Having written about our steps forward on the reading journey I thought it might be worth sharing our hair cut adventures over the years.  My son actually asked to go to the barbers last week to have his hair cut, that’s amazing enough on its own.  But as I sat and watched him talking to the hairdresser, ok, only a few words, but still, I realised just how far he’d come.  We left with him sporting a new hair cut without any dramas.

Our journey began when he was very little.  I used to have my hair cut and coloured at home by a friend, and he’d been used to seeing her come and go.  When it was time for him to have his first hair cut I knew that my friend was the perfect person to ask.  Little did I know that my son wouldn’t be quite so keen on this or any other arrangement.  Over the next few years we tried him sitting on my lap, sitting him in the living room with his favourite programme on, bribery with biscuits and all sorts.  He was always very reluctant to lose his locks and looked at my friend and I as if we were rather evil.

But by the time he was at school we’d settled into a routine and just occasionally he’d actually talk to my friend and we could all make it through the process in relative calm.

All was well, and then my friend had a baby and I knew it was probably time that my son started to go to the barbers.  It was rather traumatic.  We walked round every barber shop in town until we ended up at the first one we’d walked in to.  I explained that he was very shy and wasn’t used to having his hair cut by a stranger.  The girl was brilliant, my son survived the ordeal, we’d made it through in one piece.

He slowly started to warm up to this particular hairdresser over the coming year, she’d almost get a couple of words, the occasional nod.  For my son, that was progress.  Then she left and the next time we went in to the barbers there was a new lady, and we had to start the process all over again.

Roll on a couple of years, and now it doesn’t phase him at all if he sees a different hair dresser each time he goes to the barbers.  I used to have to stand right next to him as he had his hair cut.  Now I can sit at the end of the shop whilst his hair is being tamed.  He gives me a few furtive glances just to make sure I’m still there, but he sits and does as he’s asked and last week there were nods, smiles and a few words.  Sporting a new hair cut without any dramas is such a different experience for us both nowadays.  It’s almost enjoyable.

I wonder when he’ll start asking for gel and fancy styles rather than a number four all over.  I’m sure it will come, in time, when he’s ready.  But for now I’m just enjoying the fact that we can get his hair cut every couple of months without anyone getting upset.  It certainly makes life easier all round!