To cut or Not to Cut...

Growing up as a young girl in the late 80's early 90's the style all the pop sensations were wearing was short hair, with a perm if possible. Whitney Huston, Donna Summers, Queen Latifa, TLC and the list just goes on. all the super cool Chic's had short hair. Naturally I wanted to be cool like them....(I think about it now and how they were all black and I realize maybe the kid n play look wouldn't have worked out for me) anyhow, like them I too wanted the awesome short hair.

Now before I go any further I must explain how beautiful my hair was a a young girl. It was long below my rear end and so soft and healthy. Every night my mom would put a braid in it so that I didn't wake up with knots in it. My younger sister also had long hair. Long hair was our claim to fame, our pride and joy, everybody loved it.

then, almost like in a old western novel the wind began to blow a little too slowly one day. The town was quiet and everybody had the feeling of change on their minds. My mom had made the usual trip to the grocery store and noticed that the super cuts in the shopping plaza was having a $5 special on hair cuts. My mother, killing two birds with one stone decided it was best for me to go get my hair cut while she shopped to be more efficient. I was scared. I had never really done stuff like that on my own before. I went ahead and walked into the super cuts. The smell of perm solution and nail Polish remover filled the air. "I wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Huston was playing on the radio. I remember thinking I too wanted to dance with somebody, feel the heat with somebody but I was only a kid and had no idea what I was singing along too.
Anyhow, a lady wearing giant earrings came gliding across the floor. She was a heavy set gal but she had a cool shirt clip and short curly hair with a neon green headband and I knew I was in trouble.
"Hi sweetie, go ahead and grab a book and take a look at what kind of style you want and Kim will be with you soon." I look over at Kim and she looks promising. She was Asian and I know I was only like 9 but I am pretty sure I said to myself " oh cool shes Asian she knows how to cut hair"
So I look through this book. We all know of the books at hair salons right? all super lame hair styles that without massive amounts of gel, dye and wet concrete you could never repeat the style yourself? All the women looked so super awesome to me I couldn't decide who I wanted be.
Kim came over and put her hand on my shoulder and asked if I was ready. I told her yes even though deep inside I wanted to scream " don't touch my hair!
I sat in the chair while she wrapped the big black cape around my neck. the flattering black cape. I told her I couldn't decide on a cut but that I wanted a trim. My mom made it clear that I was only there to get a trim to the middle of my back. I made sure I said "trim" I figure hair cut Lady's know what that means.
Well, Kim didn't know what I meant by trim. I can only imagine that she saw the book I was reading and assumed I wanted short hair like the women in the pictures, because she started chopping hair off like crazy. I was just a kid and didn't know what to say or do so I just sat there watching her cut my hair. All my long hair.
Needless to say my mom did not pay for the "hair cut" and I was so devastated. I remember my brother telling me it wasn't so bad and that I kinda looked like the blond from Wilson Phillips.
this did make me feel better for the moment.

Traumatizing to say the least. This short hair cut set my life into a spiral of other bad haircuts and old ladies telling me how cute my hair was. Not mention I wore glasses too big for my head. Just a bad news bear all around.

I tell you all this because my beautiful long haired three year old has been asking me to get her cut like the Little girl from the Chronicles of Narnia. A short bob hair cut. Short, like to the ears short.
Now, I know its my job to help her find herself and all that but after much debate I finally pretended to call the "Barber shop" as Jaden called it, and pretended that the hair cut ladies only cut hair for girls at age four and up. Jaden seemed cool with this, her response was " oh, so when I am four like Joei I can go to the barber."

That was that. Does this make a bad parent? a Selfish parent? AM I living vicariously through her?
Probably. But of the things, moments, styles and boy troubles that I will see her through in her lifetime...she will never endure a bad haircut while in the midst of them. Not on my Watch.

PS- Thanks for the crummy haircut Kim!