Pink

Gracie had the idea to dye her hair pink awhile ago.  We talked about pink highlights and asked about it at the last haircut.  Yesterday, we got it done.  I think it looks so cute.   She easily agreed to let me photograph her with her pink hair, so that's a sign to me that she really likes it, too.

This is a very typical Grace look.  

 Happily, this is also a very typical Gracie look.

After the hair appointment, Grace and I went to Chili's for dinner.  The waitress complimented her hair and cooed over it.  Then, she asked me: "It's not permanent, though, is it?"  Me: "Yeah.  It will maybe fade a bit and then grow out."  Waitress: "But it's not, like, real dye, right?"  Me: "Yeah, real dye."  Waitress: "But it's not PERMANENT dye?"  Me (in my head): "You do know that hair is not permanent, right?  We grow more, new hair all the time, yes?"  Jeesh.


Gracie is funny about enthusiasm and excitement. Things she is very excited about always seem to end in tears. I can relate to the stress of anticipation and that anti-climactic, "what now?" feeling when something you have been waiting for finally happens. That seems to be a daily struggle for Grace. My Christmas-morning level of anticipation/let down seems to mirror her this-grilled-cheese-sandwich-is-going-to-taste-so-good level of anticipation/let down. It's a tough way to go through life. It's like the things she is most happy and excited about are the hardest for her to process emotionally. And then unfortunately for all of us she tends to lash out and find fault and get stuck on details and things that she can't control/change.  We are trying to coach her and help her learn to navigate the complex challenges of growing up and emotional maturity. The blind leading the blind perhaps? Seriously - I adore my little middle daughter and all of her enigmatic intensity and I look forward to seeing where her passionate little personality takes her in life.  (I sometimes actively remind myself of this when dealing with the wailing and the gnashing of teeth).

The punchline of this story - after almost 2 hours of sitting and stripping and rinsing and cutting and blowing and foiling and dying and sitting and rinsing, when the foils came out and she saw the big reveal, Grace burst into tears.  Everyone in the salon (who had been getting a big kick out of this little girl getting her hair done alongside all the little old ladies that day) froze.   I gave Gracie a hug (though space it usually the best thing to give her at these moments) and I sort of quietly explained how it can be stressful when you are so excited about something, and Laura the stylist was super cool about it.  I was very proud of Grace and how quickly she got herself back together (when she was younger it could take awhile) and by the time we left a few minutes later she was smiling and primping and skipping.  She was excited to go to school and show her teacher and her friends.