A BIG Hair Cut!

We kept AJ's hair long for most of his first five years. We did cut it once before, but even then it was still fairly long.

There were several reasons we kept it long, even though it was not widely accepted by some family members...

First of all, his hair was perfect! Great color, shine, texture, thickness, you name it. I *WISH* I had this kid's hair. He looked adorable. Secondly, he loved his long hair. He wanted to keep it long. Another reason was one that I had read in some books on ancient traditions. I learned how many would not cut a child's hair until they were older as they believed cutting it altered their personality. Something about that stuck with me and rang true inside. I preferred to hold off on making him fit in with the world - a bit - to allow his natural being to develop as much as possible. I know integration with the world is important. I like to be very conscious and selective of how I participate in that....

Well, we finally did it! He got his first real hair cut. We decided to do it for several reasons... One being that he didn't really know how to take care of his long hair and messy long hair does not look the best. Another was that we felt it would be good for him to know what it feels like to have short hair - an exploration of balance. How could he know what he likes if he hasn't really tried the other? It was time for a healthy change.

So just a few months into kindergarten, we took him to a fun haircut place for kids called Cool Cuts for Kids. He was ready and excited. He sat in the race car chair and watched a movie, hardly noticing that he was getting a hair cut. The woman did a great job. Thanks to Jami, I knew to request that she use the scissors rather than the electric razor. She cut it very short. He came out with a very cute custom look. And best of all, he liked it.

Upon his return to school the next day, everyone thought they had a new student. Some of the teachers and students hardly recognized him. It was a BIG change.

Here are some pics of the big day:

Before: Getting ready to go inside (with Daddy)


This place is cool!!! Can we come back!?


After: All done!!! He looks like a whole new boy!!! Well... kinda!

It was hard not to stare at him for several days after. He looked GREAT and sooo different.

He does miss his long hair (and mommy does too at times), but he looks great. He can grow it out again if he wants to - when he knows how to take care of it! :)