Middle Boy currently has a Mohawk growing. I won't lie. I wasn't all that thrilled with it but then I made myself take a step out of my box of “what I like” and gave much consideration to “how this makes him feel.” And I think having a Mohawk makes Middle Boy feel a bit more like he stands out from being the Middle Boy. It’s different from the styles his brothers are currently sporting and one of his friends at school has a Mohawk also so I think it helps Middle Boy feel like he fits in a little more.
Sidenote: My mom (who has worked in child development for forever now) and I had a conversation the other day about how Middle Boy’s odd personality is probably a big factor in the fact that he just has a hard time making/keeping friends. So I’ve been trying to brainstorm ways to help Middle Boy learn some skills or habits to help him with his social awkwardness.
Back to the story – I decided to embrace Middle Boy’s Mohawk which means that I’ve gone all out in supporting the growth and development of the Mohawk.
More recently … as part of a reward for being on task with his responsibilities and treating his brothers with kindness and consideration he was allowed to choose a color to dye his Mohawk. He at first wanted a neon green, however his blond hair is a bit dirty blond right now and I didn’t want to bleach it in order to get the color to show. I also didn't want him to be disappointed with a color that wouldn't show up as vibrant as he was expecting.
I showed him some darker shades of Teal and Turquoise that closely resemble his favorite shades of aquamarine. He chose the Teal. It’s a wash out after a couple of washes so I’ve had to keep coloring it about once a week. The fabulous thing is that with each color job the color is richer looking.
The first night that we dyed his hair he had the biggest, real smile I have ever seen on him throughout the past 2 and a half years that I’ve known him. It really made my heart warm inside to see him so happy because of the three of them he seems to be the one that is most down in the dumps.
I also got him some hair cement to get the effective spike to his hair style.
This, of course, needs a photo to help show the fabulous smile and showcase the Mohawk. I present, with my best superhero mask paint skills, Middle Boy’s Mohawk.
4 comments:
Very cool! When I was in high school I use to dye my hair all the time... My nickname was Nuclear, because the first time I did it, I did nuclear red stripes. Everyone acted like it was the end of the world... but obviously I turned out ok :-)
So cool! You are lucky that he can sport that 'do at school. Our school has a policy against "extreme" hairstyles.
It's been a while since I've commented, and part of that is due to my own two new stepsons. I will say that Dango, our middle child, had the wackiest personality by far. I wouldn't be surprised to see a turquoise mohawk in our distant future either...
That's great! I think it is key to allow kids to be themselves, (so long as they are safe) even if they are a little bit different than us. If he sees that he can be himself with you now, at this age, without criticism or guilt, he might just grow into a teen and young adult that feels safe with you too. And we all need a safe space, don't we?
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