Wednesday, September 1, 2010

In Which Connor Gets A Haircut And Turns 278

My child doesn't grow in years.  I swear he grows in haircuts.

I usually wait as long as I can possibly stand before I take Connor in for a haircut, partially because I don't want him to develop a distaste for the barbershop, and also partially because I love those little ringlets he gets at the back of his neck when his hair gets really long.  But his bangs were drifting down into his eyes and we were once again starting to get the "what an adorable little girl!" comments, so I knew it was time. 

I always get Connor's hair professionally cut (other than that one disastrous time when I allowed Jeremy to buzz all of it off) because Connor doesn't really like to stay still for his haircuts.  At all.  I have the sneaking suspicion that if I attempted it at home he'd not only end up with a haircut that looked like I'd handed our cat the shears, but he'd probably be missing some key appendages such as ears.

Anyway I took him in to the stylist today (I snapped that picture just before we walked out the door) and the poor woman earned every single penny we paid her.  Connor lunged around my lap at random minutes despite all my attempts to hold his head still, basically turning haircutting into a contact sport.  She did a masterful job all things considering, and Connor left the store with both ears intact and, as is usual with him after a haircut, looking about 278 years old.  I swear I watched the stylist sweep up little bits of his boyhood along with all that discarded hair. 

Do all boys go through this kind of transformation with every haircut, or is it just my little guy?  I guess maybe long hair makes people look younger or something, but as I was strapping Connor back into his wheelchair I looked at him and thought-- whoa, he's four and a half next month.  And you can tell that he's going to be four and a half, too.  I was kind of weirded out by this; I'm used to him looking so much younger than his peers.  Now suddenly it's pretty obvious that Connor isn't a toddler any more. 

Of course not everyone shares my opinion.  I took him to the grocery store after his haircut, and a boy in his early teenage years pointed Connor out to his little brother, who couldn't have been older than two.  "Look at the baby!" he said.  I actually looked around for the baby before I realized he was talking about Connor.  So I guess maybe my view of his venerable old age is kind of biased, though in the end it doesn't really matter what he looks like on the outside; he'll always be my baby no matter how old he gets.

Even when he's 278.

~Jess

7 comments:

Wherever HE Leads We'll Go said...

WOW! What a difference! He definitely looks older after the haircut. Very nice!

Julia O'C said...

Oooooh! We just went through the same thing with Emmett!!

Connor still looks very handsome and sweet, but I agree with you - I like longer hair on little boys.

Lin said...

I love when one kid calls another a "baby"--it's the pot calling the kettle black, even if that kid is 16. They don't get it--everyone younger than them is a "baby". I'm kinda like that too--anyone under 22 is a baby in my eyes!

AliciaD said...

I think haircuts always make kids look older - especially boys for some reason.

Did he get a lollipop at least? I've been informed by a particular 3 year old that he gets a lollipop from the hairdresser after his haircuts hah.

It's funny when kids call each other babies. But, I guess at least it was a teenager (although you'd think a teenager could tell the difference between a 4 year old and a baby) rather then a kid his own age. A couple weeks ago at the library the younger boy I watch (16 mos) was stalked, followed, and forcibly hugged and kissed by another boy who was exactly the same size as he was and the other boy kept calling him "baby".

I think Connor's haircut looks good. I'm amazed at how well some hairdressers will do with kid's haircuts, even if the child is squirming and screaming.

ANewKindOfPerfect said...

He looks so handsome! :) I always think "Wow, Emily sure does look her age today. She really looks almost 7" and then we go out in public. LOL She sits in her wheelchair or the seat in the shopping cart, and people ask how old the baby is. Okay so she's obviously not a BABY, but she evidently looks like a 2 or 3 year old. Everyone thinks she's 3. It doesn't help that she doesn't talk, she's tiny, wearing 4T clothing still, and fits perfectly in the front seat of the shopping cart!

Whatever people think, there is no doubt that Connor looks much older with his new adorable hair cut. Although I have to admit, when my son was long I loved his hair long too. Then he grew up and wanted it buzzed, and just this year decided to grow a curly fro. :)

Julia said...

Wow, great haircut! Actually, I love both pictures, the before and the after, for different reasons. Haircuts do always seem to put at least a year on a kid. He's toddler-adorable in the before picture, and big-boy-adorable in the after. Neil still cuts Ben's hair, and it usually goes pretty well assuming there's something good in the DVD player. When we make the move to the hairdresser, maybe we'll take the portable DVD player -- at least it keeps his head pointed in one direction!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Oh he is ADORABLE.

I always thought getting their hair cut aged my boys too. *sigh*

Lin's right about older kids calling all younger kids "baby", though with people mistaking his wheelchair for a stroller, you may get that more than others.

But he does look much older with his new 'do!

Julie

 
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