I love their hair.
Most people however, have a problem with how LONG it is. Well, if it were buzzed short you wouldn't see how awesome it was. You'd see....a buzzed cut hair do. My sons just aren't the "buzz cut" hair type. They wouldn't look right. They've always had shaggy hair for as long as I can remember. They were born with more hair than my daughter (though they still weren't born with that much).
They've had their hair cut fairly short, and that's ok, but it grows quickly especially after being cut! So it doesn't take long before you can't tell they haven't had a hair cut. I always get numerous comments or suggestions about it.
"When are you going to cut their hair?"
"My so and so cuts hair, they will cut it for you"
"You know they are BOYS right?"
"You already have a DAUGHTER with long hair."
"Boys, don't have long hair, it doesn't look right"
"How hard is it to go cut their hair?"
"Ohhh what pretty little 'girls' you have with that long hair...."
and so on and so forth, yadda yadda yadda....This comes from strangers, friends, and family too.
I say?
Shove. It.
I'm their mom. Not you. It's hair growing on MY child's head. If they want their hair long, so be it. If they wanted to shave it bald, so be it (I would probably shed some tears, but I'd let them do it because it's well...their hair).
When I was in Kindergarten my Mother got fed up with trying to brush my unruly thick red curly hair (her hair is thin, fine, limp and life less the TOTAL opposite of mine). I really don't think she had a CLUE what to do with my hair or how to handle it's awesomeness. So she hacked it off. RIGHT before Kindergarten school pics. HARSH. I look like a boy wearing a purple flowered dress. It was like that all throughout elementary. My hair was AWFUL. It started to get a BIT better after Jr. High....by the time I was a Junior and Senior I pretty well had a handle on my hair, and now it's not an issue at all. My hair and I "Get" each other. However, I still hate the fact my Mother forced me into super short hair my whole life. Yuck.
Even my husband sported long hair in like 9th grade. I still have yet to see photos of it, but he had that long on top hair DON'T. Where it's shaved underneath and the long top was pulled back into a pony tail (Ew). He makes jokes about himself still because of that hair style. Not surprised there aren't any photos of it around!
I recently came across a blog that was shared on the Huff Post website, and for once I really really liked a blog that was shared there. This mom has a 2 year old son with gorgeous long locks, and she has heard many of the same things I've heard from others who "care" about her child's hair. Her son, like my own sons, has a story behind WHY he has long hair.
If you'd like to read this moms post, please go read "What I Really Want To Say When People Ask Why My Sons Hair Is Long"
My youngest son was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, one of many types of Childhood Cancer when he was a newly turned 3 months old. He was born with it. It was a long and wild year for us. In that time he had chemo, scans, tests, surgeries, transfusions, blood draws, and was poked and prodded by so many doctors. During chemo he lost nearly all of his hair, but it wasn't quite like some other children that go through treatment for cancer. However, when compared to his twin brother you could clearly see a difference in the hair.
It took forever for his hair to start growing again, I was afraid it would never start to grow again! His brothers hair had taken off and grew so well, but Keegan's hair took awhile.
So when it did start growing, I just let it grow. The more it grew, the more I let go the fact that he had faced such a long struggle. The more it grew it made me feel like he was putting this behind him and was showing the world he was a fighter. He grew, his hair grew, and he was able to do more and more of the things he hadn't been able to do.
He was changing. He was growing. He was turning into such a big boy. Things I was afraid he might not get a chance to do because of cancer.
The boys have decided since their last hair cut (which I think was in October? Perhaps November?) That they wanted to grow their hair out to donate to WIGS FOR KIDS an organization that creates wigs for children who are going through cancer treatment or who suffer from Alopecia or other hair loss illnesses. I'm incredibly proud of my children for wanting to do this, even my daughter wants to grow her hair out like Rapunzel so she can give it to other little girls who lost all of their hair. She says all little girls deserve to have beautiful hair, and she wants to share her red hair with another little girl.
They are growing their hair, for a purpose. At the age of 5 my sons already have a big grasp on something that they know affects children of all ages, and affects them in very big ways. It's something they've been through.
Will they successfully make it to the "cut off" with their hair? It's hard to tell. They may end up begging me to cut it off this summer, but they are at least trying. I will give them credit for that. We do have to watch them, because Keegan has trouble controlling his body temp and so he can over heat too quick and too much hair could be an issue, so we have to watch him. Marshall has dealt with a seizure disorder in the past, and again...too much heat could be bad for him, so we have to watch him as well. Their health is still more important than growing their hair long. However, at this moment in time....they are trying. They have a goal, and they are trying to reach it. If they don't reach it this year, they will try again I'm sure!
We aren't hippies, we aren't care less, we aren't lazy, we are letting our children express themselves and tell a story with their hair. Our family has had a journey. Their hair is kept clean, brushed and taken care of. They know it's hard work to have hair like theirs.
The only thing I worry about when it comes to their long hair (other than them over heating or something), is head lice! I kind of cringe at the thought of ever having to treat their hair for that! So I pray they don't come in contact with anyone that has lice! It would take a VERY VERY long time to get through all of that hair. Same for my daughter. Oh the hair!
Mae :)
