Last week, our neighbor, Agneta, pulled a coup we never thought possible: she got the boys’ hair cut. We didn’t think Leif would be much of a problem, but August has always disliked both change and any sort of meeting with a hairdresser/doctor/nurse/dentist/you get the idea. We had a rather tragic attempt last summer when we were in Michigan that felt traumatizing for all of us—and that’s without even sitting down in the hairdresser’s chair!
But. Last week, Agneta picked up the boys from preschool and took them to the town centrum (essentially a mall). First she took them to the toy store, and said they could have anything they wanted—after they got haircuts. So they happily went to the hairdresser and got their hair chopped off, then went back to the toy store to get their matching helicopters. I tell you, our neighbor is magic.
While we do like August’s hair a bit long, it had gotten too long, even for us.
I really missed being able to see his sweet face, as it was always covered by his hair (except, of course, when jumping 😉 ). But, you have to admit it’s a gorgeous mane of hair.
I was a bit nervous while Agneta was out with them, but she kept sending pictures of their adventure.
At first I thought it was the lighting, but when they came home I saw that they really did have blue hair! The stylist asked if August wanted any color in his hair, and he said yes. Blue. And of course, whatever big brother does, little brother does, too.
I’ve always been curious to know what August would look like with short hair—and now I know. It’s wonderful being able to see his neck and his ears again, but you know what? I really miss the longer hair! It suited him so well.
We’ve taken a LOT of criticism from our families over the years for August’s long hair, but we’ve always stood by our own preferences. And in Sweden, we’ve always been supported. We’ve met many boys with hair longer than August’s. The first time we visited the boys’ current preschool, the head teacher pulled me aside and said, “Please don’t cut his beautiful hair!” We’ve found that people in the US and the UK are much more old-fashioned—and judgmental—about this.
I was worried that August wouldn’t like it, because it’s such a big change, but he’s fine with it.
(And yes, if you’re wondering, we’ve also taken a lot of indirect criticism for allowing him to wear—and even like—pink!)
Both James and I love when his hair is somewhere in between these two extremes, as he had it last summer.
I think he looks like such a dreamboat; but then, I’m his mom, and I’m hard-wired to find him beautiful.
Of course Leif got his hair cut too, but it wasn’t such a dramatic transition for him, which is why he’s not the focus of this post. Here are his before and after shots.
We’re hoping that if we get their hair cut more regularly, while still allowing it to grow out a bit, it won’t be such a traumatic event for them. I supposed that we’re nearing an age when August will more clear opinions about things like his hair, so we won’t have as much say as we do now.
Do your kids like getting their hair cut? Have you received criticism about the hairstyle you’ve chosen for your kids? How do you handle it?
Most photos by me, except the two taken while on their adventure with Agneta. She took those.
Some thoughts on not telling kids to smile for pictures, and other thoughts on kissing their boo-boos.
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