julieblossoms

I didn’t realize my inability to braid hair would be such an issue but the mornings are getting increasingly stressful around here with requests for various braids my daughter sees on other girls or she finds on-line (yet another reason to hate the internet). The stress to do them quickly and evenly without being poofy drives me insane. But since I’m the only one with any hope of doing it right, my daughter keeps asking me to try and I do. I do try. Inevitably though, she takes out whatever I’ve done, adding an eye roll and a sigh telling me “It’s all wrong. I’ll just wear a pony tail….AGAIN.”  I know it shouldn’t make me feel inadequate as a mom that my braids fail, I mean I do so many things well, but since I do love fiber arts and I’m good at making things with my hands, it kind of makes me crazy that I can’t seem to braid her hair right. I mean really… I can knit…I can sew…I can weave. What’s my problem with braiding her hair? Hers is slippery, which makes it particularly hard and it’s totally straight too, which means it shows every single bump, but I think it’s really the expectation thing that gets me. The fact that she has in mind a certain outcome (including perfect symmetry without pieces sticking out) makes me nervous, as if it’s a test I just know I’m going to fail before it even starts. I’m much better off doing things without intention, without rules and definitely without symmetry– unless of course the symmetry happens by mistake which is a nice surprise. But I’m going to keep trying to braid her hair when she asks, because you never know, maybe tomorrow I’ll get it right? and that’s what good moms do. We keep trying.