As most of you
know my daughter spent Christmas and New Years with her father in South
Carolina. She returned home last night and I was excited to see her and she
couldn’t stop hugging me and telling me how much she missed me. She was on
perfect behavior for a 5 year old all night and through this morning. I was in
mommy heaven and prayed that it would continue because I had a long day ahead
of me.
Well let me just
say that my prayers were not answered today…lol. By the time I got to the after school program, I was exhausted
from work. I just wanted to get home, relax and spend time catching up with her
and the time she spent with her father. As I was getting ready to put her hat
on I noticed that the top of her head looked…a….little…different.
As inspected the
situation I realized that her hair had been cut! Yes cut! I was exhausted, it
is that time of the month, was completely shocked and all I could manage to
utter was “What?…. Why?…. Who…?” I
could feel the tears swelling up because the last thing I wanted to do was take
her hair out tonight and try to figure out how to hide the fact that she had
cut her hair and I knew at that moment my mommy heaven was no more and I was
back to mommy reality.
Let me tell you
about the details. She cut her hair – not once, not twice..but THREE times on
three separate pony tails. She cut it right on top of each one. Why? Because
she said some other kid in class cur their hair and she wanted to try it.
Seriously??!!
On the drive home
I decided to try and use this as a learning opportunity about life. I explained
that she knows right from wrong and that she needs to be a leader rather than a
follower. Being a follower will most likely get you into trouble each and every
time.
I explained that
she needed to learn to be her own person and not do things just because someone
else was doing it. I know that sometimes it will be hard not to follow the
crowd as she got older, but it is better to be do the right thing and not get punished
or yelled at for making the wrong choices and going along with her friends when
they are doing something they are no suppose to be doing.
I had her call
her father when we got home and tell him what she had done. I have to say that he is always good at
disciplining her when necessary and doesn’t give her an inch. He was firm not
harsh, direct and to the point about her behavior. It did make me feel good to know that although our marriage
didn’t work and he is miles away, we can still be a team and co-parent.
After they hung
up she came over with tears in her eyes and said that she was sorry and that
she would never cut her hair again. I told her no computer for 2 weeks as
punishment and she accepted with no resistance.
I did manage to
get creative and fix the areas that she had cut. The good thing is that it
wasn’t as bad as I originally thought, her hair is pretty thick and I didn’t
have to re-do all of it.
My mommy heaven
lasted less than 24 hours, but in the end she did come to me and apologized for
her actions without me promoting her do so. It was also a reminder that
although she is tall for her age and more advanced, she is still 5 and will
from time to time behave in the way of any 5 year old.
