*Le Sigh*

Cutting Wesley’s hair. It is a hard, hard thing. I always let it grow out as long as I can possibly stand until I suck up enough courage to pull out the clippers and make his and our lives miserable for fifteen minutes while I cut his hair.

I heard about a place 30 minutes north that specializes in haircuts for kids. I’m not usually up in the area, but I was today, and I made a special trip in to see if they could make our usually traumatic trimming experience any more bearable.

Before I took Wes here, I called and spoke with an employee to ask what their experience is working with kids who don’t understand what’s going on and get pretty upset about it. She told me that she used to cut her handicapped niece’s hair all the time, and there was much kicking and screaming involved. In fact, she went on, even with kids who aren’t disabled, there can be much kicking and screaming involved. I felt satisfied.

The place has a slide, colorful kids’ umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, and a touch-screen computer with games. Here’s Wes playing ping pong (also note the “before” mullet).

Wes was fine and happy playing until it was time to get into his chair (a police car). Tears fell. His nose ran. There was much, “Mooooooom!” and “Down! Down!” and “Noooooo!”

Meanwhile, Carissa wandered around and had a great time touching everything in the place. There is something really great about a kid friendly place where you don’t have to worry about your toddler toddling around.

The girl cutting Wes’s hair was patient and, more importantly, FAST. Wes hated the clippers, but calmed down a little once she started with the scissors. There’s a TV screen right in front of him, and before she started snipping she pulled out the remote and let us look at the on-screen TV guide to pick something Wes would like. “Super Why!” it was. I saw another kid younger than Wes blithely–and silently–watching a cartoon while holding a sucker as he got his hair cut. As I’ve already established, that wasn’t the case with Wes.

BUT. He did OK. It was certainly about 95% easier than me having to do it myself! And when he was all done, they gave him a balloon.