My Daughter Is Bald

It happened on Friday. I cried. Hard. I came in on Friday to my husband looking for tights for my daughter to wear. I thought it was weird...why would he dress her up at 6:30 pm? I told him I'd help him look and he said to start in Jaycie's bedroom. So I did. I went in and saw it. Jaycie enthusiastically cried, "Look! Mommy! I got haircut!" Her head was shaved into a mohawk. SHAVED...MOHAWK! I think he underestimated my reaction. I immediately started to bawl. And when I say bawl I mean I fell to the bed, grabbed her into my arms and started snot faced crying. There was a lot of yelling "What did you do to my baby?" I was absolutely devastated. It took a year and a half for her hair to start growing...I mean, really growing. It was such gorgeous hair. Well, I finally calmed down enough for him to get a word in edgewise. It really didn't do much to ebb my anger though.

My dear husband keeps bubblegum in his backpack. Of course, like most toddlers, my daughter is in love with bubblegum. So when he went to get some she remembered where it was and went to get some for herself. She got a whole lot of it. She chewed and chewed until it got really gooey. Apparently this part is a little sketchy since he wasn't really watching her like he should be and really had no clue she had said gum. When he did pay attention she had it all mashed up into the side of her head. Instead of calling me to ask me what he should do he decided to fix it himself. He tried the whole oil route (he saw it on food network). However, just washing my daughter's hair includes a lot of screaming and fighting. And so he gave up. He decided the best option was to cut it out of her hair. The problem? It was stuck good nearly all the way to the scalp. At this point you would think he'd stop and think and give me a chance to get the gum out. But perhaps he was afraid I'd yell at him for allowing Jaycie to get the gum and then smash it so nicely in her hair. So he cut it. Then he noticed the big patch of missing hair on the side of her head and decided that that just wouldn't do. He had to make it better.

Have you ever cut hair? Maybe yours or your kid's or your husband's? I know when my own dear husband decided to save money by having me cut his hair he ended up with a shorter cut and higher fade every 2 weeks. Finally, he had to buzz cut it and I sent him to the barber from then on. Well, I suspect that's what happened in this case. Next thing he knows our daughter is sitting there with what he calls an "80's style punk rock mohawk". And that's why he was running around the house looking for her tights. He wanted her to look punk rock when Mommy came home and saw her. I think he convinced himself that he pulled it off. Poor guy. You should have seen his face when I broke down bawling that now people would call me "that white trash mom who cut her daughter's hair into a mohawk". He looked so bewildered. Men. After cooling down a tad I whisked her away to the mall where I planned on begging someone to fix her hair. I was ready to bribe any stylist $100 just to stay open and fix it. Everyone I had called were closing. Thank God that Mastercuts was still open and they took her without question. The stylist kept hugging me and ensuring me that it'd grow in great within a month. We decided it'd be best just to shave it all off so it can all grow in nicely. That's how my daughter became bald. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

I have to tell you what happened today though. Because the babies had been sick we have missed 2 weeks of church. I didn't want to take them especially since Jacobe had RSV. It's not something I wanted to chance another baby catching. So it was all the ingredients for a perfect mess when we showed up today. I had Jaycie dressed in a cute dress she had gotten from her Auntie Gina the night before (her doll had a matching dress on). She was also wearing a pretty little hat, jacket, and little purse that matched (I needed major shopping therapy yesterday). My baby girl walked in oozing with style. She greeted several of her favorite people and no one was the wiser. I was thinking that I really could pull this off. Until one of her little friends pulled her hat off during the song service causing the little girl's mother's heart to sink. She immediately thought that Jaycie was sick and that must be why we had missed church. I assured her that though she had been sick it was just croup and the hair was a result of a bubblegum incident and her father's negligence and not anything serious. We had a good laugh. Until my daughter decided to run down the center aisle yanking her hat off and laughing at the top of her lungs. She reached the front and nearly bounded up the steps until she saw the I-will-beat-that-little-butt look in my eye. Though she didn't think it was enough to stop her little rampage. She turned quickly to the right and ran giggling to the end and turned up the farthest aisle until she saw me half way down it ready to catch her. She turned on her heel and headed back across the front of the church and stopped as she saw me giving her a stern look telling her "get over here now" while I tried to be as discreet and least disturbing as possible. She squealed and ran back to the right as the Pastor got ready to dismiss for Children's Church commenting on Jaycie's enthusiasm. Finally a kind soul grabbed her for me and escorted her back to me. I'm sure half the church thinks she's sick and is praying for that "sweet little baby girl in church today".

I was told this a few times while grieving the past couple days and I know it to be true: I am glad that she is bald not because she's sick or has a tumor or for any similar reason other than the simple questionable judgment on her father's part. While shopping I saw a mother a little less than discreetly pull her child away from Jaycie. I can only guess that she was afraid her child would "catch" whatever she assumed my daughter had. I've noticed many questioning and sympathetic stares as well as downright rude looks. And I feel for the families of children who do have to endure chemotherapy. Every time I see someone staring at Jaycie I pray that God will give strength to a mother whose child is truly sick.

Oh, and please, I know you all mean well. But stop telling me it'll grow back within a month. I know it won't. And in a month I fully realize that my daughter will have about an inch of fuzz all over her head nicely resembling a chia head. It's not comforting. Maybe soon it'll be humorous, but that day is not today. Not yet. Ask me again when her hair is past the chia head stage. Just do what most are and comment on how pretty her eyes are. And for good measure mention that she looks just like me or that her head is perfectly shaped. That always makes me feel better.