The Hairy Side of Parenting.
The human hair, it grows all over the body. It seems to get more plenty in undesirable areas as we start declining in our productive years. Lanugo is the slight fur of a baby, necessary for warmth, the same hair that grows on a person whom suffers from anorexia. The hair above the eyes, well, that one has always been a mystery, maybe it keeps a slight bit from the second line of defense, the eye lashes. The more private areas tend to have a preference as to what is done with that, for women it helps keep a pH balance, men, it is useful for....smell maybe? Nonetheless, no hair is more important than the ones on our head, especially a girl's head.
Girls have this ability to alter their entire persona by simply changing their hair style. One day they can be mysterious and dark with long, thick locks dyed a dark brown or a bold black, the next they can be a fun, party-girl with a short, blonde cut making the hair appear light and as free as its owner. Other hair styles, such as the aged, grey and white, long, weathered locks I typically see on the same woman wearing a hemp dress indicates a life exposed, for there are no hidden parts there. The various buzz cuts on the side with long locks on the other to indicate something more radical, blunt. The looks of various pony tails and the length of hair out the top from the portion the holder is placed indicative of a style no matter how casual. Hairstyles for girls could literally be a college class, identifying some underlying meaning with the culture in which the style came from, some psychological aspect to learn about.
In America, ponytails seem to be such a strong reminder of both the inconvenience of hair and the novelty of what to do with it. I am constantly amazed at the variety in which one clump of hair is held together, can tell so much about a person. The ponytails can be long and straight, curled, at the end, different colors, messy, braided, multiple sections (think Rey from the latest Star Wars films) all easy to do, yet only for those qualified to do so.
A mom has this ability to help their daughters or sons in ways a father cannot. A mom, stereotypically mind you, has a better fashion sense in both clothing as well as grooming. Moms, again with the stereotype, have longer hair typically therefore once the hairs on either sex of a child grows long enough, the close-to-the-head cut dad is familiar with now goes into mom's territory. This is true of my own daughter and her mom.
My daughter has the Aryan race mastered, for she would have made it through WWII easily. With both parents being of similar decent with a strong European background, it is no wonder that her hair is thin and white. She is still young, for even in my earliest days my hair too was a white blonde and lacked any form or weight, for it seemed to stand straight up. My daughter's hair has come in the last year meaning that mom gets her time to really shine with the variety of ponytails she is able to use. Many of the styles mentioned earlier are what I have seen grace the not-so-fragile ( I have seen a few falls) head of my seed and with pride my wife looks on as she was able to manage what was once unkempt hair in a short amount of time. A child does not find investment of time for a mom to pull back all the thin, straight hair to be worth it. "Why?" She might think. After all, whether the hair is back or not, I still get to go about my business. No concerns for judgement, no fear of looking homeless, none of the expectations naturally ingrained in mankind as we grow into wanting acceptance from society and think our outward presentation makes this possible.
Yet despite the battle, my wife, no matter how sleepy, no matter how she might feel, no matter how unnecessary her husband perceives the battle, she still tries. She does so because she feels it is her duty. Not because she is trying to make her daughter anything she isn't, but it is because she loves her and knows that at some point, learning to manage hair and patience in doing so is necessary. It is necessary because it is self care, to hold a well-groomed head up high, for you are beautiful and you show it. My wife, her struggles in gaining enough hair inside the tight little double wrapping to hold the hair in place without pulling it, is a master of her craft. She is because she cares.
Oftentimes I see the maintenance she puts in for her daughter. I see the struggle, I see the pulling away our child engages in just because she knows she is safe enough to do so. My daughter knows she is loved and knows that no matter the time of the day, no matter how much she might hit mom in the face, pull at her glasses, spill her stuff, deny being sorry, and force herself to cry in the process, her mom loves her and she, above all else, is safe.
Mother's Day is unique. Men, we are here, we get a day, but we will never be what moms are. Parents are deemed by God as the earthly caregivers for his children. We have a responsibility to these kids and moms bring about a connection us dads can't even begin to comprehend because we are born without it. I try, trust me, I do, but I am not mom, I did not carry nor did I hold the pains for months to deliver her. WE hear it so often, we find it complacent, but the miracle of childbirth is just one miraculous step for mothers, for the parenting after wards is another miracle in itself.
Thank you Mom. Thank you my wife. Mom's around the world, if it's just doing hair, pouring a bowl of cereal, giving a hug, tying a shoe, it means more than society gives credit for. It is through moms God decided to bring our once angelic souls into this world.
God Bless.
Girls have this ability to alter their entire persona by simply changing their hair style. One day they can be mysterious and dark with long, thick locks dyed a dark brown or a bold black, the next they can be a fun, party-girl with a short, blonde cut making the hair appear light and as free as its owner. Other hair styles, such as the aged, grey and white, long, weathered locks I typically see on the same woman wearing a hemp dress indicates a life exposed, for there are no hidden parts there. The various buzz cuts on the side with long locks on the other to indicate something more radical, blunt. The looks of various pony tails and the length of hair out the top from the portion the holder is placed indicative of a style no matter how casual. Hairstyles for girls could literally be a college class, identifying some underlying meaning with the culture in which the style came from, some psychological aspect to learn about. 
In America, ponytails seem to be such a strong reminder of both the inconvenience of hair and the novelty of what to do with it. I am constantly amazed at the variety in which one clump of hair is held together, can tell so much about a person. The ponytails can be long and straight, curled, at the end, different colors, messy, braided, multiple sections (think Rey from the latest Star Wars films) all easy to do, yet only for those qualified to do so.A mom has this ability to help their daughters or sons in ways a father cannot. A mom, stereotypically mind you, has a better fashion sense in both clothing as well as grooming. Moms, again with the stereotype, have longer hair typically therefore once the hairs on either sex of a child grows long enough, the close-to-the-head cut dad is familiar with now goes into mom's territory. This is true of my own daughter and her mom.
 |
| For my hair was one the golden-blonde too. |
Yet despite the battle, my wife, no matter how sleepy, no matter how she might feel, no matter how unnecessary her husband perceives the battle, she still tries. She does so because she feels it is her duty. Not because she is trying to make her daughter anything she isn't, but it is because she loves her and knows that at some point, learning to manage hair and patience in doing so is necessary. It is necessary because it is self care, to hold a well-groomed head up high, for you are beautiful and you show it. My wife, her struggles in gaining enough hair inside the tight little double wrapping to hold the hair in place without pulling it, is a master of her craft. She is because she cares.
Oftentimes I see the maintenance she puts in for her daughter. I see the struggle, I see the pulling away our child engages in just because she knows she is safe enough to do so. My daughter knows she is loved and knows that no matter the time of the day, no matter how much she might hit mom in the face, pull at her glasses, spill her stuff, deny being sorry, and force herself to cry in the process, her mom loves her and she, above all else, is safe.
Mother's Day is unique. Men, we are here, we get a day, but we will never be what moms are. Parents are deemed by God as the earthly caregivers for his children. We have a responsibility to these kids and moms bring about a connection us dads can't even begin to comprehend because we are born without it. I try, trust me, I do, but I am not mom, I did not carry nor did I hold the pains for months to deliver her. WE hear it so often, we find it complacent, but the miracle of childbirth is just one miraculous step for mothers, for the parenting after wards is another miracle in itself.
Thank you Mom. Thank you my wife. Mom's around the world, if it's just doing hair, pouring a bowl of cereal, giving a hug, tying a shoe, it means more than society gives credit for. It is through moms God decided to bring our once angelic souls into this world.
God Bless.
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