Well, my little stressed out neighbor down the street knocked on my door this afternoon, with both children by her side. I tried to be gracious as I opened the door and invited them in. Quite honestly, my day had gone quite well and I wasn’t too excited about anything disrupting my rhythm.
The mother came in and took a seat. The two little girls… 10 and 12… took a place on the sofa. I failed to follow by best southern upbringing. I did not offer them beverages… sweet tea, the official non-alcoholic southern beverage. I must say that my attitude wasn’t the best, only because I was expecting the worst.
The mother started, “We have a problem.”
Oh, geez. I didn’t know if the “we” included me or not, so I didn’t ask what the problem was. I figured she was going to tell me. Otherwise, why was she sitting in my living room?
Before I could finish my thought or the mother could continue, the ten year old said, “Take your hair down. Show it to Mom.” I stared at her, wondering why in the world she would want me to show my hair to her mother. “Show her that your hair is as long as mine… almost.”
The mother smiled. I didn’t reach for my hair clasp.
“Your mother doesn’t want to see my hair.” I tried to dissuade the girl.
“Actually, I don’t want to see your hair. I know it must be long.” She mentioned that she had seen it ”down” one day when I had it pulled into a pony tail while I was jogging. But….
Okay, so I’m reaching for 60 and I have hair that is “too long” for most people my age… according to the little blue haired ladies who go to the beauty shop every week, anyway. But, it is my choice for now.
Finally, the mother said that both the girls wanted to have their hair cut. My mental question was, “And?” but I said nothing for a minute or two. I just smiled. That was when the mother said she didn’t know where to take the kids for a haircut. (“And?”)
At last, the 12 year old brought the piecemeal conversation to some sort of sanity. “We want to have our hair cut where you get yours cut.”
I got it. The two girls had asked me why my hair was so long one day when I had it down. I told them that I was growing it long for a reason. Of course, they asked why. And, I told them that I was growing it to give to the Cancer Society so a wig could be made for a cancer patient.
The girls had realized that they were a little too young to take part in much of the activities with the older kids, mostly because all of us AARP-ers thought they were a bit young to be using some of the tools and we don’t dare take them to the community garden. I would never take a young child somewhere unless I knew the parents very well and was sure that I had their permission. As you may recall, I had just met this mother and it wasn’t exactly like a welcoming committee meeting.
These young girls had figured that they couldn’t do much else to contribute to the what the older kids were doing and according to the mother, they had come home a few days earlier saying that they could give their hair to someone who didn’t have any.
I made a call and sent them off for their hair cuts. (I’m still a couple of inches short of the requirement.) They looked precious when they stopped by on their way home. The first thing they said is that we need to measure their hair so they will know how much they will have to grow before their next hair cuts.
I invited the mother and her kids for dinner. The dad is out of town. I guess I should have been a little more open to the mother when we first met. Maybe she had come across as a little snippy because they are relatively new to the neighborhood and I suppose most kids don’t hang out with old folks. I can’t blame her for wanting to know where her kids are and who they are with.
So, I learned something today. First impressions are not always correct. And, secondly, kids want to do something to help others and be a part of something that is important to them. I’m really proud of Natasha and Kimberly. Together they figured out what they could do to contribute to society and become a part of the neighborhood gang of kids.
Today, I am thankful for smart children who care about others.
