Before I post the monthly pictures of Julia, I sometimes wonder what picture will surface and seem significant to me. At times there was more than one that I just love and it is hard to chose; at times I almost wish I could pick something from another month. This month the picture picked itself! Julia has consented to wear braids!
As her hair has been growing, Julia is less than willing to have it combed several times a day which is what it would take to have it looking good. She has no interest in learning to brush it herself. All this is just like her older sister -- that love of long hair and total disregard for what it looks like really seems to run in this family and I admit to the same habits myself. I learned early that days and days of barely brushed hair does not pay and that threats of cutting only rouse the furies and do little to get the job done. And oh! Long hair can look so awful so quickly and wind up collecting sticky substances and impede important school work.
This was solved pretty early with Cheshire -- she wore and liked braids. I learned how to french braid and was able to really keep things relatively neat and good looking for years. BUT until this Thanksgiving, Julia would have no part of braids. Part of this is due, at least I think, to the fact that no one combed and brushed her hair when she was younger. The solution in China to unruly, insect hiding, dirt collecting hair is to shave it off. No one needs to fuss with shaved heads. As her hair has grown, it must feel very intrusive to have her parents washing and brushing and combing and putting in clips, elastics and bows. One of Julia's favorite getting ready for bed activities is to take out any hair ornaments and rub her head free.
Whenever I have tried to braid her hair, she complained and yelled and refused to sit still, but this past weekend was different. I put in braids every day and she liked it. She got plenty of praise for pretty hair and I think it might have been a relief for her to get that hair out of her eyes and away from her mouth during meals.
And she looks so cute!
5 comments:
I love her braids! She looks so pretty. :-)
The braids are a beautiful solution and a good fit for her personality I think! I never thought of it the way you explained it, but Cami cannot bear hair pinning, brushing, rubber banding either. For now I am letting it grow and cutting the bangs. Eventually, she'll have to agree to something too!
Substitute Zoe Wei for Julia in your post and you've nailed my life completely. EXCEPT that my girl still won't let me do braids. She looks so cute with braids and so unkempt with her hair all ferhoodled and stroblich. I'm hopeful that she will come around to braids sometime soon. Julia *really* rocks those braids. What a cutie.
Love her braids! I think my daughter is counting down the days until her hair is long enough for braids. She is still outgrowing the China hair-do.
The braids look beautiful! We braid Macie's hair every night after her bath. We just put it in a loose braid so we don't have so many tangles to deal with in the morning. She is to the point where she can braid it herself now. She actually prefers to wear her hair in a pony tail. Sometimes I wish she would just let it down:)
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