Glam Slam: A Mother’s Haircut Anxiety

My 5-year- old wants to cut off her hair. All her hair. She wants it short…. to her chin — a bob.

I’m not sure what to do!

She used to love her hair and loved pretending she was Rapunzel in “Tangled” or Anna in “Frozen.” But lately, all that’s changed.

I think her hair is beautiful. I’m not the only one. People stop us all the time and ask if her hair is real because it’s unbelievably thick and then they touch it (usually without asking if it’s OK). My daughter says she’s tired of strangers asking about and touching her hair and making such a big deal over it. I can’t say I blame her. Although, as someone with extremely thin, stringy hair… it would be a small price that I would be willing to pay to have that kind of hair! (Obviously, she got her thick hair from her dad, not me!)

Her hair is A LOT of work though. It takes 45 minutes of combing it through with conditioner to get all the tangles and knots out. Mostly, she keeps it in braids to try to contain it and keep tangles to a minimum. I’ve asked a few people their opinions about cutting it. One friend with really long, beautiful hair said go ahead and let her cut it. Do it now while she’s young because she will realize how nice her hair is and probably never want to be so drastic again.

I looked into donating to “Locks of Love.” The minimum is 10 inches. I know it’s just hair and it will grow back…and it does make me feel better that it will go to a good cause. But still!!!! Mama can’t help but feel a little sad.

I’m sure it’s just the first of many hurdles I will be crossing though, having two girls. A haircut seems pretty tame to all the piercings, purple hair and tattoos that could be coming my way in the future. Oh yeah…can’t wait for all that. LOL.

— Ryan Patterson