Accidental bangs: not my proudest parenting moment
This post could also be titled, “How did she get near your head with scissors?” because that’s the question everyone I know asked me afterward.
You know when your kid asks you to get her a snack and you tell her to ask her dad? That’s the mood I was in one Sunday before I took my daughter on a playdate.
Lila asked if she could play with my hair—it’s the game of “salon,” which we both love. As she brushed and styled my hair (think six ponytails, including one that made me look like a unicorn), I zoned out. I was so relaxed that I didn’t even notice when she got up to get a different brush and returned with a pair of infant nail scissors clutched in her tiny palm.
A few hair brushings later, my peace was interrupted by a high-pitched scream. You mamas and daddies of little girls know the one—it sounds like a cheerleader getting attacked in an old-school horror movie.
I was so startled by the screaming and tears that followed that when she opened her hand to show me a fist full of hair, I was dumbfounded. It looked like a small dog and a second that felt like an eternity passed before I realized she had cut my hair. SHE CUT MY HAIR.
I was afraid to look in the mirror. I had no idea how much hair she cut (a piece an inch wide and 15” long) and where it came from (right smack in front). Long story short, my hairdresser laid out my options: continue looking like I had hired Edward Scissorhands until it grew out or get bangs. I got the bangs.
It turns out scissors do cut things other than paper. That’s the lesson my daughter learned. What did I learn? Zoning out in parenting comes with a high price tag—lots of judgment (and laughs) from my friends who still don’t understand how “it” happened, a pricey trip to the salon, and a haircut that made me look like a different person. In retrospect, I’m just proud that I didn’t freak out. My daughter is beautiful and creative (and has moxie, as you can tell), and in not giving her the undivided attention she deserved, I got what I deserved.
I know, I know…You’d never let your kid near your head with scissors. And that’s what I get for not paying attention. But tell me I’m not the only one who has moments in parenting they’re not proud of! What price have you paid for a moment of peace and quiet?
That is hilarious!! I can totally get that. Hey sometimes you need a reason to make a hairstyle change, right?
My price for peace and quiet was a living room carpet covered in crushed up leaves. My son has a little basket he likes to put things in from outside, and in it were a bunch of leaves (yay fall…). Well, I knew he loved to “make them crunchy” outside…and then found the hard way while making dinner he was doing the exact same thing all over our living room. At least he got to learn how to use the dustbuster!!!
And at least it was at your house and not at someone else’s! I remember something similar happening to me when my daughter was two… I was making dinner and she was playing quietly… and by playing quietly I mean crushing a carton of goldfish crackers into the rug.
I totally understand your zone out. Especially when someone is playing with your hair. It just so happens that your “someone” was a tiny creative being who was trying to learn about scissors 🙂
Thanks, Holly! We now have scissors on lock down at home. 🙂