I had spent a good part of my day doing the thing I enjoy least – cleaning. This meant I was not spending time with my daughter.

She noticed.

“Mommy come see what I drew.’

“In a minute,” I said repeatedly.

Mimi came into my bedroom. I heard her words before I saw what she had done.

“Do you like it?”

I don’t think I’ve screamed that much since, well, I was giving birth to her. Mimi had cut her hair so the sides were now above her ears, while the back remained well past her shoulders.

She started crying, we hugged and I told her we would make her hair work.

I sat Mimi on the toilet and stared. Mothers routinely pull out miracles, but I was thinking salons are closed, it’s late Sunday and she has school early in the morning.

How does one correct an unintentional mullet haircut?

I had to think. Bangs or no bangs? I didn’t know. Then I noticed something. There was a long strand of hair that she had somehow missed in front. Hmm. And Mimi has those Angelina Jolie-esque pouty lips.

I thought, if I cut her back hair short, so it curled, and with some gel, maybe? perhaps? something stylish could emerge???

I cut the back as straight as I could. Then I tried to angle her already too-short sides and gave the front a side part. That long strand framed her face, revealing it in a way that her formerly long hair had not.

To my complete surprise, it worked! She looked kinda Asiany-French.

After the incident had passed, I asked Mimi why she had cut her hair. My five-year old said to get attention. She used those words.

It was an extreme act. And she won’t do it again. But I must admit that I do admire that at such a young age she does know how to get her needs met. By being able to do that now, she will save a fortune in therapy later.

And I did stop my cleaning. Which made her very happy – and me, too.

By Dawn Yun

Labels: By Dawn Yun, hairstyle, Mullet

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