have gone with her EVERYWHERE. Sleepovers. Summer day camp. Oregon. Three times a day, without fail, she cleans and twists, twists and cleans. This Sunday is a very exciting milestone...she gets to change earrings. She already has a strategy that she'll change them every other day, always leaving in the originals for overnight. This will be the strategy through November, which will complete the first 6 months of pierced ears. She's not taking any chances. And I'm extremely proud.So, having watched this all unfold, Ryan has decided that he has a goal of keeping his room clean for six months. And the prize he wants? Chickens. He really really really really wants to raise chickens so we can have fresh eggs. Sierra's violin teacher has four chickens that roam around her Oakland yard, and many other families in the hills have them, as they're legal to have in Oakland. Obviously chickens are a big responsibility. I'm not quite sure taking care of chickens is equivalent to taking care of newly-pierced ears, or if keeping your room clean qualifies either, but somehow we've embarked on a let's-see journey. We'll let you know what happens!
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