the hairy truth | sun prairie children’s photographer

It took my third child to fulfill the prophecy that most kids cut their own hair at sometime in their childhood.  Pretty much the pictures tell the story of the incident but let me fill you in on a few details.

First, Chloe is 3 1/2 years old.  ‘Nuf said, really. I mean I’m only speaking from my experience with my own three cherubs, but just when you think you can trust them for a minute, you can’t.  You think she won’t run far ahead in the restaurant parking lot, and she does. You think she won’t climb the pantry shelves to eat the bag of gummy worms, and she does.  And of course, you never think she’ll take the blue-handled children’s scissors and cut. her. own. HAIR.

Second, we watched Tangled the day before.  Not certain that there’s any connection between the trimming of her own golden locks or not, but I’m just sayin’.  Perhaps the idea was planted at that moment when beautiful Rapunzel looked even more sweet and innocent in her newly chopped shag cut. At least my own Coco didn’t use a broken shard of glass! Whew!

Third, Chloe was somewhat supervised when she made the call to do the dirty deed.  I was IN the same room as she was (at my computer, of course) and she was quietly watching Strawberry Shortcake last I looked.  It only took a minute of me turning away… as I said, you just can’t trust them at 3 1/2.  Let me clarify, at least I now know I can’t trust her.

Before:  A few weeks ago, during the mild winter days were were having, Chloe and I played with my 50 mm lens in a nearby field.  I look back at these images and smile.  Her wavy, blond locks kinda wispy in the breeze are now just a sweet memory…

During:  I didn’t cry.  I am sure my face showed extreme shock and horror as she bounded over to me with her big blue eyes shining so brightly, but I never cried.  What I did do was try to SHOW her what she had just done. I grabbed her, hoisted her up onto the bathroom vanity facing the mirror and screamed, “Look what you’ve done, Chloe! Look! Look at your hair!”  Thinking this might help her realize the effects of her actions, I was shocked AGAIN when she looked back at me and giggled profusely.  Hm, that didn’t exactly work how I imagined.

Above: Project 365 photo of the day 1.14.12

Below: Mommy might have been shaking at the moment these photos were taken, so please forgive the composition and clarity of the images.

After:  After a little “work” done at the beauty salon, we are already laughing about last weekend’s event.  As Mommies who’ve been through this know, when your little one buds into a blossoming beautician, it may be saddening, shocking, maddening and disapointing, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s not even a horrible occurrence. She’s not hurt. She’s not sick. She’s healthy and spunky and the same little girl she ever was. She now dons a pixie cut and in my mind, is more beautiful than ever. 

Finally, it’s somewhat cathartic to share a story about your kids that others can relate to. I feel way better already just taking the pics and writing the words down! A friend and hilarious Mommy of two punkins, Sandee Harned, is blogging about these very events-  She not only retells true stories of being home with her own kids, she writes in truth-be-told language that literally leaves you laughing aloud.   Check out her blog titled, “Motherhood is Beautiful and Other Lies” to read her comical stories and see those adorable kiddos she writes about. (Psst, you will see a few shots on her home page that I’ve taken of this loveable bunch, too!)  Be sure to follow her on facebook by clicking here.  She’s a Dooce in the making!