In a matter of three hours, she grew up.

Laila is 13. Well, she was 13 and now she is 17 1/2.

Last week she got her braces off. I remember getting my braces off back in 1993 and since it was such a weird big deal to me, I assumed it would be a weird big deal for Laila too. That first feel of slimy when your lips don't have metal blocking them from your smooth teeth. That first coo from your friends when they see you without your familiar metal mouth. That first bite into food that doesn't make you immediately need to suck debris out of your brackets. I remember feeling liberated and humiliated all at once, and I wanted to be there when Laila went through this rite of passage.

A few days before the big braces day, Laila texted me that she wanted to get her ears pierced after she got her braces off. I had been asking her about getting her ears pierced since she was 5, so when she initiated the conversation, I could hardly believe it. Braces removed AND ears pierced?

This was going to be a big day.

I picked her up and took her to the orthodontist, where I watched a 12-year-old boy being completely babied by his mom. Seriously, he couldn't even figure out how to throw his granola bar wrapper into the trash can without her advice. Then Laila came out with her lips rolling over her teeth and it was time for us to go to Phase 2 of Closer to Grown Up.

We walked into Claire's first. The plan was to get something to eat, but I figured it'd be good to go to Claire's first to get the initial exposure over with, then get some food, and then go back to Claire's. Luckily a lady was getting like 12 piercings on our first visit, which reassured Laila that you won't die from pain. We ate pizza, Laila's relished how little dough got stuck in her teeth and navigated retainer responsiblities, and then we headed back to Claire's, where I pretended to be her mom – the mom who couldn't remember her address.

First up was her left ear. She sat in the chair, got the directional dots, approved of placement in the mirror, and then the gun was brought to her lobe. That left ear hurt. Laila looked at me with tears welling up in her eyes and a quivering chin that cracked my heart. I just said, "I know that hurt, but it will go away. It will go away." Luckily the right ear didn't hurt a bit, and just like that, Laila had gone from a kid to a teenager.

This was the first decision she made that was all her own, grown in her own gut, set into motion by her own actions, and completed by her own will. When we got home she told her mom she wanted three holes in one ear and two in the other. Shahin was against it and looked to me for support, but what could I say?

"Well, I have 16 holes, but everyone thought I was a lesbian in high school."

Laila is growing up, and that makes me a little sad. But she is growing up to be an awesome person, and that makes me immensely happy. And I'm so grateful I get to be a part of the process, even if it means breaking the law a little bit.