A Child's First Haircut

     Page Twenty-Two
     Have you ever been in a salon while a tiny child was getting their haircut and they were screaming in terror like Janet Leigh in Psycho? Have you ever been the parent of a tiny child while they were in a salon getting a haircut and they were screaming in terror like Janet Leigh in Psycho? May I tell you what was going on?
     The first lessons we teach toddlers is don't go near the stove, don't stick things in outlets, don't touch knives, don't pull animals' tails and don't play with scissors. All of those things, you see, cause tremendous pain. The stove has a flame which can burn, the animal has claws which can scratch and scissors have sharp blades which can cut and draw blood. Kids start learning these things real early on. You know what I'm talking about.
     Some children learn particularly well that scissors cause pain, 100% of the time. These are the kids who scream like Mrs. Curtis while being attacked by Mr. Perkins. Think about it. They've been trained to think a certain way about scissors, and now, all of a sudden, those medieval weapons are being waved around their head, ears and eyes. I know I'd freak out in that situation.
     There are ways to alleviate this situation. Little Baby Janet or Little Anthony Jr. should accompany Mommy or Daddy to the beauty salon or barber shop a few times in advance of their own cut. They need to see, a few times at least, that in this context scissors are not lethal weapons. If possible, Janet or Anthony could even be introduced to Liberace, the stylist or barber, a couple of times over the course of a few months and maybe a little friendship should be encouraged. Little Janet needs to learn that Mommy enjoys having her hair cut and Mommy enjoys talking with Liberace. If Little Anthony sees that Daddy doesn't cry when the scissors are near his head, a few times at least, then he probably won't either.
     It's all about education. I recently gave Miss Margaret her first haircut, Miss Margaret isn't yet two years old. I told Grand-mama that Madge needed to see me in action as much as possible prior to her own cut. So Grand-mama scheduled her own cut and then Madge's Aunt's cut over the course of a few days prior to Madge getting hers. Scheduling was complicated by the fact that Madge was only in town from South America a short while during the holidays. We had to work fast at getting Madge comfortable with me and scissors. I bent over backwards trying to become friends with that little girl. I think I was positively creepy, but everybody else seemed okay with my behavior (but then, they've known me since 1986). By the time Madge was getting her haircut she was as comfy with the whole situation as if she was laying down on the fluffiest cloud in the sky. All was right with the world.
     If you don't want your kid being a terror in the salon and ultimately traumatizing themselves worse than anybody else, please take my suggestions.