Haircuts

I will be forever grateful to Ed’s Aunt Sandy for being a hair stylist who always cut Ed’s hair, had him working in her salon, and taught him enough that he can cut Ethan’s hair (and his own). Getting a haircut is expensive…and as often as Ethan needs one, well, a set of clippers has already more than paid for itself. 

Emry’s hair is more difficult. For one, it is very thick. And wavy, like mine. Which is just hard to deal with. I have cut it a few times, but I always miss pieces. Thankfully, she is a girl so it can grow out for a while before it’s in sore need of a cut. The last couple of times I’ve taken her to get it done when I have a coupon or they’re having a special. After all, that’s when I get mine done…every six months or more!

Last week, as we were getting ready for dance class, I grabbed Emry’s hairbrush, pulled out the ponytail and started brushing. Only to have a chunk of hair come out with the brush. Maybe “chunk” is an exaggeration, but it was not a few pieces like always comes out when I brush her hair. I was shocked. More came out when I brushed again, and again. By now I was a bit scared. What in the world was going on? These were long pieces, as if they came from the top of her head, but I couldn’t see from where. And then it suddenly hit me…

“Emry…did you cut your hair?”

For a moment, there was silence. And then tears. 

I was so relieved.

“Emry, I’m not angry,” I promised, “but did you cut your hair?”

“Yes,” she confessed. “It was stuck.”

As any girl knows, sometimes hair gets pulled by a ponytail holder. I think that happened while she was settling down for her nap, she couldn’t figure out how to stop the pull, and so she found her scissors. A couple of clips at the top of her head solved that problem…and freaked me out a couple of hours later when I took out the ponytail and brushed. 

Promising again I was not angry, I also made her promise not to ever cut her own hair again. Every girl has to try it once, and we’ve done it.  So that should be the end of that. 

Hopefully.