YOU WANT ME TO DO ‘WHAT’??

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Have you had one of those occasions when someone asks you to perform a task and your first reaction is one of utter disbelief? Your jaw drops and you immediately stammer something incomprehensible under your breath; a mere whisper of slang words and incredulous statements.

Thoughts run through your mind with a million answers -- none of them appropriate for the situation, nor will any of them help you get out of doing the task.

My most recent came last week when my son approached me with his new haircut and a brand new bottle of unopened hair gel. He wanted to step out in style and he was attempting to enlist his mother’s aid in the process. And really, how can a mother turn down a son’s reasonable request!

Well, I must confess this wasn’t something I had imagined when he was a small boy. I didn’t picture applying great gobs of goo to my son’s beautiful head of hair. Nor could I have imagined standing in the bathroom and shaping his hair into a mohawk. Yes, a mohawk!!

Do you have any idea how tricky it is to get every strand standing on end? The skill required to attain a perfect line with every hair upright and as ‘stiff as a board’ equals driving a Kenworth down a major highway. Goo oozing between fingers and sliding down his neck, onto his new T-shirt was certainly a sight to behold; not to mention my face as I practiced getting that perfect straight line of hair. But with practice and patience the desired look was finally achieved. After viewing the new ‘do’ from every angle in the bathroom mirror and being pleasantly surprised and ‘pleased as punch’ with his new look, off we went to tour the town. Reactions varied from surprise to envy, disbelief to acceptance. Girls wanted to touch it and seniors wanted to avoid it. I noticed how people would stare at both of us, and take a wide berth around the 2 of us. To be honest, it was quite comical.

The next day we went through the process again, this time to take his new look to school. Teachers and students alike were astounded with his rock-hard locks. Compliments abounded and comments of all kinds were received. Some were good, some were not. He fully expected the negative comments and was completely prepared for them, but he was pleasantly surprised with the positive feedback.

I must admit this was quite a learning experience for both of us. He learned many people will judge by appearance alone and how perceptions about certain styles of hair exist. We talked about the reactions he received and realized how certain age groups viewed him differently. For example when walking down the street he has a habit of saying ‘hello’ to those he meets (after all, we do live in a small community) and with this hairdo he received completely different reactions in compared to his regular hair cut. Small children would look and point, while adults would avoid his greeting.

Just because he has a wild hairdo doesn’t make him a ‘bad’ person. I learned that it’s only hair; after all he didn’t change inside. So now, when I see someone with a huge mohawk, or a wild outlandish head of hair, I will walk over and tell them how ‘cool’ they look. I can appreciate the time and patience involved in achieving the ‘look’. This experience has given me a new understanding for the latest styles. Certainly takes the edge off from the ‘shock value’. And I can most certainly say next time my son requests something and my first reaction is "you want me to do what?’ I will refrain from saying the phrase and listen quietly before I blurt it out