Hair Cuts, Sweaty Boys and Growth Hormones

Summer is finally coming to an end.  In some ways it feels as if it has lasted two lifetimes but that is not unusual when you have 57 boys in your house.  (those of you who know me, know that I never and I mean never exaggerate!)  In other ways, it feels as if I only blinked twice and fall is on the horizon.  School starts back, for us, Monday. The new school clothes have been purchased, the needed supplies are stacked in the dining room waiting to be shoved into new backpacks and school lunch goodies line the pantry.  The only thing left, was the necessary back to school haircuts.  

            

Yesterday found Scamp and I at the salon, or as an 8yr old boy calls it, “the haircut place”.  His golden curls had been let go for the summer and now framed his face beautifully and rested down on his shoulders in a manner quick to bring flashes of envy to every female.  He is still my baby and I don’t mind if he looks the part.  He jumped up into the chair and I, trusting the friend who was doing the cutting, went and sat down out front to get some reading done.  I had no idea this so called “friend” either secretly hated me or held a grudge against angelic looking little boys.  Imagine my shock when, a mere 15 minutes later, a half-grown boy walked up to me and called me mom!  I almost expected him to ask for the car keys!  His curls, while still very much there, were short and manageable and neat.  In actuality, she had done exactly what I had asked her to, but I had no idea what would be the outcome!  Somehow, in that short window, with nothing more than a spray bottle, a pair of scissors, and a comb, she had transformed my baby!  ( I thought that was water in the spray bottle. Now I’m wondering if it was growth hormones!)

It was one of those pivotal moments we sometimes have as parents, one of those moments when you look down and realize you have crossed into the next phase in the life of your child and you never even saw it coming.  Suddenly, my little Scamp seemed to talk more and express himself better.  He stood a little taller and was a little more independent.  All of this happened in the course of one 15 minute haircut.  Or did it?  If I step away from it and try to gain a little perspective, I am forced to admit these changes have been coming for a while, no matter how hard I tried to make it not so.  He was already growing up, I just couldn’t see what he was becoming because I couldn’t let go of what he once was. 

Did you read that last sentence – I mean really read it?  How many times have we missed out on something new the Lord was doing because we couldn’t let go of the things he had already done?  It can cause such turmoil in your life and in your heart.  Scamp had already left toddlerhood long ago, zoomed through the preschool age and made short work of 1^st and 2^nd grade but I had somehow almost missed it totally because in my head he was still my baby.  I wonder how much of this stage I would have missed out on because I couldn’t see it for what it was.  You see, it doesn’t matter if I realize it or if I acknowledge it, he is growing up.  There is a statement that I like to say to my boys that annoys them (why do you think I say it to them?! A mom needs to have a little fun!); “your acceptance of the truth is not necessary to establish it as truth”.  In kid terms; “it is what it is whether you like it or not!” 

There are advantages to my experience yesterday at “the haircut place”.  It has made me so much more aware of the reality of where my kids are in their lives, and because of that, I am more appreciative of the time I have with them.   Last night, as I was putting Scamp to bed, I laid down beside him and shared his pillow for just a bit.  He put his put his arm around my neck, snuggled down on my shoulder and said “you’re my best girl”.  When I could speak again, I told him he was my best boy.  Then he smiled so sweetly, gave me a kiss and closed his eyes.  I lay there holding my now half-grown youngin and tried to capture in my mind exactly the way that moment felt; the softness of his now shortened curls on my cheek, the feel of his head on my shoulder, the way his breathing became slower and deeper as he dozed and even the way he smelled. It is no longer that indescribable baby fragrance of powder and formula and diapers. Now it’s more the smell of sweat, creek water, dirt, nerf guns and maybe little green crabapples.  So goes the way of life and raising boys.

My challenge to you this week is to take a good look at those around you and yourself.  Ask the Lord to open your eyes to let you really see your loved ones as they are now, in this moment, today.  Let us not allow the treasured memories of what once was hamper our ability to make and enjoy delightful new ones. Let’s live in today’s reality.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to rescue the cat from the dryer.  It seems third graders have some unique ideas of fun!

Till next time, I’ll be here – sniffling a little, snuggling a little, but mostly learning to live in the moment because one trip to the salon taught me an important lesson.  When you’re raising kids, there’s no time to blink!

Soaked in His blessings,

Spokenfor