Hair salon fail! (non-epic)

Hi Folks,

Just a minor fail today. Nothing catastrophic. Katie's bangs are way out of control, to the point that she's constantly having to sweep them out of her face. That would be OK, but her hands are nearly always covered in some sort of goo: Play-doh, oatmeal, peanut butter, moon sand, paint, or just plain old dirt. It makes for a very wobegone-looking child. Add to that a sleep-deprived pregnant mama who's been wearing the same clothes for 3 days, and we are quite a sight.

Anyway - today I just didn't feel like running any of our usual errands. We're only somewhat low on milk, we have makings for Dada's sandwiches, and (gasp) I actually have meals planned for the rest of the week. Sure, some of them are Trader Joe's freezer meals, but let's not split hairs. So we didn't really need to go grocery shopping. I figured I'd save the library for tomorrow, since it's supposed to rain. It was too cold for the park (I hear you chortling, readers in snow country!) I was casting about for outing ideas when it hit me:

"Katie, would you like to get your hair cut today? They might have a hair dryer you could play with!"

Katie looked at me, and said "Yes!" (Ok, granted, she probably understood "play" and "hair dryer" out of all those words, but still.) And off we went to the new kids' hair salon that's been so highly recommended. Katie's previous (and diastrous) haircuts were at a different salon, so I'd been asking around for other ideas.

We arrived three minutes after the salon opened, but somehow a stylist was already finishing up a little boy's haircut. I sat with Katie and we talked about how nice and still the boy was sitting in the big chair, and we watched with glee as the stylist got out a pink hairdryer to blow away the extra bits of hair when she was done. There was nobody else in the salon, and, judging from the ample parking out front, nobody else in the entire downtown area.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the stylist. (I think she's actually the owner.) We didn't have an appointment, but the place was a ghost town. Plus, there was an enormous sign on their window proclaiming "WALK INS WELCOME!" So far, I wasn't feeling particularly welcome. But, undaunted, I said, "No, we don't." The stylist/owner seemed to sigh a little, then said, "OK, have her come sit down."

At this point I thought it prudent to briefly explain that Katie is going through a stage where she's a little wary of strangers. (I didn't mention the previous haircuts with screaming and angry puking.) I asked if Katie could sit on my lap for the haircut, since that's probably the only way it would work. They stylist said no, it would be best for her to sit by herself so she could cut the back of her hair. (Really? No?) So I gamely asked Katie, "Want to climb up and sit in the big girl chair, sweetie?" (Usually climbing is a big enticement.) "No!" OK then, haircut-nazi-lady, she's gonna have to sit in my lap. I swear I saw an eye-roll at this point.

I sat down in the chair and pulled Katie onto my lap. She was OK for a few seconds, distracted by the flat-screen TV in front of her. But then the stylist tried to put a smock over me. "NO! NO! NO!" Katie wiggled down off my lap. I explained that Mama was wearing a pretty purple dress. This seemed to mollify her a little, and I was able to sit her back on my lap. But then the stylist brought out Katie's smock, with cute little animals on it. "NO!!!! NO!!!!" I decided to pull the plug at this point. The lady hadn't even tried to go near her with scissors, and she was already starting to freak out. "Sorry," I said, "she just isn't comfortable with strangers. Do you have kids?" The stylist said "Yes." "Did they ever go through a stage like that?" I asked. "No," she said emphatically.

Well! Needless to say we high-tailed it out of there. Wow, for a place that only does kids' haircuts, you'd think there would be a bit more friendliness. Or warmth. Or some attempt to engage Katie in conversation. Not so much as a "Hi, what's your name!" Doesn't that just crack you up? I've never seen anything like it.

I guess it's back to the original salon! Hope they've forgotten all about Katie's angry-puking incidents. Maybe we'll go under an assumed name. LOL!