January 4th - Practice cutting hair

After Elliot was born, Elizabeth and I looked for ways where we could save money as the rumors about kids costing a lot of money were well founded.  We got better at meal planning, we cut back on unnecessary purchases where we could, and were smarter with our money.  We're still getting better at it, but we have definitely made headway and we're making it work.

One of the ways I found to help out in this effort was to start cutting my own hair. Or, at least, learn how to trim up between hair cuts so the trips to the barber could be spread out over longer periods of time.  I've gotten pretty good at it (although my current shortly cropped buzz cut is the result of having to fix a homemade haircut gone wrong).

Which leads me to last night's adventure. And an individual in the Farabee house that is in need of a haircut. This guy:

My parents cut my hair for many years, well up into grade school.  Going to the barber during that time was a treat or for special occasions, and while I eventually started going to one regularly in middle school, they would still cut it for me from time to time after that.

It's a skill that I've associated with parenting.  My parents did it, Furious Styles tightens up Tre's fade in Boyz 'n' the Hood...it's just one of those things I'd like to know how to do. My parents were way better at it than I am now, but that's because they had more practice. To develop this skill, I realized I would need some practice of my own.

We've tried to cut Elliot's hair before with...interesting results.  I cut too much off the back of his head, and Elizabeth cut off his bangs.  It was quite the tag team effort making our son's hair look like it had been attacked by hedge trimmers.

To make sure that I wouldn't repeat the damage the next time I cut his (or Eleanor's) hair, I got a test subject last night and set to work.

It was a Dollar Store doll that had most of it's "hair" done up in a curly mass held in place by a rubber band.  Instead of simple lopping it all off at the band mark, I decided to get into it and try to make it as realistic as possible (I am aware as I'm typing this that all of this could be misconstrued as the early ramblings of a serial killer...maybe I've been watching too much Mindhunter after all...)

I figured that I would practice with scissors this go around, as that's more than likely what I'll be using when I get to trimming up Elliot's hair.

First lock lopped off!

I snipped here and there, trying to make it as even as possible.  While the consistency of the doll hair doesn't really match Elliot's (or most other humans), the waviness of it did.  The kid's got my hair, and I've seen the results of letting it go uncoifed firsthand...

An afro awaits my son...

After some tinkering here and there, trying to get the different layers even, I ended up with a pile of doll hair (yikes, it's still sounding serial killer-y)...

And a doll with a new 'do...

More of a punk-ish, pixie-ish kind of look, a la The Legend Billie Jean...

I know full well that this is not the same as getting actual experience, and I wouldn't hold my little practice session up against a beauty school.  But last night was kind fun (in a silly, "What am I doing?" kind of way), and I think the results weren't that bad.

Eleanor's getting the doll.  Elliot will be getting a haircut soon...