It's been another long absence. Um, oops. The Mister was out of the country for most of last week and I usually don't sleep very well when he's gone, so I ended up too exhausted to be able to construct a coherent sentence. Not only that, Sasha and JP were over for movies many of those nights to keep me company, so there goes that blogging time as well. As for this week, I've been working in the yard or just recovering from last week.
Anyway, enough excuses and on to the subject of my post.
I hardly ever talk about my younger son. He's the biggest pill on the planet sometimes, that is, when he's not being completely charming and happy. He can go from "joy" to "headache" in a heartbeat, usually over something really minor like changing clothes, eating, toilet training, or leaving the house when he doesn't want to, or, as the case has been lately, letting me cut his hair.
It's been months since he would let me cut his hair. We were jokingly starting to call him "Hippy". He would whine, protest, thrash and even throw himself off the haircutting chair if we tried to get him to sit for a haircut, running a great risk of my severely cutting him with the scissors and making it necessary for The Mister to hold him down so that I could finish the haircut that my son, by some miracle, had reluctantly let me start. It usually makes me break into a cold sweat just thinking about his next cut. We had eventually resorted to begging, time outs, even bribes, but they were all useless and it looked like I was losing the battle until I happened to read a post by Heart in San Francisco at Guilty With An Explanation where she wrote about how she used to cut one of her son's hair while he slept. Ingenious! So, that's what I did last night or at least attempted to do and I'm happy to report that, while I take no real pride in the quality of the cut (not one of my better ones... no surprise there), I got the job done.
One thing that I wasn't looking forward to was the scene that he was going to make when he woke up and found that his carefully protected locks were gone. I had the aspirin ready and waiting for the inevitable stress headache. As it turns out, he didn't even notice. Ah, sweet victory.
(Thank you, Heart in San Francisco, for the idea that had never occurred to me. You're a genius. Oh, and I have no idea how your blog disappeared from my links list, but I've fixed that. Your blog is fantastic and I want to spread the joy.)
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Brilliant! Heart in SF is a great blogger and apparently a very good clandestine hair stylist too.
ReplyDeleteMy parents used to dress me in my sleep. I would wake up and scream, "I don't want to wear this!"
ReplyDeleteTo this day, I do not like to be told what to wear.
What a good strategy! What else can we get done while they sleep? Can we find a way to make them do homework in their sleep??
ReplyDeleteI saw the title of your post in my google reader, and the evil little dj in my head started singing Tom Jones. It's there all day now.
ReplyDeleteFantastic strategy though, and what a relief to get it done without the drama.
That is very clever, indeed.
ReplyDeleteHow old is your son?
I've cut fingernails and washed hands while my two sons are sleeping. I've also removed items of clothing and dressed them. I wonder if I also once slept so soundly that I didn't wake up even when someone was washing my face.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Velvet. I'm glad the haircut worked out for you and your son.
ReplyDeleteAt that age, they don't notice. It isn't a style they're protecting, they just find the cutting process traumatic.
I'm so glad to be on your link list. I feel as if I finally made the A-team. Woohoo!
I completely agree with you about Hearts in SF's blog...and how clever her tip was. When you start drugging your boy, just for slower-paced haircuts, though, you may have a problem.
ReplyDeleteThere's even another way to look at this problem, though: we parents, by and large, get to pick our battles. I'm always reminding myself to keep mine in the area of "health" and "kindness." Most other issues aren't really issues...which is to say, a long-haired hippy kid is probably not the hugest deal in the world.
I know you know that, but thought I'd just toss it out.
Just another note.. if it had been up to me, my son would not have had haircuts at all. He had beautiful hair, and I was a hippie sympathizer.
ReplyDeleteHis father's interest in him seemed to begin and end with his having traditionally short hair. It was either do it myself or subject my toddler to an experience he found terrifying.
Another instance of necessity being the mother of invention.
furious-
ReplyDeleteYes, she's very clever and entertaining. I've yet to figure what she isn't fabulous at! :)
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mist-
That's what happens when you're born with exquisite taste. It manifests itself when you're very young.
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em-
I wish that I could figure out how they can pick up their toys in their sleep, but I'm not so optimistic.
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thisisme-
Now it's stuck in my head now that you mentioned it. Oops! ;)
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orhan-
My son is going to be five next month. "Strong will" is his middle name. Well, actually, it's William, so I guess that makes it "Strong William" then, eh? ;)
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liz-
It's amazing what they'll sleep through, isn't it?! I think that we were all like that for a period in life and boy, do I wish that I could sleep that soundly now sometimes. ;)
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heart-
You were on my link list for ages and then I noticed that your blog had disappeared. Very weird, but easily fixed. :)
I hear you that it's the process, not the actual hair loss that bothers them, which is why I started cutting their hair after my first born had a few bad experiences. After that, it was in the comfort of our own home and in front of a favorite DVD. My second son fights just about anything that isn't his idea in the first place.
I actually think that all men should have long hair at least once in their life I personally prefer long hair on men, but don't tell my husband that (though I think he suspects it). ;)
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jocelyn-
Actually, this fits under "health" since my son's allergies to even the slightest traces of dairy and other foods on things that he touches were causing reactions when he brushed the hair out of his face. The less he touches his face, the better. It has actually made a huge difference now that his hair is shorter and I'm a much happier camper with fewer allergic episodes to deal with.
Other than that (and the pressure from a fairly conservative husband), I'd be happy to leave their hair long. Actually, my eldest is his father's son... he prefers short hair and asks me to cut it. Oh, well!
LOL! By the time my son ever slept, he had a six inch rat's tail....must be a boy thing!
ReplyDeletesingleton-
ReplyDeleteLOL Maybe it is a boy thing. Usually I have a hard time getting them to sit still for anything. Ha!
Thanks for stopping by.
Too funny! That is fantastic!
ReplyDeletetammie jean-
ReplyDeleteIt was the perfect solution, just not the perfect haircut. LOL!