Apparently I’m not the only one reinventing myself in 2005. Do you think it’s something in the water…?
Behold, the Daughter Formerly Known As Scragglepuss. Do you have a daughter? If you do, you know that every little girl hits a point where she decides that She Must Have Long Hair. Because it’s Girly. And Pretty. And Princess-y. And I don’t know about you, but even though I have long hair, myself, this is a phenomenon that makes me want to puncture my own eardrums with pages ripped from “The Feminine Mystique,” because listening to my offspring wax lyrical about how she might not be an actual girl without long hair touches something very deep within myself… namely, incredulity. Anyway. Perhaps your little princess-wannabe has beautiful hair. We hate you. Haha! Not really! We just hate her hair. Because—as the picture demonstrates—Chickadee’s hair, even whilst approaching her waist, is only slightly more substantial and no more attractive than spun sugar. It’s long, yes. Pretty, no. Tangly, snarly, flyaway; yes, yes, and good lord why didn’t I have all boys?
And little did I know; one good detangling session and my creature of habit would turn to me and say, “I think I’m ready for you to cut my hair off.”
We talked about it. We went about our day, and I told her that if she still wanted me to cut it when we got home, I would. After a playdate and errands she bounced into the house and announced that it was time to cut her hair.
Then the heavens opened up, confetti and balloons fell from the sky, the Hallelujah chorus blared, and I accidentally stabbed myself in the eye with the scissors while turning cartwheels.
That’s not true. I can’t do a cartwheel to save my life.
I think it came out adorable. The nice thing about shorter hair for a child (anyone, really) with very fine hair is that you can SHAPE it and make it APPEAR to have some actual BODY. You know, so that it doesn’t look like you are a street waif without proper hygiene. Anyway, she loves it; I love it. I suspect her father is going to have a heart attack, but, well, that would just be an added bonus, I suppose. She looks much older now, I think… which is bittersweet. But she also looks like we occasionally wash and brush her hair, so I’m thrilled. And after she stood and admired herself in the mirror for a while, she told me it’s like she’s a “whole new girl.”
I gave her a squeeze and said, “I know just how you feel.”
Much Bettah. Especially since she likes it too.
I was just like Chickadee when I was little – fine, staticky, tangly hair and all. Except my stubbornness lasted much much longer than hers. My mother wouldn’t let me grow my hair past my shoulders, but I kept it that long until I was 10 or 11. After that, I never went back, until I grew my hair out for Locks of Love last year. Even then, I remembered why I’d kept my hair short for so long.
So I salute your little Chickadee, and wish you both many many years of cute tangle-free bob-ness.
Aww look how much healthier it looks! I love it! It makes me want to cut my long straggly tangly hippie hair.
I had long hair as a little girl, then began cutting it when I was 10 and couldn’t stop. I even ended up with just an inch of hair once – cause once the scissors start, I just can’t stop. But about 4 years ago I swore that I was going to let it grow long for the first time in a decade, and I did. And I hate it. But, if I cut it off, I know I’ll be pissed for the 4 years I spent painfully growing it out.
This is a familiar story to us’ns. The Mistress of Sarcasm had a striking short haircut when she was nine years old, but over time she grew it out until it was veeerrry long (there’s a picture of it in the Family Album section of my Monumental Exercise website). But a couple of years ago she decided it was too much maintenance, so off it went, with the results you see on my sidebar. Short hair: easy to maintain, and it looks good. What’s not to love?
Rapunzel’s life must’ve been one big, long pain in the ass…
My little girl wants her long hair cut short too. We’ve been talking about it since before Christmas. If I knew her hair would love as great as Chickie does, I would feel much better!
Shush. Her hair looks wonderful. Since I was younger than Chickadee I have wanted long hair and except for a brief stint of tresses insanity I still have long hair.
My mother suggested that a woman of my age should consider having short hair. Proving of course that my mother is insane and does not wish to be given anything of value for Mother’s Day.
Long hair is wonderful…except when it tangles, needs to be blow dried and flys into yoru face when there is any breeze. Other than that it is wonderful for all girls and women of a certain age. Meaning of course ANY age.
