I have two questions for you guys. One, did your parents ever cut your hair when you were little? And two, do you cut your child’s hair?
My answers are one, yes and two, no. I have this theory that the two experiences are directly linked to one another. Please, feel free to correct me if you think that I’m wrong.
When We Were Little, Mom Cut Our Hair
I don’t think there was ever a child of the 80’s whose hair was not cut at home by his or her mother. Uneven bangs, hair that looks like it was molded after a mixing bowl, long hair whose ends were cut with a ruler, a folder or a book as reference to make sure that they are all the exact same length – I know a lot of us had to go through this. You see, my mom is good at a lot of things, but unfortunately for us hair styling is not one of them. Looking at my baby pictures, I can say that up until I was maybe 2 or 3, I looked like a little boy because of my bowl-shaped hair cut. After that, it was straight bangs and long hair until the second grade.
Thing is, I can complain all I want about my childhood hair styles, but no one had it worse than my brother. One day, my mom decided to shave his head. At home. With a twin blade razor. Safe to say he looked like a prisoner for a couple of years before his hair finally grew back completely. We love mom, but after that there was no way she was touching our hair anymore.
I Once Tried to Cut My Son’s Hair
I know I said earlier that no, I dodn’t cut Little MrC’s hair. I remember I actually did, once. He was really small then, like he was only starting to learn how to sit. His bangs were getting really long and starting to fall into his eyes, so I had to trim them. That was it. From then on, up until the time when he could be brought to a kiddie barber shop, my dad was the one cutting his hair. He was pretty good at it too. If only we knew that while we were little, right?
When we discovered that the little boy could actually sit still at the barber shop and didn’t mind having a stranger cut his hair, that was it. We started to take him for regular hair cut sessions whenever necessary. I think the fact that we always laugh about out hairstyles as kids is one of the biggest factors as to why I’ve chosen not to cut my kid’s hair on my own. I know that I can save a lot of money if we did the trimming at home, but I would honestly rather have it done outside.
A Conversation on Hair Cut Day
In recent years, our barber shop visits have become a once a month thing for us because his school has strict rules and regulations as far as hair cuts for little boys are concerned. All part of being a parent to a big kid. Yesterday we went for a hair cut in preparation for school inspection on the first Monday of February. We will be out of town this weekend (yay!) and won’t have time to do it then, so we had to go after school. I asked my son where he would like to go for his hair cut because I believe that his opinion matters. It was a choice between two places, one in Molito and another in Alabang Town Center.
Mom: So where do we get your hair cut today?
Kid: Tabas!
Mom: In Town? Not Molito?
Kid: Yup. I don’t like that other place.
Mom: Why not?
Kid: They’re always gigil when they cut hair there. Like they want to finish fast so they can go home already.
I remember that the last time we went to the Molito barber shop he complained that the guy was pulling his hair as he cut and that it hurt. I’m actually happy that I’ve got an opinionated kid who isn’t afraid to tell me what he likes and doesn’t like. It helps me know more about him, and in cases like this, allows me to choose the better option for him. I think that this matters in life, and I’m happy to say that he and I are off to a good start.
So, do you cut your kid’s hair, and did your parents cut your hair when you were little? 🙂
I cut my daughter’s hair but hanggang bangs lang. Now she has a style of her own so I also enjoy bringing her to the salon and have her enjoy her haircut 🙂
That’s cute! My son is not experimental yet when it comes to fashion and hairstyles. He basically goes for what his dad likes, which is the simple, laid-back look. 🙂
My daughter hasn’t had her first haircut yet and she’s 6 years old! we are planning a mermaid party for her 8th birthday and she has this long, soft, curly locks.
Wow! That’s one advantage that girls have over boys. Meanwhile, school is so strict with us that we have no choice but to go for hair cuts monthly.
Haha. I remember it was my dad who used to cut our hair, not my mom. I actually had my first visit to the salon when I was grade 6, I guess. But I was so confident with my dad’s work of art back then though now I realized my hair probably looked like a curtain. Too long and super straight ends. hahaaha. Never tried doing it with my kids! And when I we go to the barber shop, I only know 2 kinds of haircut. SemiKal or Mohawk. so I often look for pictures to tell the barber that I need a decent school-cut for my little guy. 😀
Haha that’s a cute story! I usually tell the barber “Pang school, yung tatagal ng 1 month”. So far, so good. 😀
I don’t remember getting my hair cut by anyone else but my mom until after I was 12. Thankfully, she’s very good at it. 😀 I trim my little girl’s bangs every now and then (because a trim at salons is so expensive!). But major hair cuts are done by a professional.
My mom used to cut my hair during my whole elem years and I hated it! As soon as she started snipping,I will also started crying,thankfully, she stop doing it when I reach hs.
For my boys, back in US,their dad is their personal hair cutter,when we came here to Manila, I need to bring them to the barber for a haircut and since we are off to US again soon, I don’t know if my boys still prefer their dad’s service. 🙂
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. 🙂
Thanks for visiting mine too, Willa! 🙂 Good luck with your move back to the US. I’m curious to know if your kids will have their dad cut their hair again. My relatives there tell me that hair cuts cost a fortune.
My answers are “no” and “I wouldn’t dare”. Hahaha! I don’t know the first thing about cutting hair and I’m too afraid of making a mistake and making my kid’s hair look like a disaster. As for my hairstyle when I was a kid, my parents always liked my hair long. The first time I had short hair I was in my teens already and it was my decision to cut it short. 🙂
You’re one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to go through the dreaded bowl-cut or apple-cut! 😀
Patty, love this post. Makes me think about cutting Noah’s hair in the future. Maybe I wont ever try to cut it on my own. Feel more confident to have it cut by someone who knows what he’s doing.
PS Your baby picture is soooo cute!
Heehee, thank you Jance! I’m sure Tita Beth can help you out in the hair cutting department! 😀
Yes to both Patty! 🙂 I just did yesterday and Mike was so angry as they both looked like him when he was little… Rice-bowl hair style….Lol!
Haha, Millie! You and Mike are so funny. I wanna see a photo of Mike’s rice bowl hairstyle from the past! :p