So it was in the morning a few weeks back, and I’m getting her ready for school. I naively ask, “So how would you like to do your hair?” She answers, “I want two pony tails, Daddy.”
“Uh oh…,” I thought. Two things roll quickly through my mind:
1. That was dumb. I just walked right into that one!
2. I’ve never done pony tails before in my life!
When you look around at other kids, or at some grown-up women, you see them occasionally with pony tails. You usually see one on women, one or two on little girls, and sometimes three on the truly abused typically-Asian little girls with the third sticking straight up. How cute…hahaha geez.
I looked on amazon.com and there was no Pony Tails for Dummies. Man I was sunk! And I ain’t no dummy!
I knew how pony tails should end up. But only had snatches of theory and observation on how to get there. Surely one just grabs a handful of hair and ties it off?
Well I wish it were that easy. You need to make sure that the hair when grabbed looks neat so the part must be right, and the hair must lay down in nice rows (versus looking a bit random). It must also end up in the right position on the head, whether high or low and if there are two, they must be symmetrical. Also, they must be really tight against the head; no extraneous hair bunching up between the tie off and the scalp.
Tying off the pony tail(s) is also tough. You need to hold the hair with one hand while manipulating a rubber band or scrunchy or other type of elastic ring and loop it at least 3 times around the hair. It’s hard to do that and keep the hair the same as when you first grab the handful.
But, I am getting better at it. A traditionally female thing being mastered by a male. I am glad it is NOT a lesson in futility but actually a lesson in humility that even the simplest things in life take lots of time to master.