Thursday, April 24, 2008

Hair-Part 1

I should say now that there will probably be more posts about hair. I have some hair issues. I think my hair issues --I can't decide whether to cut short again or keep growing -- are representative of the transitional nature of the current period of my life. But it's a big subject for me, so to ease into it, I'm going to talk about my daughter's hair. It needs to be cut. I'm not great at keeping on top of the kids' haircuts, and I really resisted their first cut (my babies!), but, whatever, I get the job done. My daughter's hair is now fairly long, she hates to have it combed, but it looks cute some of the time, and when I say cute, I mean CUTE. But now, I'm contemplating bangs for her, and I feel like it's a big decision. Like, if she doesn't like them, sure they'll grow, but we all know how awful it is to grow out bangs! And will, like, her whole face change? My friend E., the one without the cell phone, gave her daughter a pixie, and she's my idol. Because her daughter looks AMAZING with a pixie, and somehow E. just knew that would be the case. She didn't think twice about it. Me? I was nervous all day thinking about the bang cut. I know it would be easier for her and me, so why am I so nervous? Am I so sentimental? Do I have such rigid ideas about girls' hair? I'm usually pretty blithe about cutting my own hair. Why am I so timid about Helen's? I'm tempted to do research - moms and daughters and the bangs, what do you say? But part of me thinks I'm just resisting changing her hair like I resisted getting rid of their cribs, like if I do it, college will be tomorrow. But it will be anyway, so she might as well have the hair out of her face.

Right?

5 comments:

Dinko's assistants said...

HI Robin,
One time I remember talking with you at the park about the kids' hair and I said "D. doesn't mind getting it washed, it's the rinsing that's the problem" and you said "We *all* have the rinsing problem."

Bangs/no bangs may just be a warmup for the long/short//should I/shouldn't I conversation. (Do some women not have this conversation with themselves?) When baby A. grows out of being bald I bet I'll be asking myself the same question. Let us know how it goes for you!

--Diana

Anonymous said...

You know, I *h-a-t-e-d* my bangs while I was growing up. My mom gave me the Dorothy Hamill every year until I was 12, when she permitted a perm. But I didn't know I hated my bangs until I was about 8, when everyone else was rocking a french braid, and my hair wasn't even long enough to pin up.

The funny think is that I only recently grew my long desired shoulder length hair--and I have bangs (LOL). I vote for giving Helen bangs, growing out your own until you decide it's not for you, and not stressing about it.

Robin Aronson said...

Hey Diana! I think that every woman has that long/should, should I shouldn't I conversation -- I'll be interested to see how that is when A. is no longer bald! (Hair washing is still not easy in our house)...but I think, as you suggest Roni, I am going to go with the bangs for Helen, and keep growing out my own hair...mostly b/c I'm in the midst of a project and I can't do anything but the work when I have time for the work which means no hair cuts!

I did just see a school picture of myself from the fourth grade rocking the Dorothy Hamill....I say "rocking" for no reason at all...it was not a great hair moment for me....

Nikki said...

robin-

popping in to say hello! do not cut bangs for H. when i did it for T at 18 months it was out of desperation (with super straight hair and an aversion to clips it was necessary) and they only finished growing out about 6 months ago, at age 4. of course, now she loves clips etc. your kids are cute just the way they are (some recent pix sent to me will only prove this matter further!)

nikki

Robin Aronson said...

ahhh, Nikki! I thought of you and T's bangs and whether or not you were pleased with them -- I thought she looked so cute! But, clearly, you were not satisfied.....I take that advice to heart...although today when H was painting pottery and pushing the hair out of her eyes, I was wondering why I was so slow on the draw....so nice to see oyu here!