Best Daughter Ever

Last night Rachel, our 3 1/2 year old, did something I couldn't be more proud of.  She decided to give up her long flowing hair and donate it to those in need.

Rachel had begun thinking about donating her hair back in November, but after talking it through with family decided she wasn't ready to cut all of her hair off.  We still talked about donating it on and off, but had decided to let it go until Rachel brought it up again.

Last week we talked about how mommy and daddy were going to get their hair cut the next day, and Rachel asked if she could go see Jodie and get her hair cut short and donate the hair.  She was actually in tears when we told her Jodie didn't have any space left for that day, and we had to call that minute to see when we could schedule an appointment.

Over the weekend we continued to make sure Rachel really wanted to cut her hair and donate it.  It's one of those things that you can't do part way.  Rachel gets a pony tail in her hair and in one cut it's gone (well, two cuts, we did two pony tails).  Erin was pretty sure Rachel would realize what was happening too late and be in tears. 

I think there was a little bit of projection there.  Once the hair was cut Erin looked like she was close to tears.  Rachel, on the other hand, had a great time.  She was immensely happy and stayed incredibly still while Jodie cut her hair.

The next day Rachel ran into school showing everyone her pony tails and talk about how she is going to donate them.

She didn't shed a tear, even the next day.  She's even pointed out multiple times the biggest benefit of getting her hair cut, that it won't hurt to get it brushed any more.  Personally, I loved that it took all of 1 minute to brush her hair, and had no knots at all.

This was a decision both Erin and I took some time to come to.  We'd been getting irritated at how much complaining we received brushing her hair.  That's balanced with the fact that Erin enjoyed putting it in a bun or french braid.  We also wondered if we were assuming too much responsibility and understanding in Rachel, a three year old.

That got me wondering what other sort of decisions we try to make on our own, assuming others aren't ready to make them.  What decisions do we put off ourselves because we think the consequences will be too big?  Sometimes we need to let our own assumptions go and simply take the leap.

In the end, while I miss her long hair a tiny bit, I love that it was Rachel's decision to cut and donate it, and that she is happy to have short hair.  She looks great!

Peace,
+Tom