Pre-Tween

Chloe has high-maintenance hair. She inherited this affliction from me. I can't wash-n-go like so many people out there- I have to put some effort into it. Same with Chloe. The problem for her is, she refuses any and all effort so she just looks like a ragamuffin most of the time. Seriously, if I can hold her down and ignore her sobs long enough to brush her hair, within half an hour she looks like she has never been in the same room with a hairbrush. And forget about any hair accessories to hold back the mess- they are pulled out within five minutes.



Because she and her hair can't be tamed, we've tried to keep it cut short and out of her eyes, requiring as little handling as possible. But when the time came for her most recent haircut, she refused.

"I want to grow long hair. I want a ponytail like K's!"

So wow- my three-year-old already covets a classmate's hair. Once the next 20 years of my life finished flashing before my eyes, I refocused on the task at hand- negotiating a hair settlement we could both live with. I told Chloe that the only way she could let her hair grow was if she let me brush it regularly and put something in it to hold back her bangs. She considered this proposal, and then agreed.

Since that time, she has occasionally deigned to wear a barrette. She refuses a headband, and the hair is not long enough for a ponytail. And of course, every time I brush it, she screams and cries as if I am beating her with the brush rather than using it for its stated purpose. As a result, she has spent the last several months looking something like this:



Friday morning, as I held her down and brushed through one little tiny tangle, Chloe screamed and cried and pushed me away.

"My hair is bothering me, Mommy!"

I pounced on this revelation. I asked if she would like to get it cut so it wouldn't hang in her eyes anymore. She confessed that yes, she wanted her bangs back, and wondered if I could call Miss Jennifer as soon as possible. So I did (but not before taunting her with singing a few bars of "Victory is mine! Victory is mine! Victory today is mi-i-ine!") So finally, I'm back to wrestling just my own hair and not worrying anymore about Chloe's. For now.