Well this week hasn’t really gone as planned.
I kept Caroline home from school on Monday because she seemed tired and congested and just wasn’t acting like herself. Which is to say that she was content to just lay in bed and do absolutely nothing. And then Tuesday morning she woke up and announced that her throat still felt “googly” and “scritchy” and so she stayed home again.
On Wednesday morning she was still complaining of a sore throat but didn’t have fever and I was a little suspicious that she might just be enjoying her ill-health and repeated viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins while I waited on her hand and foot and fetched her additional ice cubes because “this orange juice isn’t quite as cold as I like it, Mama”. So I sent her to school but told her she could go to the nurse if she didn’t feel good.
Which is why my phone rang at 9:24. It was the school nurse. And so I went and picked Caroline up from school and immediately called the pediatrician to make an appointment to find out if she had strep.
The strep test came back negative but she was diagnosed with a sinus infection and we left with a prescription for an antibiotic.
And so that’s what we’ve been doing for the last three days.
In fact, I’ll go ahead and admit that I hadn’t worn anything but pajama pants until I had to go to school and pick her up yesterday. Three days in pajama pants might be some kind of record. But if you combine the fact that I’m trying to meet a book deadline with a sick child and rainy weather? Well, that’s just a pure laziness trifecta.
P ended up being home most of the day Tuesday because the weather was wet and rainy. (It’s so odd how rain is wet. Wet and rainy? Lamest description ever. I blame too many viewings of Mr. Popper’s Penguins.) We spent some of the day reading a few chapters of Harry Potter and ate a lot of soup.
(We could talk or not talk for hours and we both enjoy soup.)
(So many bowls of soup have been consumed at our house over the last three days that I went to serve chili tonight and discovered we’d completely run out of clean bowls.)
(I ate my chili in a plastic Tony the Tiger bowl.)
(None of that is important. I don’t know why I’m talking about our bowl shortage.)
Anyway, we were all slightly stir crazy by late afternoon and sitting in the kitchen when P called to reschedule an appointment he had to get his hair cut.
He hung up the phone and lamented changing the appointment and said he couldn’t stand one more day with his hair so long. (He’s been growing it out since early December at Caroline’s request. It was a mass of gray cowlicks.) I jokingly said, “I’ll cut it for you.” And Caroline piped in and said, “Me too! Let me cut it, Daddy!”.
And he said, “Okay”.
Really?
You’re going to let our eight year old cut your hair?
Yes. Yes he was.
And so Caroline began to cut his hair while she occasionally said things like, “OOOH! HERE’S A BIG PIECE RIGHT HERE, DADDY! I’M GOING TO CHOP IT!” with just a little too much enthusiasm in her voice.
His reasoning in allowing her to do it was that you can’t really screw up his hair.
But he was wrong.
It seems that the person who was supposed to be supervising the haircut got caught up in the new Boden spring catalog and might have forgotten to pay attention to the child with the scissors.
The good news is it looked pretty good from the front. Good being a relative term. And assuming you’re nearsighted.
The best news is he got it cut by a professional yesterday. And she managed to even the whole thing up. Although he said there were a few times she would remark, “Oh, you’re kind of missing a chunk right here.”
Of course the lesson I’ve learned from all this is I have two people in my house who should never be left alone with scissors when they’re bored.
Or maybe the lesson is the Boden catalog can wait until after your daughter finishes cutting your husband’s hair.
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But the absolute best part is that forevermore, Caroline will say, I cut Daddy’s hair. And truly, what is better than that?!
Ha! My dad’s hair is the same way! He has so many cowlicks that sometimes you can’t really tell if he’s had a haircut or not. I cut his hair all the time but now that’s he’s getting older, he has started to blame his baldness on my hair cutting skills. Caroline’s enthusiasm is too cute!
Caroline looks so professional in the photos!
What a great Dad P is to let Caroline make a memory like that! I would bet she’ll never forget the time she was sick and it was rainy (and wet!) and Dad let her cut his hair. That’s a good man you’ve got there, Melanie.
Thank you so very much for the pictures and the laughter. I needed that today:)
Oh my goodness! This is the funniest thing I have ever seen!!!! Seriously–if a picture is worth a thousand words…then I just giggled 10,000 times. (I know that doesn’t even make sense. I’m just trying to say these pictures are HEE-LARIOUS.)
I can see it now–bloggers everywhere are BEGGING their husbands to let their kids cut their hair.
Seriously. Funny.
Oh bless him! What we do not do for our kids!!
What a great dad. So easy for guys. I cannot think of a mom alive who would take one for the team like that.
The best lesson learned though is that Caroline has a daddy who loves her and is willing to sacrifice good hair for priceless memories! I hope C gets to feeling better!
Awesome! What a Dad!
Oh my gosh! Hilarious!
That is hilarious. What a great dad – the things we won’t do out of love or probably desperation. Sounds like wild times at tour house. Hope everyone is well soon.
I see “Hair’s to you, Dad” Father’s Day cards in his future!
Definately the true love of a Daddy showing his daughter that he trusts her… Even with a pair of scissors! I’m sure that this will forever be a great memory for C. I have pictures of my daughter squatting on the counter washing her Grandpa’s hair in the kitchen sink. The joy in her smile is something that I still can see. Thanks for sharing!
