Every mom has one or two baby milestones that are more painful than proud. For instance, Maddi’s first teeth were not as delightful as they should have been because they ruined that beautiful gumline I’d come to know and love. For James, it’s the mohawk. It’s been a long time coming, but that doesn’t mean I was ready for James’ first haircut. Once the height of his mohawk began rivaling that of his head and I found myself working for minutes on end to detangle it after his baths, however, I knew I had to suck it up and take the kid in for a trim.
Maddi waited until the ripe old age of 16 months before her first haircut, so I had much more time to mentally prepare myself. So much time, in fact, that I had no anxiety whatsoever about lopping off a few inches of that weird-looking baby mullet. But James is still five days shy of six months old, and the wild Glen Plake ‘do has really grown on us. Nevertheless, it was getting out of control. His mohawk was so tall it folded over on itself, and I had to make one of two choices: Put gel in the hair of my five-month-old child, or get his hair trimmed. After more deliberation than necessary considering pediatricians’ guidelines on chemicals and babies, I reluctantly went with the haircut.
James sat perfectly still during his trim, staring wide-eyed at his reflection in the mirror (probably asking himself why he was sitting in a pink Jeep). We had the sides and back evened out to all one length and took about an inch and a half off the top. Now he has a perfect but short little mohawk and looks only a little like Johnny Rotten. Even with his new, toned-down ‘do, James attracts the same attention he always has — “Love the hair!” is a refrain we hear each and every time we venture out of the house.
Sure, I’m still a little wistful when I see pictures of how his hair used to look. But maintenance and styling are 10 times easier with a short style than with his former untamed mane, and that counts for a lot!