11 December 2009

Haircut Trauma


Is fear of the hairdresser genetically inherited? Is it possible to pass onto your child a phobia of haircuts?

I'm just wondering... because poor little Scrag seems to have inherited my allergy to scissors.
His first haircut went smashingly... in Falmouth (UK) we spotted a specialised kids hairdresser complete with ride-on car shaped chairs and DVD players. The only trauma involved was mine - my baby now looked like a little boy.
But that was September, and as we know, hair grows. So when the little dude started to look like a real boufhead I started to have to contemplate another haircut.

A friend kindly offered to do the deed... oh dear, not very successful. Too much crying and screaming, tears and wriggling. We only managed half a haircut; it looked a bit tragic. Especially his bed-head hairdo each morning, with it sticking up all over.

So this morning, as I was making a last minute before-the-kids-finish-school-for-the-year dash to the mall to get the Christmas PJ's, I impulsively took a detour into the hairdressers.

If we thought the howling was bad when my friend attempted a haircut, think again. The poor bloke cutting Scrag's hair was going as fast as he could (on my recommendation; he needed no second prompting).

There were real tears. Why?? Why is he so upset about haircuts?

All I can think is that somehow I have passed onto him my haircut-phobia. Some people fear dentists. I don't mind dentists. For me, it's the hairdresser that makes me break out in a cold sweat.

It started very young, for me. Mum was the hairdresser (bless her. I love her. I have forgiven her). She did fine when she just trimmed our fringe and let the rest grow... but it was when she started getting creative and copying the styles she saw in magazines that we started to look really really bad (check out my sister's "pageboy" style).


Does anybody remember "The Shaggy Cut" from the 70's?? (OK, showing my age now) Like this chick from Follyfoot Farm whose haircut my mum really admired??? I had one of those hairdos when I was six. Poor innocent child. Layers all over and long strands underneath. Awful.

Worse was yet to come. At 14 (yes she still cut my hair when I was teenager) mum decided to try and copy my friend's stylish (professionally cut) bob. No, no, I said. I don't want it short like Nicola's. I just want a trim.
The sound of the scissors chopping a hunk off level with my earlobe is a sound that still rings in my ears. I put my hand up to feel what was there and felt nothing. "What have you done???!!" I squealed.
"Oops, too late now," mum said. "I'll have to keep going..."

Chop. Chop. Chop. Off came the rest of my hair. I looked in the mirror afterwards and nearly puked.

Mum knew she'd done me wrong. She even let me have the next day off school because she knew I shouldn't really have to be seen in public. When I finally did venture out, my friends' sympathy confirmed my worst fears. It was bad. There was nothing I could do about it apart from wait for it to grow. And vow never to let Mum touch my hair again.


So began the era of my younger sister cutting my hair instead. Yep, you heard me. I was desperate.
She was hardly any better than mum, though she did try her best. I was her dummy; she practised on what was left of my hair.

In fact one time she cut my hair when I was 15, my little brother took one look at me and said: "Oh no! Who did that to your hair?"
"Kristen," I replied, glumly.
"Oh man! I'm going to go and tell her she's a useless cutter!" he stated indignantly. Thanks bro, that makes me feel so much better, ya know?

At some point I must have just wised up and stopped cutting my hair altogether. So began the golden years of long uncut locks and The Perm.

These days I can't really get away with long hair (what with being forty and all). I prefer it above-shoulder length; I've finally found a good hairdresser and I manage to visit her regularly... say every 4-6 months?



I really hope my Scraggy grows out of his haircut phobia... he looks so very handsome with his new do (in spite of all the scrapes on his gorgeous wee face).

And I promise promise promise I won't ever cut his hair myself.


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9 comments:

PaisleyJade said...

Loved reading your haircut story... I grew up with a mum who was a hairdresser so I totally know where you are coming from... I remember having days off from school aswell!

All I can say is that I am so thankful that God made hair grow!!

p.s. Scragg looks really cute!

Anonymous said...

What a cutie!!! Oh loven' that sweet face...
loven' the pics from ghosts of hair do's past....so funny
hey I know a great Hair Stylist in canada if you are ever this way...let me know I will hook you up!

meg said...

Oh Simone he just grew up a year with that haircut. But he looks gorgeous. x

Trees said...

Love the long hair shots, what a babe!
And Scrag looks gorgeous with his smart new haircut x

Gail said...

Hey, I totally have that 70s hair thing going. But loving it :)

kestrel said...

I love you with long hair especially with the perm. And Scraggy is a handsome boy, i hope he grows out of this phobia soon

granny winnie said...

He's been scalped !!!

Widge said...

what a hot 80's chick!!
your scrag looks so cute.

I just did my own daughter bad...it involved wet thick hair and blunt sissors..I tied it up in a french braid and we'll have to see in the morning eek

MoonNStarMommy said...

Awwwwww my Noah has major haircut fears, he looks like a shaggy dog at the moment too! He has sensory issues that that can - maybe - explain it... but he just would scream and scream and let me tell you, at times, I would have to hold him down just to get a haircut so he didn't look like a girl! Now at 7 (almost 8) he will only let one person cut his hair and that's it, and it's not me... nope... it's Dad.

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