A Hair Raising Experience

After putting both boys down for their naps, and they were both tired, I decided to take a nap too.  We are all still trying to get over our colds, so I thought a little extra rest wouldn’t hurt.  Ryan returned to preschool today too, and was yawning from the moment I picked him up.  He usually takes a nap with no problem.

As I laid down, all was quiet, and I fell asleep. I was awoken about an hour later, with “Mommy, Mommy, I have something in my hair.”  I sat straight up and looked at my adorable 4-year old, whose hair was white, sticky, and sticking straight up.  I couldn’t imagine what he had gotten into- it looked liked a sticky, gooey, paste.  I thought Ryan had put shaving cream in his hair.  I asked him what he put in his hair, and he just smiled.  He wouldn’t answer me. I saw his hands were white and sticky.  I asked him again what he had put in his hair, and still got no answer- just a grin like the Cheshire Cat.

I took him with me into the bathroom, where I saw Joe’s hair gel container open, and most of it gone.  While I was trying not to laugh, I told Ryan he knew better than to play with Daddy’s gel.  He just kept smiling with the cutest little smile.  I wanted to take a picture, but didn’t want to encourage him. So I cleaned off his hands, and put his head over the bathtub and washed his hair.  I kept thinking I should have taken the picture- it was priceless and now I’ll never have that again.  But, I really wanted to emphasize the point that he shouldn’t have done that.  I made the decision at the time, but in the future I think I’ll tell him something like I have to take a picture to show Daddy, but it is not OK to play with the hair gel.

When we were done, he asked, “Mommy, do you know why I put the gel in my hair?”  I told him no, but I thought it was because he was trying to be like Daddy, but instead he said, “Because the back of my hair was sticking up and I wanted to smooth it down.”  Well OK then- how do you argue with that?