“There was a little girl,
and she had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good she was very, very good,
and when she was bad she was horrid.”
– excerpt from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
At some point every summer, the girls get their hair cut. By me. I don’t know why but when it was time to cut Abigail’s hair for the first time, I wanted to do it myself. I didn’t have a hard time cutting it so I just kept doing it year after year. It is an enjoyable experience for both of us. As the next 2 sisters arrived at the point of needing their hair cut, Momma’s barber shop was still open. I have cut Robert’s hair for years and I’ve even cut my niece’s hair once or twice.
When I first cut Abigail’s hair she had golden blond ringlets. Now it is dark brown, thick and wavy. The waves and thickness come from both me and Robert so hers is really thick and really wavy. Hattie’s hair is much like Abigail’s. It is thick and dark brown but her hair is still in ringlets. If we keep it chin length, the curls stay in tact and it is precious.
Laura, however, is the “black sheep” in the hair department. Her hair is blond and straight as a stick. It is darkening as she gets older, just not as quickly as her sisters did. When it was time for Laura’s first haircut I discovered that it is much easier to cut wavy hair than straight. Curly hair is forgiving. Your lines don’t have to be flawless because the hair curls up and evens itself out. Not so with straight hair. Laura’s first haircut was not a complete disaster but it was far from perfect. It didn’t help that she was fidgety. And giggly. And squirmy…
Most of the time, we stick to a simple bob. It is so cute on all of them and easy to wash and wear. Once I went much shorter on both Hattie and Abigail – I think Laura was still bald at that point! The girls had asked for shorter hair cuts and I was happy to oblige. They were darling and happy.
I have learned a lot through the years and I pay attention more when I get my hair cut (Robert refuses to try to cut mine) so that I can do a better job each time. I know that some day my girls will no longer want me to cut their hair or they will ask for something that I cannot do. They will want to go to a salon and have it done by a professional. They will want the whole experience. When that time comes I will probably be sad to close my “shop” but for now I’m just going to keep on snipping….
