I know it’s crazy, but my nearly 5 year old son just had his very first haircut! I know you’re dying to know how crazy I went over it, but first let me tell you a little about why it took us almost 5 years to cut his hair.
When our son LJ was born he was nearly bald, which I was not expecting because I had experienced a good amount of heartburn while pregnant (old wives tale). Anyway, he had very fine slightly wavy hair until he was about 18 months old, at which point super thick very tight curls came in almost overnight!
Everyone loved LJ’s curls, no one more than we did though. He’s an adorable kid & those curls just made him that much cuter! My husband & I said we weren’t going to cut his hair until he decided that he wanted it cut… until now he never did.
There were a couple other factors. First, I was afraid that the texture of his hair would change if we were to cut it. He has very soft smooth hair, like mine, & I really didn’t want that to change. I saw my nephew go from having nice textured hair to very thin & nappy so I was scared the same would happen to LJ. So far so good…
The second reason for not wanting it cut is that I didn’t want him to regret it. When I was a little girl, I had hair past my waist & chose to cut it short… BIG mistake! I loved it for about 24 hours & then I hated it & was growing it back out! Also so far so good…
A couple months ago started saying he wanted a haircut because the other boys in his class were getting haircuts. He would flip flop between wanting one & not so we just kept the conversation going. Then few weeks ago he was really adamant about wanting it cut, so I said “okay, lets find a style you like.” After going through Pinterest we found a few he liked & then narrowed it down to 1.
Being that it was the holidays, I was a little short on cash & time, which bought us a couple more days to mull it over. Gramma (my mom) was also coming into town for Christmas & really wanted to be there, so we made it a Christmas Eve event. We all headed to my husbands barber & patiently waited for LJ’s turn.
It was time… I was a wreck! I’m telling you my stomach was in knots, I was a ball of nerves! LJ on the other hand was estatic! He was so ready! He jumped right into the chair without hesitation. No fear!
The ponytail was gathered (of course I forgot a rubber band to tie it with), a plastic baggy was on standby to keep his hair in & Rob (our barber) was ready to start cutting!
I must be honest, I think the only reason I didn’t start balling at this point was because I was focused on getting great pictures so we could remember this event forever (momtog problems). LJ just sat there perfectly still as his long locks were cut short. I was so impressed that he was so calm. For most kids the first haircut is a kinda scary event.
It’s funny because even after Rob cut like 5 inches off it was still really long! I kinda liked the mini-fro, but it wouldn’t last long! It was time to cut it down more & start shaping it…
I made sure to keep those perfect curls from the back of his head, I will really miss playing with those as he sleeps next to me!
He was so happy watching it all fall to the floor!
It was really starting to look cool, he looked like a totally different kid! I really kept looking at him like “who are you?”
LJ’s little brother Levon found himself a nice spot to sit back and relax… this kid is too funny! That sweatshirt is so perfect for his personality!
Now here’s the part where LJ started to wiggle. The edge up “bites” a bit so he was having a hard time staying still, He really did do a good job though.
Look at those curls!
It was done! Just a little dust off & it was time for the BIG reveal…
He saw that mirror & just lit up! There had been a few tears from the edge up, but as soon as he saw his “new do” he was nothing but smiles!!! He’s was like “I have a haircut, I look so cool!” Indeed, he looks pretty cool with his new hairstyle! I’ll miss those long curls, but I do like the new do! He looks more grown up & won’t be mistaken for a girls anymore. I never understood how that happened, long hair does NOT = girl!
Just look at that handsome kid… that’s our boy & we’re so proud of him!
So often I miss capturing my own family memories because I want to be involved & not stuck behind the camera, but this time it was to my benefit (& sanity) that I capture this major life event!
