Which she apparently didn't like, because one morning, she took a pair of my knitting scissors to both the front and back of her head.
Giving herself one heck of a mullet.
After a visit to Cooky Cutters (maybe the greatest establishment in the Toledo area), we ended up with this haircut. And I loved it (after the initial two-week adjustment period). She even wanted it cut "like Daddy's" again before preschool started.
I thought maybe Mimi would skip this stage because of her great love for the "Sleeping Beauty" hair she has grown. (Except for that one time last February where she cut a little 1" piece off the ends, and I immediately overreacted in my usual way by saying "Mimi, if you cut your hair again, I'll cut off one of your fingers." Great parenting, Em.) And I was glad. Because child-given haircuts give me a little stress (okay, a lot of stress--my priorities are obviously wrong), and I love her long, shiny, silky hair. I love all those hairdo ideas on Hair Today. When I do twisty pigtails on Naomi, I feel like I must be a good mom who really loves her daughter to help her look so cute. 
So, when we were all projecting this morning--me sewing some teddy bear clothes (story later), and the girls cutting and gluing tissue to construction paper-- I didn't think to worry. Until I heard "Mom, I'm really sorry I did this thing." I turned around to see this.
Well, not precisely this, but a little blond girl with half of one pigtail cut off and a big chunk out of her bangs. She hid in shame when I tried to take a picture. (Or maybe she was hiding because she actually remembered my crazy finger-cutting threat and thought I would follow through.)
I tried to fix it myself, but could see this was going nowhere. So, lovely, lovely Kelly fixed it for me this afternoon. Aided by Barbie and the Diamond Castle, which kept the patient still for the surgery.I have these comments to make on the whole affair (with points assigned because vague, amorphous, non-competitive things like parenting still need to be quantified):
1) I am proud of myself. I didn't yell. I didn't spank. I didn't burst into tears. I simply told her how mad I was and made her sit in her room for a bit while I collected myself. +10 parenting points
2) I also didn't comfort her when she kept talking about how her friends were going to run away and not play with her because she was so ugly without long hair. I let her stew in her juices for a while, hoping that will deter her from doing this again. I can't decide if that is +0 or -10 parenting points.
3) I contemplated buzzing her whole head, just to make a point. -50 parenting points
4) I didn't buzz her. +40 parenting points.
I think I come out of this experience about even in the parenting department. Of course, the crazy bangs are going to keep us reminded of this little adventure for a while. (Do you think I should buzz just the bangs, as sort of a partial lesson?)
9 comments:
Oh Meems! I just can't believe it.
And Em, I think you handled yourself wonderfully. I certainly would have lost WAY more points than I gained. And Mimikins still has all her fingers. . . that's all that really matters.
+50 for helping Mimi end up with a very cute, modern haircut.
Did you consider letting Liv "fix" Mimi's hair? If she did a good job--bonus. If she didn't, it would have been a little bit lighter of a sentence than buzzed hair.
Blogging is such great therapy. I love it. I do so love the naughty things that little kids do. (as long as it is not mine). It is so great to see them learning cause and effect. What kind of points would you give if you tried to buzz your daughter's hair after a haircut, but the husband decided to overrule you?
OH MY GOODNESS! that's all i have to say...
Oh no!!!! She looks so terrified hiding behind the couch! If anyone can pull of crazy bangs, it's definitely Mimi. I can't wait to see tomorrow.
When we first met you guys Jeff and I kept talking about how cute Olivia's pixie haircut was. I had no idea it started as a mullet! That picture is so hilarious!
Why am I not surprised that Kelly came to the rescue? She's so fabulous.
Thank you for putting the link to the hair do site. I have been trying to remember that for Jessi. Sorry, I hope this comment isn't like pouring salt in a wound.
Thank the good Lord above for boys! IF and when they decide to cut, the buzz is the only option! And Em, thanks again for numbering your points for us! Heeheeeeehe! Ah, it's good to know that the Well's have not changed one bit since moving away from us! Sad, because I miss you... thankful to know that WE were not the sole bad influence on your beautiful, seemingly perfect little girls!
+100 points to the Born family!!!!!
oh, I totally feel for you. Earlier this year calvin cut his hair and clares hair. I didn't yell either becuas I was too mad to do anything (and he could see that this was the case and happily sent himself to safety, AKA time out). Your kids are so cute. Days like this certianly make you wonder how cute they are but seriously, they are so darling! I am still trying to learn how to do cute hair.
i think you should give yourself +10 points for letting her stew. sometimes letting them figure stuff out for themselves is the best parenting one can do. i hate to tell you this however, she still looks cute, don't tell her i said that. avery is creeping ever closer to the dreaded self hair cut. i'll try to remember not to scream or spank when she finally works up the courage.
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