First Time for Everything

I knew this day was coming.  I've known all along.  I thought I was prepared.  I thought I would react appropriately and handle things with a "Cool Mom" attitude.  After all, I'd survived the first busted lip..

I'd survived the first day of preschool..

I'd survived the in-home treasure hunt that resulted in red magic marker X's all over my walls and furniture..

Not to mention all the stuff I've handled with Hoss in the last year.  So, when this day came, I knew I would handle it with grace, remembering that he is my precious boy and there are so many more important things in life.  I knew I would be calm and firm, but loving.  I was wrong.  I failed miserably.  Apparently, this one event was my breaking point.  I yelled.  I didn't cry or spank, but, oh how I fumed!  

Yes, my breaking point came when my precious four year old cut his own hair.  He cut a nice gap right down the middle of his head and a good swipe up the side of his head.  

In the midst of my ranting, I asked him what he thought his punishment should be.  His answer, through sobs, "Don't make me show GrNanny".  Now I don't know what he thought she would do, but in my anger (I'm woman enough to own it.  I was Angry!) I promptly marched him next door to Mom and Dad's house (we were actually going over anyway to eat burgers). Dad was grilling on the deck when we got there and just said, "Hey Buddy, did you get a new haircut?"  Thanks for fueling my fire of overreaction, Dad.  Once I finished rehashing and reloading my angry guns, I marched him onto the screen porch where Mom was reading a magazine.  Even though she was only 15 feet away when I assaulted Dad with my telling of the event, I proceeded to unload my woes to her as well.  To which she calmly reached over, patted my knee, told me to calm down and "get over yourself".  Apparently I'm not the only Mom whose precious child has done this.  Apparently, he was destined to do it because it's in his genes. Apparently his GrNanny did the same thing when she was a child.  Apparently it is just hair and it will grow back and apparently, I overreacted.  (This is the point at which my brother will audibly mumble while he's reading, "imagine that".)  So, I calmed down, we ate a burger and headed home.  Vince cleaned up the hair and put it in a ziploc for me to put in Jax's scrapbook and I snuggled my precious boy with a terrible haircut and asked his forgiveness.  He gladly forgave me and promised to never do it again.  Like I'm going to let him have access to scissors before he's 25.

The next day, the question was what to do about the self haircut.  Vince wanted to get it buzzed off, and that was my initial reaction too. GrNanny offered the suggestion that being asked about it a gazillion times might encourage him to not do this again.  So, since we didn't have a wedding or family pictures or anything major going on this summer, we're letting it grow.  When people ask Jax who cut his hair he now tells them it was an  unlicensed stylist and we still spike it up only now it spikes more into two peaks.  So, we've nicknamed it the no-hawk since there isn't any hair in the middle to make it a mohawk.

Let's just say I think he got the message and won't try that again...but if he does, I'm prepared and I know it's just hair and I know I won't overreact again to my adorable and precious boy.