My Baby Girl’s First Haircut

My daughter is four and had yet to cut her hair. This wasn’t really an issue, apart from the fact that the ends of her very long hair were getting dry and split so I felt that it was time for a trim.

I booked an appointment for her at a local kiddie salon. They let her sit in a pink car and gave her a lollipop as well as a pic of her new haircut, a certificate and a little baggy with some of her curls in it. It was a $26 haircut and we have memories, cheesy ones, but memories nonetheless.

I had been building up this haircut and she was really excited because I guess in her mind this is something that big girls do. She was happy to sit in the pink car and put on a little smock. What surprised me was that she wanted to cut her hair short.

I explained to her that she needed to understand that if she cut her hair short that it would take some time to grow back. She couldn’t wake up the next day and decide that she wanted it to be long again. But I also explained that that was the beauty of hair. That we can cut it short, then wait for it to grow back again and then cut it short again. It’s only hair and it grows!

She seemed to understand and she insisted on short hair. So I told the hairdresser to cut it to her shoulders.

The hairdresser cut it about shoulder length — it was originally at her shoulder blades. She looked in the mirror and said, “I want it shorter.” The hairdresser obliged, so technically, I got two haircuts for the price of one. WIN!

She was finally happy with her hair.

My baby girl looking so grown up.

Everybody was happy. She was happy, I was happy. This meant less tangles for me, and she felt like a big girl after her first salon experience.

What followed was annoying to me.

“Wow. You cut off all of her curls.” Said with a pout… This was a comment that I received from an adult who works in childcare. This was said in front of my daughter. How ridiculous is this?

“She looks so cute, but her hair was so long and beautiful!” Seriously? What year are we in?

I received quite a few of these comments, sadly from adult women, and I always tried to hold back my anger in front of my daughter and responded respectfully with:

“Yes, Alexandra wanted to get a hair cut and she is beautiful no matter what. She made a fantastic decision. Maybe she will decide to grow it long again one day. Maybe not. Either way is fine with us.”

Who cares if her curls are gone? It’s only hair. It will grow back — if she wants it to.

My daughter’s worth or beauty is not related to the length of her hair or how straight or curly it is. Women need to get over this.

We wonder why women are so quick to base their self worth on their appearance. How could they not, when all people do is tell little girls how pretty their hair is and how beautiful they look in dresses?

I’m trying my best to praise my daughter’s personality and her actions. I don’t want to focus on the length of her hair, how pretty she is or how pink her shoes are.

Thanks to everyone who gave her positive feedback and didn’t ridiculously mourn the loss of her hair.

Sheesh.