haircuts

Tennyson has this crazy thick, course hair. It's cute and fluffy and is sort of a dirty blondish colour with just a hint of red. These last few days have been sitting around 30 degrees, and the humidity has made the air even heavier and hotter. I've been feeling sorry for the poor boy with his ever-growing, thick course hair. After a few minutes of running around in the heat he's sweaty and red. Last night I decided it was time to shorten it somewhat.

I pulled out the clippers and told Tennyson to stand in the tub. I snapped an extension onto the clipper to keep his hair about 3/4 of an inch long. I slid the clipper into his hair. A small chunk of hair came out and then the clipper kind of stuck. I pulled it out of his mop, cleaned out the hair and tried again. Another tuft of hair came out before the clipper kind of bound up in his hair. It was obvious that it wasn't going to work. At this point, there was a couple of chunks missing from the front of his hair, but the length thing wasn't working. I snapped the extension off. I tried to adjust the blade a little so that it was at its longest, but it turns out the clipper just hums and doesn't really clip.

My only option was just to make it its shortest. Then the greedy clipper hungrily whirred into action. I started at the front of his head and worked my way back. Chunks of thick, sweaty hair dropped into the tub. Strips of his white head became visible - a noticeable contrast to his tanned forehead. It wasn't exactly a hairstyle that I had wanted for him, but at that point I was committed to the task.

In a few minutes I was done. Poor Tennyson. His largish ears were now fully exposed, his velcro-like head looked huge and strange on his shoulders, and he looked a little like an alien and a soldier made a baby.

I sighed and looked down at my second son, who was leaping around the bathroom, naked, ready and waiting for his turn to "look like Daddy."

Mitchie's hair is totally different from Tennyson's. It's blond, soft, fine, and definitely not in need of being shaved from his head so he doesn't expire in the heat.

However, how do I tell one child that I don't want to give him a ridiculous haircut, especially when the first child is standing there all proud of his? How do I imply to Tennyson that I don't really think his head looks cool?

"Steven," I called out. "I don't really want to do this to Mitchie." I ran my fingers through his soft blond locks.

"Do it," shouted Steven.

I sighed. I was outvoted. Now I had two scrawny naked boys dancing around in fluffy piles of Tennyson's hair in the bathtub. I fired up the clippers and ran it down the center of Mitchie's head. The excitement in the tub mounted. "You look cool Tennyson!" hollered Mitchell. "You're going to look cool too!" Tennyson exclaimed. "Just like Daddy!"

Mitchie's baby-fine hair shaved off quicker than Tennyson's. Seeing his pale white head exposed made me a little sad. Thankfully hair grows back.

After their shower their joy couldn't be contained. They ran around the house naked and squealing for a few minutes. Looking ridiculous. Like alien babies.


Comments

Lora said…
did you cry? Because I would have cried. That EXACT same thing happened with Jake a few years ago and it was so heart wrenching. After he was done, he was just this giant pair of eyes on a ball. I cried.

Of course they still look handsome, but yeah.
Tiffany said…
I know!! It makes me a little sad, and looks a little ridiculous. I'm a little embarrassed to take them places, convinced that people are thinking "Um, does she know what she did to those kids, and how stupid it looks?"

They're still cute, sure, but hair would be nice. :(

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