High and Tights

Since we became a transracial family in 2013, there have been many unsual things to address, overcome, learn about, and conquer. Back in February of this year, exactly one year after we brought James home, I decided he needed to visit a barber shop. I know right now you have images of Ice Cube's classic hit Barbershop flashing through your brain, but that's the movies and we live in Frankfort, so the barbershop we visited and by we, I really mean Zack and the boys, wasn't like that. There was no sign of Ice Cube...anywhere! Visiting a barbershop was uncharted territory for us. Why you ask? Well, because we're white and we grew up going to hair salons and if you're white, getting your haircut isn't really part of your cultural experience.

I do understand that for black men and boys it is and I want this for my youngest son, so "we" headed off to the barbershop. Unfortunately, James HATED it. Like full on screaming, crying, flailing, etc. 

The first cut took over two hours and my boys returned tattered and worn with the scars to prove it.

But James had a fresh cut and looked fly.

This is the picture Zack texted me during James' first barbershop visit back in Febraury. I love Zack's fake smile. Poor baby James!

We are conquerors though and we made a return trip to the barbershop about two months later for another fresh cut, but alas, the experience was worse and the cut was not so fresh (all because James wouldn't sit still).

Enter our next decision as a transracial family---cut his hair at home. Sounds like no big deal right, except we've never cut a black child's hair. Actually we've never cut anyone's hair, but we ain't skeered of a challenge, so we pushed forward in this endeavor and the result?

A somewhat happy James and a somewhat fresh cut. I was pleased and felt satisfied that at least until he was older, we had a solution. I could wait until he was older and understood better to take him to a barbershop. For now, we cut at home!

And then last night happened. What was last night you ask? It was supposed to be a regular fresh cut...just a little buzz. What happened was what I like to call... Oopsie!

After dinner, we prepared James for his haircut. Got the clippers out and I took John Owen to the bathroom to give him his bath. I happened back into the kitchen to discover that the wrong guard was on the clippers and the side of James' hair was more than short...it was scalped.

I could hear black America sighing because we'd tried to cut our baby's hair ourselves. Our beautiful, sweet, funny baby who kept saying, "I ton't want a taircut, momma."

Scenes from Ice Cube's Barbershop flashed through my head and instantly I said, "Give him a high and tight fade!"

Praise Jesus! There was hope, redemption as his parents. All was not ruined. 

Zack jumped on it and began giving the aforementioned high and tight. I googled images to use as a guide and voila!

Those eyes...even closed they are dreamy.

Not too bad, right?!

Being a transracial family is an adventure. Most days it's not even a thought in our heads. We are who we are, but every now and then something arises and I'm reminded of our difference. We aren't perfect and don't do everything perfectly, but there's grace and a forever family and these two brothers! What's better than that?