I have blindingly clear memories of being seven years old. I know it was 15 20 25 years ago GOD WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT FROM ME I’M OLD but it matters not: You experience pain of the magnitude I experienced and you remember.
Scraped knees paled in comparison. The time I got my five-year-old index finger trapped in the checkout belt at the grocery store? Couldn’t touch it. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, measured up to the searing agony of having my long hair brushed by my mother. The pulling. The tangle-trapped combs. It was…horrific. So horrific, in fact, that I swore up and down, in between sobs and threats of running away from home (forever and ever) (oh, and she would never find me) (also, she’d be SO SORRY), that I would never inflict such pain on my own little girl when I was a mother.
Yeah. So about that.
It’s not like it’s my fault. I would have truly cut it a long time ago, or at least taken her for more than the occasional split-end trimming, but nooooo. Adam is adamant that His Little Girl will have long hair, like All Little Girls Have, because that is what you are supposed to do when You Have a Little Girl. I argue. I make points and counterpoints. I reason. But it’s like logic won’t touch him, which is particularly stupefying when you consider that part of Adam’s double major in college was philosophy.
Then I went to BlogHer. And Adam and Aura had four long, tangle-drenched, tantrum-laced days alone.
We have a haircut appointment for later this week. When I actually take time to feel something other than smarmy satisfaction, I realize that I will miss the long ponytail.
But somehow we’ll all survive. Plus, I really don’t want to be the mother of a three-year-old runaway. They really look down upon you in moms’ groups for that.
You know what’s even worse than the tangles? THE BLOWDRYER. Avery tells me EVERY DAY she wants her hair long again so I don’t have to blowdry it. EVERY DAY.
That being said, Aura will be precious with short hair. (But she’ll probably hate the blowdryer)
ha! Nothing like a weekend alone with the kids to make the husbands understand what we bitch about!
Be sure to show us before & after shots of her new ‘do – I’m sure she’ll be a gorgeous little girl no matter what hairstyle she has!
Hahahaha… i love that all it took was 4 days. Here – how bout you do it from now on? Oh, you want to cut it now? Huh. I thought she needed to have long hair like All Little Girls have??
That is HILARIOUS.
Actually 26. It’s been 26 years since you were 7.
You’re welcome.
You could donate it maybe and then it would be a special memory for all of you!
Aaah, 7 years old. The good ole days. 33 years ago to be exact. Days when my older brother was 9, younger 3 and I was one bad ass kindergarden wonder boy. I could paint the crap out of a Paint by Numbers and put together a 12 piece elephant puzzle like you can’t imagine.
Nice, 1977 was really good to me.
PL&L
Was my husband really seven in kindergarden? How does a seven year old in kindergarden get away with paint by numbers and 12 piece puzzles. No wonder he can’t figure out how the fire alarms work.
We just did an end-of-summer chop here, and it’s been great. As long as I’m the one dealing w/ the tangles and whining and crying, I’ll have their hair on the shorter side. Besides, it’s so hot in the summer with long hair!
My oldest daughter took matters into her own hands and I had to walk around with a minature Joe Dirt for about 6 months until it grew out. I decided a shoulder length bob for my younger daughter was adorable.
In my day (I absolutely WIN the ‘old contest’ hands down) the short haircuts were called ‘pixies’. Yours truly sported a bright red bowl. We were broke and Mom cut it herself. Lovely. I feel a soul- purging blog post coming on…..
Your lovely gal will be absolutely gorgeous with long or short hair. I’m certain of it.
Oh, the memories… It was my aunt who made me de-tangle, and worse, blow-dry, my thick mess of hair. I loved spending the night at her house, except for that stupid nighttime routine.