Jude's First Haircut

Jude officially traversed the blurry line from babyhood to toddlerhood several months ago when he picked himself off the rug and took his first primordial steps (with Also Sprach Zarathustra playing in the background – at least as I recall it). However, we were further reminded of Jude’s non-babyness the other day when we got his golden locks trimmed for the very first time. At one point prior to the appointment, we discussed whether all three of us were psychologically ready for this rite of passage. In the end, we concluded that either now or three years from now would be the idea time. Three years from now represents when a toddler begins to no longer fear for his life at the hands of a barber or hairstylist. Imagining Jude with 5 years worth of hair convinced us that now was the time.

In my mind, toddler haircuts are reminiscent of the 70s and early 80s, as has been documented below:



Notice the horribly uncomfortable atmosphere. Comfort was definitely not a priority – function was key. Fast forward to today. These kiddos have their own salons, with beautiful lighting and wallpaper, barber chairs in the shape of Jeeps and rocket ships, and TVs playing Elmo & Friends:


Overall, Jude did excellent for 2/3 of his visit. Then, he politely waved his hands back in forth to signal “all done,” put his sucker down, pulled off his smock, and clearly exclaimed “aah” (which is Judeian for “up”). He fussed when we didn’t respond to his command, but even during his fussiness, he was a pretty well behaved little guy. Kudos to the stylist, and kudos to Jude for passing this important milestone. Your hair now reminds us clearly that you are a little man. No more old ladies exclaiming what a cute little girl we have. And for those of you curious: yes, Jude’s hair is still a little curly at the bottom. Hopefully his curls last into his teens, because they’re awfully cute (and girls really seem to like them!)