I’m really not sure how we made it five years and two weeks without this incident but I venture that is probably longer than most parents. It wasn’t immediately obvious since Anslie’s hair is really long and very curly but it only took one really close look and I KNEW!! Mischief was afoot.
The conversation went something like this...
Me: Anslie, did you cut your hair?
Anslie: No mommy (sweet, heart melting smile)
Me: Are you sure? Were you playing with scissors at daycare?
Anslie: No mommy. No, I didn’t. (HUGE, sweet, heart melting smile)
(This called for a closer inspection.)
Me: Anslie!! Elizabeth!! Ollis!! Don’t tell mommy a lie. Did you cut your hair? Where is the hair? Where are the scissors? Did you hide it? Show me right this minute!
Anslie: (Stepping down off the bathroom stool and heading down the hallway, with me in HOT pursuit – She turns to face me)
“Wait here mommy”.
Me: (Insert Exorcist Head Spin Here) Oh no I won’t! You will show me right now. (The nerve of my five year old to order me to wait here so I won’t see her hiding spot!)
As I round the corner of her bed and look down to see my scrapbook scissors amid piles of beautiful red curls, I can feel the tears. I don’t know if I’m mad or sad.
Me: Oh Anslie, why? Why did you cut your hair?
Anslie: Silence – Goliath couldn’t drag an answer out of this mouth.
I gently scoop up the precious tendrils of her baby years and turn to leave; a wave of nausea sweeping over me. As I try to sort out this flood of emotions I hear the sweetest voice say “Wait mommy”! I turn around just in time to see her pull a second handful of curls from another hiding place. “Here’s the rest”.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!
I snatch the hair from her small hand and break into a run. Russss…..ell, I scream. She DID cut her hair, Lots of it. Anslie and I arrive at my husband’s side at exactly the same time. My face filled with horror and hers sporting, yes you guessed it – a sweet heart melting smile.
{Side Note: We see a good bit of these smiles when someone has been up to no good at our house.}
In a voice of indignance, Anslie proclaims “Look what mommy found under my bed”, as if she were being blackmailed or something. At this point, I can’t even rationalize how this is getting turned around.
How are we going to put it back with the rest mommy?
We can’t! You should have thought about that before you started cutting.
Remember when my hair was down to my sugar buns mommy?
Yes, now it’s up to your shoulders!!!
I don’t know about you, but if I were in Anslie’s shoes, I would be nervous – not her though. She knows dad all too well. Pinky wrapped WELL! He is having a hard time discerning who to address, me or her. I can tell he is finding humor in her ability to own this conversation. In his sweetest dad voice – “Anslie Honey, why did you cut your hair?”
Shoulder Shrug
I absolutely MUST remove myself from this conversation before I cave into a heap of tears and laughter. I am in awe at her ability to make light of something I perceive as nothing short of life altering trauma. In the end, Anslie gets a spanking (administered by dad) for telling a lie and I have to get an appointment for 911 Hair Repair. Thank goodness my salon not only has wonderful stylists but WONDERFUL friends.
Anslie now sports shoulder length hair that she is perfectly happy with. She is oblivious to her mother’s pain of losing those precious locks of spiraling, bouncing curls.
