Moral dilemma of the day
June 1, 2009 – 10:16 amParenting is a job overflowing with moral dilemmas.
Like this morning, when CJ is in the bathroom with the door closed. I peek in - “MOM SHUT THE DOOR I’M TRYING TO GET READY!” - just enough to see that he is meticulously combing his hair.
Cute, he’s starting to care about what he looks like.
Five minutes later I knock on the door. “CJ, we really have to leave! Come on!”
“Ok, ok!”
He races out and down the stairs. He’s putting on his shoes and I kneel down to look at his hair. He’s been in the bathroom combing it for a good part of the morning. I want to see the FRUITS of these labors.
That’s strange, it’s combed off to the side.
(Usually CJ likes his hair straight down or in a point.)
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see them.
Peppering the shoulder of his dark blue shirt, blond hairs wink at me as they catch the sunlight.
is that…
wait a minute…
“CJ!” I straighten up and bellow, “CJ DID YOU CUT YOUR HAIR?!?!”
He looks up at me with an innocent smile but his eyes speak the truth.
He cut his hair.
I comb the bangs down with my fingers to discover that he’s taken a chunk from the middle.
“Mom, I just wanted it to look like two spikes in the front.”
Of course you did.
And herein lies the moral dilemma.
I desperately want to take a picture. To post to Facebook. To email to family. To keep for the far-off day when CJ is grown and needs to be humiliated.
At the same time I know that IF I take the picture I make the hair cutting ok. Funny, even.
A good parent would maintain a stern no-nonsense disposition about the whole scenario.
A good parent would NOT undercut her own authority by taking a picture to broadcast to all the land.
I never SAID I was a good parent.
**
Please consider heading over to the Nickelodeon Parent Picks awards to cast your vote for Absolutely Bananas as Seattle’s best local blog. You don’t even have to live in Seattle to vote!
Related Posts
Share
By WorldsGreatestMommy on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
Love it! I would have taken a picture,too. He’s a trend-setter!
WorldsGreatestMommys last blog post..Her Masterpiece
[Reply to this comment]
By Midwest Mommy on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
Ha! That is great! I am so not a good parent either half of the time, lol
Midwest Mommys last blog post..I think they were trying to tell me something?
[Reply to this comment]
By Cute~Ella on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
Haha. See you took the picture as a REMINDER of what he’s NOT to do! Good reinforcement and delayed humiliation.
Cute~Ellas last blog post..Waiting it out…
[Reply to this comment]
By Kerrie on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
Well, if it was two points he was going for, he certainly did a good job! ;)
Kerries last blog post..365 Days Down: A Photo Journey
[Reply to this comment]
By Dumblond on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
At least that is fixable. When my son took it upon himself to trim his hair (right after I gave him a haircut thankyouverymuch!) the only option for a fix was to shave him bald! I was very relieved when my daughter pulled the same trick a few years later, all that was required was to bob her hair.
And did I take pictures? You better believe it!!
[Reply to this comment]
By the planet of janet on Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
excellent. you KNOW we wanted to see …
the planet of janets last blog post..Birthday dinner: counting crazies
[Reply to this comment]
By Just Jiff on Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Nah, I think a GOOD PARENT would make it funny! lol.
Just Jiffs last blog post..Rude people in traffic.
[Reply to this comment]
By Kathleen@ForgingAhead on Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
I for one am so glad you are the kind of parent you are (how’s that for bad sentence structure) because I LOVE that photo!
Kathleen@ForgingAheads last blog post..Meeting People in Person
[Reply to this comment]
By david mcmahon on Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
I hear you. I am a father of three. I know!
david mcmahons last blog post..Verse And Worse
[Reply to this comment]
By Becky on Jun 2, 2009 | Reply
Seriously, you couldn’t NOT take a photo :) That would be crazy. Love it!
Beckys last blog post..Pool party
[Reply to this comment]
By moannie on Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
Of course we needed to see a picture. What a great kid. I have a stack of pictures that must be taken and I bring ‘em out when necessary.
Congratulations of your POTD mention.
[Reply to this comment]
By Sandi McBride on Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
A child can not grow to man or womanhood till he’s a)cut his own hair and b) cut the hair of a neighbor child…just wait, the dilemma is just beginning!!! Congratulations on Post of the Day comment and on having a perfectly normal little boy!
Sandi
Sandi McBrides last blog post..The Woman in the mirror
[Reply to this comment]
By Debbie Davis on Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
Hi, I came over from David’s authorblog. Congrats on the Post of the Day Award!
[Reply to this comment]
By threeundertwo on Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
Bwahaha!! You had to take that picture. Now you have something to show that girlfriend he brings over when he’s 17. . .
threeundertwos last blog post..Way Back When-esday
[Reply to this comment]
By Mom On The Rocks on Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
I have boy/girl twins, and dealt with this with my daughter TWICE. I was told, “Atleast she didn’t cut her self!” Really, because a bandaid could cover the cut. Nothing can fix a mullet. The picture is so necessary.
Mom On The Rockss last blog post..Day One of my Super Duper commitment to my children. Commit me now.
[Reply to this comment]
By followthatdog on Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
We had a similar hair cutting incident recently. Only I was sitting on the couch next to him as he silently gave himself mini bangs. I snapped a photo but it wasn’t good enough to publish or I’d have done it in a heartbeat.
followthatdogs last blog post..Childhood Wisdom
[Reply to this comment]
By Storm on Jun 21, 2009 | Reply
All kids cut their hair at some point. At least this is fixable. : )
[Reply to this comment]