Hair today, gone today, too!

Anyone who has known Rick and I for long, you know that we've always kept our boys' hair short--like military short. Before we even had kids, we had shears for Rick's Army hair cuts. And we have proudly kept the tradition with our boys. We have even talked at length in our family about the hair cuts that would and would not ever be allowed... No mohawks, rat tails or mullets. No exceptions! (fear the mullet) I have always liked short hair on boys (well, except Sawyer on LOST, but that's another blog entirely. Is it getting warm in here? Anyway... ) and thought we'd always have short-haired boys. I expected that Rick's resolve would be stronger than mine. So, I was quite surprised at the beginning of the school year when our family morphed into a longer hair phase of life.

As a teen I absorbed many lessons about life and parenting. One of the things I remember was a lesson taught by one the wives of a church official. She had teenage boys at the time and she talked about when to be flexible with your standards as a parent and when to stand your ground. She specifically mentioned hair style/length and I accepted the wisdom behind her words. She encouraged parents to give a little when it comes to fashion statements like hair, allowing kids some room to express themselves, while vigilantly preserving the more fundamental family values like drinking, drugs and sexual activity. That made a whole lot of sense to me. Until I became a mom and had these little representatives of my parenting walking around the world. It's a whole new ball game when you become a parent... And as tough as it is for me sometimes to let my kids make their own choices, I know it's best to teach them my values and then trust them to make good choices for themselves... But sometimes (and most of the time when they are as young as mine still are) I have a huge say in their everyday choices--screen time, nutritional options, clothing choices, leisure time activities, and hairstyle--sometimes.

This past summer our boys wanted to grow their hair out. Long. How long, I'm not quite sure. So Rick and I compromised. We recognize that fitting in with peers and keeping up with the latest fashions (and making independent choices) is all a part of the childhood experience. We had at least one shirt with that stupid little alligator on the front. So we let the boys grow their hair out, with the agreement that they would get a short hair cut on the last day of school. It was my intention to encourage periodic trimmings along the way, but Elijah has not been interested and Gabriel only got one, right after school started. (Yeah, it has been my intention to have a clean house, too... so much for my intentions)

As it turns out, I kind of like my boys' longer hair. There are days, of course, that they look wild. But having a hair-do to match their personality isn't a bad thing, I guess. Sometimes I would look at older photos from and miss that military buzz, but overall I have enjoyed the experience. So, I was a little disappointed and a lot surprised when Gabriel announced that he wanted a hair cut. Tonight. Rick hopped right out of bed and jumped at the chance to indulge what I bet he perceived as an impulsive choice. (I'm not sure Rick has been as fond of the new do's as I have been).

So, there it is... Gabriel grew his hair out for almost 6 months with no cuts. And he got sick of it. He plans on growing it back out again, but wants more frequent trims this time... I can manage that. (Get ready, Amber... you're gonna have some more regulars soon). I am guessing Elijah is going to hold out to the end (of the school year, that is... Come the last day, his curly locks will fall to the bathroom floor, too)... That's just Elijah's way. Maybe I can talk him into a trim between now and then. I can always bribe him, if need be...

All this talk about hair cuts makes me anxious for my own. I plan on donating my hair again this spring, but lately I have wanted to expedite the process. It's long enough now, but I will enjoy (or endure, depending on the day) my long hair a few more months... maybe!