I remember mornings, sitting sideways in a chair at the kitchen table, my mom braiding my hair. It was just part of our routine. The white soft bristled brush, the sticker on the backside faded and unrecognizable. There was often tugging and tears. I know now that there was also love.
As soon as my girls’ hair was long enough to braid, we realized it was necessary if we wanted to keep their curls tangle free. So our routine began. We only brush after bathes and showers, plenty of leave in conditioner, and the black Wet Brush (only the Pro version will do). We need to replace the brush quite often. If those bristles aren’t stiff, there are more tears and tangles. I braid every day, sometimes three times or more. I don’t think I’ve missed a day of braiding in eleven years and I’m certain I have developed extra muscles in my right arm thanks to all the brushing I do.
Some time last week, Adi mentioned trying a French braid in her. I never learned to French braid. I’ve often tried, on myself, on dolls, on others. It just never works. I brushed Adi’s request to the side. Then I caught her looking up videos on how to French braid. She was practicing on her dolls.
Last night, as I sat Slicing at my computer, she lingered around, hair elastic in hand. It was so close to bedtime and the last thing I wanted to do was attempt a French braid or worse yet, the emotions that might erupt if I failed or didn’t meet Adi’s standards.
We watched a video together. She giggled with anticipation as she sat sideways in a chair at our dining room table. I separated the strands and replicated the moves I had just observed in the video. To my surprise, a braid began to form. I quickly realized that I should have been gathering larger strands of hair because when I got to the base of Adi’s neck, there was still a lot of loose hair. I improvised, gathering more hair together to form a long braid down her back.
I stepped back to survey my work. “I think I did it!” I exclaimed as Adi jogged toward the bathroom mirror to get a look for herself.
When she returned to the table, her smile told me that the braid met her expectations. She returned to the chair so I could braid the other half of her hair.
When I was done, she exclaimed, “We did it!”
Where There Is Joy 
Look at that smile! Hope yours was just as big. Go team!!
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I love the “we” in the exclamation. She did the research and the hinting/prodding. All you did was the execution…under pressure…at night. Congratulations to both of you.
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You go, Mom! The ending is great in this post. You’ll get better and better at those braids, although they look good! Now on to Dutch braids? They’re not much harder– I bet Adi would be impressed!
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I was the one who had to do my younger sister’s hair in our house. It was more pig tails than braids but making the part was always the worst part! Calyn is a master braider, all different kinds. She can teach you!
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Sign me up!
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Beautiful job!!!! The routine of hair brushing and braiding between mother and daughter (your mom and you and now you and your girls) is so filled with love – even though sometimes in the moment I remember it (my own hair and my girls) feeling like a torture session. I used to cry so much that sometimes my mom would just leave a huge knot in the back of my hair and brush hair over it to cover the knot. You know what happens then…..The knot just keeps getting bigger!
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Sitting and having your hair braided, or braiding someone else’s, is such an intimate experience, and so much love and care involved! I vividly remember when my mom would braid my hair and what it felt like, holding the hand mirror as I admired her work in the bathroom. I love braiding my daughter’s hair, when she lets me. It’s one of those things that makes me feel like I’m really caring for her. It also makes me think of all the students I see in classrooms across the city, their beautiful braided hair, sometimes with special, exquisite designs, sometimes beads and barrettes, and sometimes just a simple braid, but it’s always a reminder of how much people love and care for their children – wherever they are. Sweet moment you captured.
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Hooray for French braids! And good for you for trying a new thing! And… now I’m remembering when I learned how to French braid hair – you and I may just end up trading off slices all month long!
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