Oh how I enjoy a good laugh every morning, this one made me laugh out loud:)
Oh, my heart! He must be one of the best daddies in the whole world!! Love those pics of her whacking away at his hair.
This post makes me a little nervous b/c I’ve been reading “Junie B Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy” to my girls and they laugh a leeetle bit too much at the parts when Junie B. is chopping off something’s hair. I have a half a mind to hide all the scissors.
lol! junie b jones is a great read..but im always very nervous that my 1st grader will do things just like spunky junie b:))
In the future you may hear “Daddy, remember when I cut your hair and it looked so good? Can I do it again?”.
That’s how I feel after cutting my son’s hair. But I refuse to pay $25 to get a two year old’s hair cut every three months. So I do it myself. And I live with the results.
speaking of two year olds – I feel your pain about staying home for days at a time. Henry’s just getting over his ear infection and cold that kept us home for four days. Fun times!
Oh my, this is some FUNNY stuff right here!!!!!!
P has got to be one of the greatest dad’s out there. I would love to find a man that was laid back enough to let my kids do something similar! You and Caroline are very blessed to have him!
What a sweet Daddy your little girl has!
The picture after she finished cutting his hair is so cute! This will be a special moment to remember for years to come. Nothing like a little father daughter time.
Oh my. Are you sure he didn’t loose a bet with someone? What a good sport he is. This reminds me of that game of trust where you have to trust a group of people to catch you when you fall. I don’t trust anyone buy my hairdresser to cut my hair. Good for P!
That made me laugh so hard. Your hubby is a trooper!!
When I was growing up, my mom always cut everyone’s hair at our house. So when I got in college, I decided that I should be able to do the same thing. She wasn’t a hairdresser, just a mom wanting to save money. My father in law (at the time he was just my boyfriend’s dad) mentioned one weekend when I was at their house that he needed a haircut so I offered to do it. Remind you, I had never cut anyone’s hair before except to give my brother a buzz cut once. My in-laws only had one pair of scissors that aren’t really meant for hair. It took me 3 HOURS to cut his hair with those scissors. Seriously. Thankfully his hair turned out just fine, but I don’t know how he was able to sit there that long with a newbie cutting his hair with scissors not meant for hair. I have since bought a pair of clippers and I cut my husband’s hair along with both of our boys’ and it never takes more than 15 minutes, thank goodness. My FIL still won’t let me live that down.
P has got to write a parenting book. He is the ultimate “Yes” dad. Caroline will always remember all the good and positive and fun and adventure she had with her daddy.
What a charming and fun memory – she’ll never forget!
P is awesome for letting her cut his hair. What a great Dad.
That’s some real Daddy love. So sweet. Mine has let Daughter use the clippers,but they have a guard.
I laughed out loud in my office at this post!!! You should really have your own reality show!
Hahahahahaha.
Wow.
Totally laughed.
Please show this to the Sportsman’s group.
i love that your hubby let caroline cut his hair! what a fun memory for her!
Well isn’t she the next Tabitha Salon TakeOver?!
And what a brave soldier, P was!
We did that one time except it involved bladebless preschool scissors and thankfully, no one was harmed.
Hoping everyone is feeling much better now!
P is a good man.
Hilarious! I laughed and laughed!
What a great dad and a wonderful memory she will cherish!
What a great dad! Reminds me of the time my husband and his best friend were snowed in from a blizzard. Have you ever heard of a “snow-hawk”? Took a long time for that to grow back!
P IS THE coolest dad ever. If he let that go down, “daddy, I just took out the garage door with the car” is not going to phase him. laughed until I cried
What a good daddy and what a hilarious post!
It’s funny–my husband cuts our kids’ hair and has never once suggested they return the favor.
The word “deadline” makes me break out in a cold sweat. It’s both fatal AND bossy.
I can still remember when I cut my dad’s hair and he had to wear a hat for about two weeks. Very cute!!
That is hilarious! What a great dad!
Ha! ha! I love the haircut story but I really love the honesty of the “we didn’t have any clean bowls”. I can so relate to that. The Husband has been eating Rice Krispies like he is pregnant and has cravings. Many days I come home from work to see a stack of dirty bowls, like, he used different bowls for his multiple Rice Krispies servings during the day. Guess I’ll have to get a Tony The Tiger bowl and hide it for my own use!
my my my….that is one brave daddy! Such a cute little memory. Hair grows back, right? That is my motto everytime I get a haircut:)
Oh my! He is hilarious! You all are! I love it!
(I’m sorry this is the lamest comment ever…I mean it though…you made me laugh so.)
Wow! I hope he tipped the professional well! What a guy! That is awesome!
Love your title for this post! And your P is one brave man!!!
Best Daddy ever!
Too great! Caroline seems like she would be totally over the moon at a chance to do something like that. Great pics! She is so funny!
What a great Daddy! I can’t wait to show these pictures to my husband when he gets home. (He is a barber)
Laughed so hard that I snorted and have tears rolling down my face! Those pictures are priceless!!!!