July 16, 2013

Mommy, why did you cut your hair? The REAL reason.



For 30 years of my life I had long hair.  It wasn't always curly, when I was young it had a little less than a wave.  As I go older the curls got curlier and now as I get even older they are fading.

I hate to say it but my hair has shaped my existence in this world. NOT by my choice.  The "good hair / bad hair"  system was applied to me regularly, with people always judging me by my hair.  Many times I was judged because of the state of my hair, and as a young child there is nothing you can do about it.  Young children chose to bully me because they wanted my hair or were not satisfied by the way my mother chose to care for it.  What a pity story, right?  Well, yes and no.  It was many of those stories that shaped me into the person I am today, but is it what I am hearing now that still tugs at my heart.

One morning my daughter wakes up and tells me she has dreamed of long hair.  My heart sank.  This is not the type of hair she has.  Since she was able to first tell me, she has coveted my long hair, mostly when I straightened it but sometimes when it was curly.  She has repeated over and over again, how she loves other children's long straight hair.  I have impressed on her that her hair is awesome, beautiful, full of energy, but will never be like the hair that she points out.  I press that I love her hair, and others tell her the same.  Yet, she still has some obsession to the long straight hair of most of the disney characters and her Barbies, and her most of her other dolls, which have hair of yarn.  (Although, someone recently gave us a Barbie with and afro!)

So off to the salon I went.  My favorite hair dresser Chrissy chopped it all off for me.  This is how much I want my daughter to know that hair is not the only thing that makes you beautiful and awesome... which I think I am!


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3 comments:

  1. Beautiful story. You both are so beautiful inside and out.

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  2. I love your new hair cut. BUT! I love even more your superior love for your daughter and your willingness to show her true beauty. This is a great lesson for many young women to learn (black, read, white, yellow, etc.) Natural beauty will always prevail, it is good to see a mother providing inspiration through actions and not just words.

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  3. Fabulous lesson and I love that you were brave to chop it all off. It's just hair. It will grow back. I got your back girl!

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