This is a picture of Fabio, the long-haired, male model.  Below that is a picture of my son at the beach last summer.  Think Fabio at age 12.

My son wanted to let his hair grow and since it’s only hair and not permanent, we allowed it.  There were two conditions – 1) that he keep it clean; and 2) that he keep it brushed.  He showers daily.  The brushing was a little more difficult.

Most of the time, it was alright, but there were a few occasions where people who met him thought he was a girl because of the length of his hair.  Apparently, this bothered me more than it bothered him.  He’s all boy – wears camouflage and jeans, likes to shoot at targets, and even builds his own smoke bombs from scratch.  MacGyver is so proud.  About the smoke-bomb building.  It’s amazing what a pre-teen can do with aluminum foil, baking soda, stump remover, and a flame.

And we’ll be encouraging him along the path of the non-violent, hero – the real MacGyver of TV fame – who created inventions from simple items, and away from the violent path of the Unabomber, who created bombs from simple items.  My son also recently invented a dog house ventilation fan which he made from parts of an old computer. We don’t have a dog house so he constructed one of cardboard and installed the fan to demonstrate how it works.  Quite clever, really.

The hair growing escapade started on a whim, because his brother had let his hair grow for awhile, so he decided it was his turn to let his grow, too.  Somewhere along his long-hair journey, he found out that if it he grew it to at least 10 inches, he could donate it.  He was on a mission.  So it grew, and it grew, and it grew.

He waited until he had the 10 inches of hair, and then he got it cut.  He chose to donate his hair so that a child with cancer would be able to wear it and feel more comfortable with a genuine-hair wig.  I am so proud of him for setting that goal and reaching it.  He has a kind and gentle soul.  He’s also half-way to his black belt in karate, so look out!

 

Five Reasons I Love this Haircut

1. People will no longer mistake him for a girl.
2. Saves money – uses less shampoo and shorter showers.
3. He chose to donate his hair.
4. When I remember that he donated his hair, it reminds me what a big heart he has.
5. People will no longer mistake him for a girl.

Looking at these pictures warms my heart, especially when I am frozen in fear worrying about which electrical wires he’s soldering together or what chemicals he’s mixing over an open fire.

Whether yours is long or short, wishing you a good hair day – un jour pour les bons cheveux,

Bebe