I Am Not My Hair . . .

I am not my hair,
I am not this skin,
I am not your expectations no no. 
I am not my hair,
I am not this skin, 
I am a soul that lives within. ~ India Arie

It's become quite the ritual for us, haircuts to usher in the warmer spring & summer months. Each of my kids have their own opinions on how their hair should or should not be cut. I love that they are individuals. Even though it goes against my control factor, I love their passion about their hair. I am passionate about my hair, so I can't expect them to be different. Although they are not their hair, their hair definitely is an expression of their personalities.

Jesse is my Sampson. He does have really great hair when it grows out. His genes dictate these really soft, big curls when its longer. However, his understanding about having to condition & comb through it every day is nil. That fact is a complete bother to him and leads to complete frustration every morning. Thus I win and cut it all off. Then I regret the loss of those great curls. So, here we are again at the growing out stage. Clean neckline, sideburns and a hope that he'll take care of it on a daily basis. As a first, I am not forcing him to shave it all off for the summer.

Malcolm is my handsome & grown-up looking bald guy. I love his perfectly shaped bare head. His hair grows every which way, very thick and coarse. It doesn't look good at any length but shaved. Fortunately he agrees that his hair is much better gone. I am so excited he asked for the mohawk. I love it. I think he looks awesome with it, he's my child, so that's a given. This is his cut for the summer. We'll just keep shaving the sides and grow out the 'hawk. 

Lillie has the best, teeny-tiny curls. I have loved her hair long. However, we've started fighting very dry, unhealthy ends. We haven't been able to do much with it other than keep it in braids. Out of braids it goes wild, it gets matted together and the ends knot up. It's terrible to work through, nearly impossible. We had most of the dead ends cut off, which made it much easier to comb through. I could tell that there were still some bad ends left though. With our summer events and activities, I want something she can wear up or down. I'm planning on having another inch or so cut off and it will be even more adorable!