Cherish My Daughter

Before the Chop After the Chop When HmG let me know she was ready to do her own hair, I thought there was something special I had to do to make it easier for her.  I remember brushing her soaking wet hair into a ballet bun for a competition and thinking to myself, "this is a whole lot of hair." Would HmG be overwhelmed? HmG's hair grows naturally in layers, but all of her layers were long.  The layer from her crown to nape stretched down to her waist.  She has a lot of strands and each strand is thick.  I thought to myself there was just no way she could handle it.  We talked about it briefly and decided to chop off three inches, hoping it wouldn't be too noticeable to others. First, the chop was very noticeable to others.  I was dismayed to watch HmG explain over and over why her hair was suddenly so short.  She had to explain it for months.  After a few months she stopped thinking a hair cut was a plausible answer and simpl...

The joys... 1. She loves them.   In the beginning, I worried that Mg2 would change her mind about having braidlocks.  I watched her carefully on our first Princess Day after installing her locks.  I wondered if she felt like she was missing out on something as her younger sisters enjoyed their loose hair. When I finally had a moment alone with Mg2,  I whispered, " Princess Day is every day for us, right?"  She smiled and nodded. "Are you sure?  It would be very easy for me to take your locks down today if you like..." "I love my locks mom.  I want them to look just like yours." "I can't promise you that.  I promise that your locks will look just like yours." Hugs and kisses ensued and we moved on. 2. Mg2 is fully responsible for her own hair and care is easy.   Detangling was the most difficult skill to teach HmG.  With locks, Mg2 has no worries.  We have set up a routine for her to wash her locks every Saturday m...

If follow me on Facebook and watch my YouTube videos, then you already know that I recently started a set of   locks for Mg2  by braiding up her hair.  I've recently been asked why we chose to start with braids and thought  I would spend some time explaining it in more detail here. There are multiple ways to start locks, perhaps more ways than we will discuss here.  Choosing which way works best for you will depend on your personal situation.  Consider your lifestyle, hair texture, sizing, and the way you would like your mature locks to look. Most people are familiar with comb coils and twists. However, people also start locks by freeforming, backcombing, interlocking and braiding.  Let's have a closer look. 1.  Freeforming    involves letting the loose hair clump and matte in whatever formation it likes.  This may yield locks of various sizes and shapes depending on hair texture and performance. 2. Comb coils or finger c...

I been coming here for years and being transparent about all sorts of things without feeling bothered. My Scalp Series (6 videos) on YouTube has ruffled me up a bit.  I am surprised to suddenly be feeling a little shy.  I still feel very connected to the old me and while my thinking has changed, I remember exactly where the old Mocha Mom was when she made those choices. I've posted the first video and am thinking you can follow the trail once you get on YouTube to see the rest.  Maybe you've watched and and think... no big deal .  I'm really asking to hear your thoughts on this one.  Can you relate?

Is motherhood going to kill me? I remember being twenty-one years old and not being able to understand why my mother couldn't adapt when my choices for myself deferred from what she wanted for me.  I liked my choices and thought my mother should be happy because I was happy.  I never imagined what it felt like then to have to let go as a parent. I'm not talking about letting go of the big things that mean life and death for our kids.  I'm realizing that letting go of the little things can be just as excruciating.  Little things like a daughter insisting she likes a side part better than a center part when as mom, I especially like the way this daughter looks with a center part.  It's keeping my mouth shut and smiling pleasantly when she says, "the side part looks good too, right Mommy?"  The truth is there's nothing wrong with the side part, Mom's just attached to the center part.