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Braiding Daughter's Hair a Labor of Love

post #1 of 18
6/17/08 at 2:54am
Thread Starter 
I really, really, really appreciated this story. It actually brought tears to my eyes. It's about an Emory professor who lovingly takes the times (and effort) to
learn about and do his daughter's hair (she was adopted from Ethiopia). Simply beautiful: http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/living/braids/.

LoL . . . okay, they are not braids. They're twists but still, it's a beautiful gesture!

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post #2 of 18
6/17/08 at 5:00am
:
That was lovely!
post #3 of 18
6/17/08 at 2:00pm
What an awesome story, thanks for sharing!
post #4 of 18
6/17/08 at 4:16pm
A wonderful story...thanks for sharing.

Now I just want to know how on earth they got her to sit still for that long??? DD's usually wriggling and trying to wrench the comb from my hands about 3 minutes in
post #5 of 18
6/17/08 at 5:28pm
That brought tears to my eyes too!
I'm so happy you shared that. I think I'll email it to DH!
post #6 of 18
6/21/08 at 9:51am
Thank you Rootzdawta!

He actually did a very good job! I can never figure out twists. He may not know terminology (few guys do! ) but he actually did fantastic.

My 1st grade students often come to me to fix a braid or twist, and I'm always embarrassed by how bad I am at it.
post #7 of 18
6/21/08 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GSMama View Post
A wonderful story...thanks for sharing.

Now I just want to know how on earth they got her to sit still for that long??? DD's usually wriggling and trying to wrench the comb from my hands about 3 minutes in
They were sitting in front of the TV.
post #8 of 18
6/21/08 at 1:36pm
thank you for posting that.

The first time I read it, I meant to post how wonderful it was.

I came back to re-read it on a day I really needed to see such a touching affirmation of hair. (I had just had an argument on another board when someone called her child's hair cr*p due to the fact that his dad had AA ancestors.)
post #9 of 18
6/22/08 at 12:18pm
Oh. That made me tear up. How lovely indeed.

Hair really is a minefield for our multicultural families, isn't it?

At 34, I am just now really starting to love my own very curly biracial hair. Thanks, in part, to the link to mixedchicks someone posted here.
post #10 of 18
6/22/08 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ann-Marita View Post
They were sitting in front of the TV.
LoL . . . sitting in front of the t.v. was never enough to get me to sit still while my mom did my hair. A pop on the hand usually worked though (unfortunately). Not saying that's what he does.

If I ever have a girl, I have a whole list of sit-down activity ideas for when I'm doing her hair.
post #11 of 18
6/22/08 at 12:26pm
thanks for sharing, what an awsome daddy!
post #12 of 18
6/24/08 at 10:28am
That was so sweet.
post #13 of 18
7/1/08 at 5:41pm
I'm going to show that story to my husband. I need back-up!

I could really identify with his story. As I do my daughter's hair, I think about all of the ways she is beautiful, all of the ways she is different from me, and all that I will continue to learn from her. Hair is only the beginning.

L.
post #14 of 18
7/6/08 at 10:36am
I am just seeing this and it is touching. I loved how he said his father made him feel like he hung from the moon and he wanted to impart that same feeling to his children. Embracing her hair and learning how to do it, is one fantastic way! Awesome story mama
post #15 of 18
7/6/08 at 8:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rootzdawta View Post
If I ever have a girl, I have a whole list of sit-down activity ideas for when I'm doing her hair.
List please !!

We are going to braid DS's hair until he is old enough to decide if he wants locks like his Father. If he ever grows any! Still just a fuzzy peach head at 4 months.
post #16 of 18
7/7/08 at 4:21pm
My daughter decided that she wanted me to twist her hair like mine (I have locks ) when we were on vacation a while back and she wore it twisted for about a month and we would freshen it up every week. It really is a pretty sweet process and it can be a bonding experience. When I am doing my dd's hair, I think of African women braiding each others' hair and that kind of makes me feel connected with my ancestry.
post #17 of 18
7/16/08 at 3:41pm
I wish the tv was enough. My DD starts screeching when she sees me come near her with the comb She'll then take it from me and either try to hide it or show me how I'm supposed to use it "gentle".
post #18 of 18
7/18/08 at 11:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmeyrick View Post
Thank you Rootzdawta!

He actually did a very good job! I can never figure out twists. He may not know terminology (few guys do! ) but he actually did fantastic.

My 1st grade students often come to me to fix a braid or twist, and I'm always embarrassed by how bad I am at it.
Don't feel bad. My 3-5 year olds come to me to fix a pony or pigtail. Ponies I can usually handle. You don't want to see my pigtails.
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