I was folding laundry yesterday afternoon when I heard a gasp from the next room.
“Gabby cut her hair!” Kateri called out.
I didn’t panic at first. It might have been a minor snipping, I told myself. Kateri has been known to over-dramatize lesser infractions. When I first arrived upon the scene, I was greeted by the sight of Gabrielle standing in a chair with a sheepish smile. She had a pair of green safety scissors in her hand and a pile of hair at her feet.
Oh, dear. It was a big pile.
At first, I was devastated. I have found this scene (it may not surprise you to learn that this is not the first self-styled haircut this household has seen) mildly amusing when my boys have been involved. But when it comes to my little girls? Well, vanity thy name is Mama. Come Easter Sunday, I didn’t want my sweet little girl looking like she had been involved in a lawn mower accident.
I quickly assessed the situation, however, and determined that the damage could have been much worse. Gabrielle may not have sense enough to leave the haircutting to the professionals, but at least she knew to cut bangs in the front of her head—not on the sides or in the back.
So the worst that happened was that Gabby, whose hair was previously all one length, now sports stylish bangs. A little shorter than I might have cut them myself, but let’s try to focus on the positive, shall we? After I gave her a bath and finished up her trim yesterday, I could not help but smile at the familiarity of my daughter’s small face. As you can see for yourself here, she now looks rather like another little girl I knew about 30 years ago.
Like I said, it could be worse. Right?