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| #SOL18: March 8th |
The Knot
I was brushing my daughter's hair, and this morning it was especially knotty and tangled. The detangler came out, and I was very generous with the sprays. The sweet smell of the product almost became a little overpowering, but this hair needed to be tamed before she headed off to school.
I took the wet/dry brush and started to comb out the surface level tangles. She must have tossed and turned quite a bit while sleeping, because her hair looked like a nest this morning.
"Do you have any animals hiding in here? Your hair is especially nest-like today," I said jokingly, trying to ease her uncomfortable squirms with some humor.
"STOP IT. I HATE WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT!" she roared unexpectedly. The messy mane now belonged to a lion, not a tired 7 year old girl getting ready for school. But I was just a confused mom. Who would possibly say that to her? To be honest, I'm not even sure why I thought her hair looked like a nest myself. Then it came to me...
"Who says that to you? Is it Grandma? Does she say your hair looks like a rat's nest?"
"Yes. I HATE when she does that," she replied angrily.
It was in that moment that I realized that I had indeed become my mother. What a funny thing to notice when you are just trying to tame a wild head of hair.
Ooops-it is remarkable all the words that pop out of your mouth that you swore you'd never say when you are extra busy or stressed (at least in my case). I hope her day improves.
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate! Way too many mornings have been less than pleasant over hair brushing, and I'm hearing my parents in myself more and more lately. I especially love your images of the "lion" and the "confused mom." Such an insightful post!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience with my word choice and the reaction from my son not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteHe's a tween, and sometimes his tween-ness leads to teen-like moodiness, resistance, and attitude. It's far from his normal personality, but my lifetime as a middle school teacher gives me insight to understand his brain is awash in a hormone tsunami that is drowning him in his moment.
I told him I didn't like the ugly attitude.
Apparently I'd said that before.
He took great exception to the word "Ugly" and felt he was being called ugly.
I've caught myself more than once since then, and transitioned to say things like mean, hateful, disrespectful, and other synonyms. It's an ugly attitude. It's an attitude that shows an ugly side of him. Little did I know I was making it worse for my usually sweet, tender-hearted kiddo.
I can totally picture the scene, too. This girl has thick, curly hair, and I gave it times ten to my daughter. I've soooooo been there!