The long and short of it
There isn’t much on which Kyle and I disagree.
Sure, he tends to let the girls get away with more than I do, and I tend to have a lower threshold for clutter than he does. But on the big issues – religion, politics, and whose side of the bed is whose – we agree.
With one exception: He likes my hair long, and I prefer it short.
Ironically, I grew up with short hair and hated it. Unless I was wearing a dress, people thought I was a boy. Not so good for the self-esteem. Barbie was still the reigning beauty icon for little girls, and I wasn’t even as cute as Midge. I wanted desperately to someday be on my high school’s drill team, but none of those glamorous girls had short hair. I vowed that as soon as I could wrest control of my hair from my mother, I’d grow it long.
I did grow it long, and I did (finally) make the drill team. And I discovered it was a royal pain in the ass to put my hair up. So at the end of the season, I cut my hair off, and then let it grow through the following year, when I cut it off at the end of that season.
This grew into a pattern. Instead of maintaining a style, year in and year out, I’d let it grow until I couldn’t stand it anymore, and then I’d chop it off.
I also developed a rather ridiculous superstition about my hair. Whenever my hair has been long, I’ve weighed more than I did when it was short. It’s a case of correlation versus causation, but I’m still irrationally convinced that long hair makes me fat.
Kyle loves long hair. More specifically, he loves 80s-style, curling iron-singed, Aqua Net-plastered, spiral perm-frizzed hair. In high school, his dream girl was Valerie Bertinelli. Even now, he remembers her fondly.
When I was in the Air Force, I was able to present the logical argument that if I had long hair, I would have to put it up five days out of seven, so it made sense for me to keep it short. Even so, I couldn’t break the “grow it out, chop it off” pattern.
But since I’ve left the military, we’ve struck a deal. Each year, between the spring and fall equinoxes, I cut my hair any length I choose, and between the fall and spring equinoxes, haircuts are allowed only for the purpose of trimming off the split ends.
(Now, before anyone jumps all over Kyle for being controlling, let me remind you that: 1) I fully agreed to this deal; and 2) The man is an absolute saint for putting up with all of my bullshit. Growing out my hair for six months out of the year is nothing by comparison.)
Last week, he asked me if I was going to make an appointment to get my hair cut, and I thanked him for the reminder.
It’s even shorter than last year’s cut.
Now let’s see if this haircut can help me lose the last ten pounds of ice cream overindulgence baby weight.
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Cutest baby sound EVER. Seriously, if you do not watch this extremely brief and ridiculously adorable video of my delicious son, you are MISSING OUT.
April 6th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Well looky you! Aren’t you pretty!
daysgoby’s last blog post..and I dub thee
April 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am
My husband hates it short too. I would cut mine off (and often fantasize about doing so), but honestly? Who else am I trying to impress if not my own husband? If long hair gets me laid, so be it.
And you look fabulous!
April 6th, 2008 at 9:02 am
My husband met me with short hair, so he says he doesn’t have any expectations of long hair. Which is a good thing as over the years, my hair seems to have gotten finer and thinner. The only time it looks great is during pregnancy and the 4 months after before it all falls out… and I fear going bald. So I’m either going to have to keep having kids, or look at wigs. There’s gotta be some good ones out there, no?
Mandy’s last blog post..Are Aquariums PC?
April 6th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I love your hair just like that. I’d love to see long hair on Kyle though.
Motherhood Uncensored’s last blog post..Goodnight My Someone
April 6th, 2008 at 9:36 am
My husband prefers long hair, but it’s my choice. And I like your hair!
kirida’s last blog post..hear me out
April 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I totally need to cut my hair too. I’m in the same sort of pattern, grow it until it drives me insane, then chop it and start growing it again.
That video IS pretty adorable.
Heather’s last blog post..Friday Fun
April 6th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I need to come the some kind of similar agreement with my husband. He simply hates it when I cut my hair, although I always wear it in a ponytail when it’s long anyway.
Your cut is adorable, as is your sweet baby boy.
Melanie’s last blog post..Dear People Who Found Me Via Search Engines:
April 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
(‘come TO some sort of similar agreement.’
Jeez.)
Melanie’s last blog post..Dear People Who Found Me Via Search Engines:
April 6th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
You both are 100% edible and adorable.
mayberry’s last blog post..Deja vu all over again
April 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I always did the same thing, grow it, get sick of it, cut it. I’d be hard pressed to get it longer than my husbands at this point – it’s think and curly but never grows, so I don’t bother. Soon I’ll have the shortest hair in a family of three boys
I keep thinking I need to lose weight before cutting it off, perhaps it’s the other way around.
Nicole’s last blog post..The Monterey Bay Aquarium, an iPhone Photo Essay
April 6th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
And your hair is great.
Nicole’s last blog post..The Monterey Bay Aquarium, an iPhone Photo Essay
April 7th, 2008 at 7:36 am
I love the hair, it’s so cute! I myself prefer long hair on me, HATE the way I look with it short, but sometimes I forget. Then I cut it short and hate it pretty much from the second I walk out of the salon and then I grow it out again. Hubby likes LONG LONG hair and once told me if I cut it he’d divorce me. I’ve cut it, he’s still here. It’s mid back length right now.
And isn’t your Ollie just scrumptious?
FishyGirl’s last blog post..Into the Sunlight
April 7th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Great cut!
And yes cute, cute, cute baby and noise!
ImpostorMom’s last blog post..Oh the sickness and the boredom
April 7th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I had the exact same experiences growing up and it lasted well into adulthood. Then I realized how much better I look with short hair (on me) because my hair is ultra fine. Long length drags it down.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Very cute video!
As for the hair thing, I too like long hair on my wife; probably longer than she prefers to maintain it. But big-80’s hair? Uh, no thanks.
SciFi Dad’s last blog post..TPS: First Trimester Quotes
April 7th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
OMG too cute! That had to be a terribly unsatisfying sneeze though. Now I just want to see him sneeze, it’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop!
I do the same with my hair too. And it’s usually summer when it hits me and I just have to chop it. This year it hit early and I found myself in the bathroom with the scissors and lots of hair in the sink. Oops. I keep telling myself it’s not so bad. But I really might need to visit a salon soon. LOL
Angela’s last blog post..The Poop Saga Continues
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I now must comment because of the title of the post that will come up once I do.
I have been struggling with the hair thing lately. I don’t want it short because I’ll look too much like my mother. It’s below shoulder length so I can scrape it up off my neck if I need to, but I am increasingly dissatisfied with the look.
Lisse’s last blog post..They say men don’t like short hair on women
June 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I don’t care what color or style, as long as a woman’s hair is long. Just watch men’s eyes when you shake your hair out of a bun!! Zowie! Just the facts, Ma’am.