Rejection or Perfection?



“Nic’s Famous Style”

I love having my hair played with. It’s one of my favourite things to have done to me. By my husband… or a friend who absentmindedly fiddles because she is standing behind me … or my mom out of an old habit. By the boys……….. not so much.

Rob mentioned to the boys that I love having my hair played with….. so in heartfelt sincerity the boys decided to do my hair. All three of them. Right after dinner… before they washed their hands. Hmmm…. lovely.

But as I sat there, I thought that greasy, messy hair and a few painful tugs was really a small price to pay for that experience. Having them try their best to create new ‘styles’ to make mom look beautiful was actually such fun. I can’t say it had the relaxing feeling it does when someone adult does it, but it almost brought tears to my eyes (not only from pain) to have them gently playing hairdresser on my hair.

It made me realise that sometimes it’s not about ‘perfection’… it’s just about accepting them and their ways of showing love. And boys especially often have unconventional ways of doing it, let’s admit, but it was such a tender time.

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Often our kids may be trying to show us their love, and we can easily brush it off as annoying … rejecting them… or you can sit there and enjoy it for what it is. So don’t be too hasty next time your kids want to do something for you – even if it’s not going to be perfect. Allowing them to do it, does so much for their self-esteem, and that is a teeny price to pay for something so important.