The Family Barber

After a typical haircut

Last night as I was cutting Joseph's hair, I thought I had made a mistake. That made me feel nervous and consequently I started laughing, which of course made Joseph feel uncomfortable. Imagine sitting there wondering what kind of excuses you are going to give people when they laugh and point at your head on Monday morning (people in church would never do that!)

It got me thinking about the history of hair cuts in our house. I started cutting hair around nine years ago. I thought I'd like to try my luck at it and checked out a book at the library to get me started. I used the ideas from that book (can't remember the title now) plus the things that Joseph told me about how he likes his hair to look.

That first hair cut took over two hours! His hair was so thick, coupled with the fact that I just did not know what I was doing. I used to have a lot shorter temper than I do now, was a lot more of a perfectionist, and sulked when things weren't going my way. In retrospect, I wonder how he ever sat through those first cuts.

Now, I can cut his hair, and even the wiggly boys' hair, in 20-30 minutes. When the boys were younger, they often got a buzz just because they couldn't sit still enough for me to cut. Brigham probably won't ever have a buzz unless he asks for it. Girl's hair is trickier for me. But, I'm finding it's manageable. May's is the toughest because it is wonderfully thick, like mine used to be, before pregnancy and the aftermath of it.

I'm wondering if there will come a point where my kids say "No more! Take me to the barber!" Well, for now, we get to save the money and I get to keep practicing my "skills." (Joseph, I wonder what Napoleon would think. And, to carry that thought out further, what would it be like to cut his mop of hair!?!?)