How to make your Mom Sob...

Recently I installed a head full of braid locs on our 3 and a half year old. I did this to make things a bit easier when the baby comes and also because I really like how they look and the versatility (and simplicity) that it provides.

For those of you with straighter hair (aka "white" people) braid locs are itty bitty dread locs.

The boxes for each and every loc are about the size of my pinky finger nail and the braids are miniscule. Tiny.

It took me probably a combined time of about 11 hours of work. Thea was a champ and sat, and sat, and sat while we did them.

We had them in for about 4 weeks.

I LOVED THEM! 

They looked so pretty, were so easy to manage and I liked all the little styles we could do with them! 

I was hooked.

Was.

Then. 

This week we started doing some heavy duty reorganization of our home. I inadvertantly left a pair of scissors in the room Thea was sleeping in... and I came in and found this... 

1/4 of her locs are cut in at least half, some only an inch and about 8 down to the roots. Boo hoo!

I know. 

As my husband says, "It doesn't look that bad." It could be worse. At least she didn't cut herself. At least I didn't spend a fortune having someone else install them... 

But then again, as a mama who was really loving the locs and how my baby looked in them, it is a tragedy of its own kind! 

And basically it would be like a straight haired child taking one of 2 piggy tails and cutting it clean off!

All I could do was just sit and cry (sob) while I parted and examined her hair through tears. 

I went to tell my husband and he thought someone had died... nope, just cut off 1/4 of her locs...

It was also Palm Sunday. I am also 4+ months pregnant... Sigh.

Awhile later Thea said, "No cut hair... it's sad." 

Yep. Baby girl, it is. 

I've given us 2 weeks to get over it and decide what to do. No emotional rash decisions here.

I think my options are:

1. Leave them as is... and just see what happens. 

This might be hard because of the ones that were completely cut down to the root (right in front on the hair line) and also because 3 of them had half of the base snipped, and are dangling there... once the hair starts to regrow in the box/section I don't know how I'll reincorporate them into the loc again. I am also not sure what will happen with the ends because the ones she cut are frying into balls on the end and look strange... since they weren't really "loc-ed" yet.

2. Trying to "fix" or camouflage the cut until it grows out.

Some one suggested sewing on the locs with black thread... this isn't possible either because they haven't fully loc-ed yet (but it would be genius if they had been!!!)...  when the locs are pulled on they just unbraid (and yes I saved them). Another suggested just wrapping each loc in yarn, like a yarn braid or twist to even out all the varying lengths on hear head. This seems most feasible and would correct the lop-sidded look she is sporting. 

3. I could shave it all. 

Part of me wants to just start over, and I think she is young enough that the loss of her hair wouldn't be an issue for her (it might for me) and it would still look age appropriate to some degree.

4. I could cut them all to a more even length.

Giving her a little all over trim might make it look better... about half her current length. I could try to keep the locs or just take them out (since they really haven't loc-ed yet) and try again later. 

5. I could cry some more...

That is how you make your mom sob uncontrollably for 45 minutes...

Cut your locs off!