Whole Lotta Hair

Many mommas of Ethiopian kiddos that I have a lot of respect for choose not to go there when it comes to blogging about their kid's hair. I appreciate this non-issue approach, since it is, after all, just hair, and it is also just one more thing to make a big deal about and, in the process, send the message to our kids that they are different from us and many of the other people that now surround them in their daily lives. Yes, different is good, and Brent and I are working hard to celebrate alongside our kids everything that makes them uniquely them, but we all also know that different can mean excluded or lesser than in our society too and that our kids are likely to feel the negative effects of being different far more than we would hope.

With ALL of that said (there's probably plenty there for a whole new post), hair is a pretty significant component of our lives here at the Perfect Space. Hair Day means large chunks of time set aside solely to care for my kids - to wash 'em up, lather their skin with lotions, butters, and puddings in order to bring out its rich shine, massage yummy smelling oils into their scalps and dig my fingers into their kinky coils with the attention only a momma can provide - attention that at least one of my two had never really experienced before joining our family. Hair Day means snuggling up with blankets and monkeys on the couch to enjoy a movie or cruising down to Hollywood for a stroll through the fabulous farmer's market, a morning with mommy at the salon and an injera-filled feast afterwards. My kids both take great pride in their hair. When Hair Day is finished, they beam. It's no wonder that, "Mommy? Hair today?" is a common and hopeful question around our house.

I choose to document our hair days because it is part of our family's fabric just as much as walks on the beach or weekend waffle feasts. I hope that someday the three of us will sit down and look at some of these pictures and smile remembering the time shared (and maybe laugh at my flat twisting skills, which can only get better, right?).

This weekend I probably spent a total of seven hours on hair. On Friday night I washed and retwisted Ashagre's locs. On Sunday night I washed and detangled Elsa's hair. This morning I flat twisted Elsa's curls. My back was sore from bending over them when I was finished. I found myself getting frustrated that Elsa's hair just isn't quite long enough to result in clean twists that run the length of her head. I may have pleaded with both kids on more than one occasion to please, just sit still. But in the end, the pride in their eyes when they scurried to the mirror to look was worth it.

Free and natural hair = happy, confident kid (and a
busy momma come time to detangle Sunday night).

All twisted up. Enjoying the end of the movie while his hair dries.

Momma's first-ever flat twists.

Definitely not as clean as the stylist's, but no tears
either - and I think that certainly counts for something.