Littletree has lately been saying she doesn't want to have dreadlocks anymore. She had wanted them in the first place; her hair naturally falls in perfect golden ringlets, and I used to be quite vain about them. I used to brush her hair regularly and she always hated it.
Here's one of the last photos I have of her curls, taken in December 06:
Just after that was taken, Littletree refused to let me brush her hair at all. She ran away from me, screaming "don't touch my hair! I'm getting dreadlocks!"
Ahh well.
So she slowly grew natural dreaddies, and they were just starting to get really long and natty. 
But, kids being kids, she still didn't want dreads. Thankfully I took a whole bunch of photos of her flicking her hair around:
a
The next day, when I was busy doing something else and not paying attention, she got out the scissors...
Littletree came to me, almost crying, and said, "mama, you were right. I didn't realise it would be so short".
At first I didn't understand, and then I saw the back of her head.
Well, it's her hair and she can do what she likes with it, but she was so sad about it. She refused to leave the house because she didn't want anyone to see.
Lots of things went through my mind, like "I told you so" or "well, you cut your own hair, now you have to face the world like that", or being mad with her, because I would have done it for her, neatly. But none of those things would have been very supportive, and she was really upset; she needed my love.
I cuddled her, and we talked about it. She totally refused to let anyone know that she had shorn hair, and cried at the thought of walking around town like that. So I went into the dollar shop and bought her a wig.
She likes the wig a lot, and her hair will grow.
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You may just have to do a boy cut on her like i had to do on the twins when big sister took scissors to their hair. I just did a 1/2 inch cut and it's growing so fast.... maybe you can convince her that if she cuts it all even it'll grow out faster?
ReplyDeletePoor Little Tree! My girls all a go at cutting their own hair too! Once when Ashlee was little like you she had hair right down to her bottom and she got a hair brush stuck in it near her ear. Her daddy cut off her hair very short, she was sad but it grew back really fast.
ReplyDeleteYou could do an experiment to measure how quickly your hair grows. Measure it once a week and write it down! You will be surprised how fast it really does grow back!
maybe you could mention that it will only be short for a little while, and then it will start to curl straight away as it grows?
ReplyDeleteAll little girls like to cut their hair.. She is so cute! I would take her to the beautiful shop for a day of pampering. And let them even it up, I bet it will look so good short, be easier to shampoo and take care of.
ReplyDeleteAnd hair grows so fast!
I think you are just the funnest mama ever.
ReplyDeleteIsn't hair cutting some sort of rite of passage? :-) Poor LT!
ReplyDeleteI adore you. Have I said that lately? In most ways you are the epitome of what I think of as attached parenting.
ReplyDeletethanks everyone :)
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with letting her leave it as it is. I offered to neaten it up for her, but she doesn't want to. she's also happy having the long bangs around her face. I had thought that cutting her hair for the first time would be a kind or rite of passage, perhaps when she reached menarche... but that's what I get for thinking ;)
Poor Little Tree! I hope it grows back fast for you.
ReplyDeleteI remember cutting my curls off when I was four. Some reason I hated curls I took the sewing scissors into the toilet and chop chop off they went. I thought hidding the evidence behind the toliet mum woundn't find them there.LOL.
Maybe layering around the back so she can still have length at the front. But not quite a mullet!
Oh´I wish I could have been there for that! Ha ha, I am laughing so hard....!
ReplyDeleteMy sister lost her hair in so many ways, I cant recount them all here.
(I was responsible for 2 out 10 or so of them).
There was the time she got her long hair caught in the electric egg beater... had to cut around it.
The time she mistook hair remover cream for shampoo...
The innumerable times she and her small friends played barber on each other. The time when I got a sticker fly paper stuck in her hair, the time when I was chasing her around with a home made flamethrower...
Ah yes the shame of a bad haircut...
L