Haircut PTSD Lessened By Stranger Things

My daughter's first haircut was unfortunately out of desperate necessity after the car accident four years ago. My daughter has gorgeous red hair with curls. She was blessed to have more than just my humidity waves but less than the crazy 80's perm curls from my ex-husband's side. In the car accident, we were the epitome of bad parents when she was already overdue for a bath, she was in hand me down pajamas and she looked like a ragamuffin with her crazy hair. To top it off, in one of my "I can garden," stints, we had some soil in the back of the hatchback that exploded all over her in the impact so she looked like orphan Annie ready to sing, "Hard Knock Life."

After we got her home and recovered, she couldn't go in the bath with casts. Her hair was rough and ratty. My friend owned a salon and we tag teamed her hair, with all the expensive product they could spare. We couldn't get out the giant rats nest. It was impossible. No matter what product, what brushes. We had to take her into the salon the cut it out when she was three. Ever since then, haircuts have been very touch and go.

I have always found and befriended hairdressers because it's important to trust people with your red hair. Plus, if I ever want to do crazy color and upgrade the look, it's nice to know where to go. I thought if Luna knew the person cutting her hair it would make it easier. This has rarely been the case.

Luna's little best friend's mom is a hairdresser so I commissioned her for the job in the pandemic because I'm not ready to take the kid to the salon. My ex used to like to take her to one of those kid cuts places where you sit in the little car, watch Disney or Nickelodeon and get a balloon afterwards, but I always preferred her in the hands of a friend.

The last haircut my friend gave her was a simple trim. My child acts like she's being tortured during haircut time so it can be a test in anyone's patience. My ex-husband and I have always argued about her hair. He says I don't understand curly people hair problems so I was pretty much not allowed an opinion. What he doesn't understand is that I am a woman and might not know much, but I know about hair. To my mother's credit she raised me to know how lucky I am to have my thick red hair and that people pay a lot of money to have my color and it pales in comparison when it's fake so I should take care of my hair as much as I can.

While hair care has been completely lost in motherhood for myself, I still try my best with the kid. The other night after I thought I'd done okay not losing my mind after some stressful days, she came to me with a ratty and I had to cut it off and told her that her friend's mom was going to cut it whether she liked it or not. I conformed to all bribery. She sat in my new, adjustable office chair watching My Little Pony, with my water bottle she tries always tries to steal, along with her little bestie holding her hand as though we were about to put her through torture. 

My friend gave her perfect, curly layers and lightened it to perfection. My daughter went to look at it and threw herself onto the floor. She hated it. For about three hours she said she looked horrible and the rest of the day was recovery. Luckily my friend took no offense.

In the midst of all this, we had just begun watching Stranger Things and I kept saying, "You look like Eleven! Wait until you see season three, it's the same! Or Nancy, Nancy's hair is like that!" It took her all day to warm to it and the next morning when she brushed it effortlessly she said, "Mommy, I do look like Eleven and I'm always going to ask for this haircut."

Since then it's all she can talk about. She tells and shows everyone, she talks about Stranger Things, which chapter we're on and how her hair is just like Eleven's. She says she's going to be Eleven for Halloween and I'm going to be Max.

I know Stranger Things isn't a cure for haircut PTSD, but it sure has done some great things this round. My daughter has been shoving her hair into a ponytail with scrunchie since I can remember and it's okay, but her hair makes her gorgeous little face shine and I wish she'd let it down or do half up and little clips and such. This haircut has brought all that into action and with Eleven's help, hopefully we can keep the trend going. 

I always knew Stranger Things was bad ass. I've been dying to get my kid to watch something that wasn't on Disney Plus that I actually enjoy, and I finally got her into it. It's been some fantastic bonding time because she's really into it and loves the whole gang.

Parenting is rough any day. Add in a pandemic, a divorce, and all these transitions, we're bound to fight. Thank goodness for Netflix and mom and daughter pajama parties to heal all the life trauma.