Please tell my mother I said so.
So, so cute.
YOU did that? YOURSELF? Man alive, woman, is there anything you CAN’T do?
Amy–dang woman, your mail always rejects my mail, and it makes me saaaaaaaad–yes, there’s a lot I can’t do, if it isn’t blogging, cutting hair, or pretending to cook.
Adorable! My 8 year old cut her hair off this year, and it’s SO much easier! Let her know that THIS fishie auntie thinks she’s a knockout! ;-)
Mir, I have Chickadee’s hair (except hers seems to be thicker, and with a little bit of a curl ;->) and I have to say — I wish you had been my mom! because my mom could not cut hair, especially not my very-hard-to-cut-too-thin-to-be-long-hair, and I had crooked, uncute, haircuts forever and ever until I could afford to pay someone to do them (well, even after that because my hair IS very hard to cut — sigh).
YOU give a great haircut, and Chickadee’s hair looks great! She is indeed a “new girl” and I hope all the attention at school tomorrow, and from her dad, makes her feel GOOD!!
It looks great, you did an awesome job!
Delurking to say that my daughter–who I am beginning to think is the Canadian Chickadee (also *my* childhood nickname, btw)–and I had the same experience a few weeks ago. It is hard when suddenly you look at her and this child you’ve been sneaking free on the bus for years now looks like a schoolage fare. With great hair.
Wow! That doesn’t look like the same head of hair at all. I was one of those kids who wanted long, princessy hair but mine was really thick and very fine, which is a bad combo so my mom gave me a bowl cut the first day of kindergarten. I was so traumatized that I wouldn’t wear pants to school until third grade because I was afraid everyone would think I was a boy (then I got in trouble by the third grade teacher for sitting with my legs apart and showing my panties, so I was traumatized and wouldn’t wear a dress again). What a long story for a comment. Anyway, looks cute!
Tell her I said she has Princess hair! Princess Snow White, that is!
See, my child is still stuck in the ‘I want my hair down to my butt because Daddy likes it that way!’
What gets lost in that equation is that Daddy isn’t responsible for dealing with said hair, oh, 98% of the time.
Thankfully, we do trims. Even more thankfully, we found the Goody Ouchless brush, which does indeed work as advertised…
I think it looks great! Much healthier and thicker!!
Okay, I’m sure it’s getting boring for you hearing over and over how Chickadee and Mermaid Girl are, like, practically the same person, but the evidence continues to mount. (Deep in her heart, I think she’s not quite sure I’m a girl, since I have short hair.) I live for the day when she lets us cut it short.
Did you save her hair? Two of my sons (17 and 24) just cut off their looooong hair, and I saved their ponytails in a ziplock bag. They cut their hair without a backward glance, yet I was traumatized…………
I think it looks great! My little sister had hair like hers and we always kept it bobbed. Now since she is older she can grow it long and take care of it. They make so many great hair products today for fine hair. I love them! It looks cute and you did a great job cutting it!!
That’s so awesome! EVERY time I want to re-invent myself I so go for a cut, color, highlights, anything different…OH and the eyebrows…waxing your eyebrows makes you need a whole new outfit. Although I’m not real “girly” sometimes I love that we can make such small changes and feel like a whole new person! Long time lurker…first time poster….Laurie
My daughter always wanted her hair very short and it just looked like hell on her. I struggled with her to get her to grow it out! I wanted to put it up, do things with it, but she wanted it short! Years later, it’s near waist length, wavy and red, and just gorgeous. The moral of this story is that whatever you don’t want is what your daughter will want.
Cute! You did a great job! I wish my daughter would consent to a cut like that — life would be a lot easier ’round here.
That is seriously a very cute haircut.
I prefered her long hair.
Uh…
I was going to add something, but i shall not until i make sure of DFKA Scragglepuss’ present age.
By the way: what does ‘scragglepuss’ mean?
hair is an amazing thing. It holds magical feminine powers that make us feel princessy and girly. I have then hair that just gets straggly and yuckie the longer it gets. I still like to keep it longish though, because I just feel more “female” that way. I know…it’s rediculous! Chickadees hair looks beautiful, and much more grown up.