Tuesday 7 January 2014

An Emergency Hairdresser

We had an emergency today, not a big one you understand but one which managed to have both me and the builder quaking in our boots for a little while this afternoon.
Number 2 son has hair like Harry Potter, only lighter! It grows in the shape of a mop and is thick, whatever we do to it, it remains mop shaped! He wants it cut, but preferably without leaving the confines of his bed or being more than a metre away from the x-box controller. This obviously presents a problem but being the slap-dash parents we are we often let the little things in life slide - we weren't always slap-dash but after being either side of 50
 (only one of us is the right side of 50!) and after 3 children all of whom can be demanding in their own way, we try to give up stressing over the "little" things.


Very similar, only darker!

So despite having 3 weeks off over Christmas he still didn't manage to get himself a haircut; he is approaching 15 and we do use the little salon in the village which is within walking distance; but as we didn't man handle him through the door his hair has remained mop-like!
It'll do we thought, I was probably going to get round to sorting something out this coming weekend, I've just got to ease myself back into the normal work/school routine this week
 (only for this 1 week though, I'm away next week  - yipee ).
But at work today an email arrived from number 2 son's school, he's off on a big cricket tour in February (we should be joining him too) and they will be taking photos of the players for the official tour brochure on January the 8th, lunchtime. Ok I thought, I must sort that haircut, wait, what date? Tomorrow!!
Oh crikey (or words to that effect) I thought, that leaves tonight, and he gets off the school bus at 6pm. A haircut was looking unlikely, I could do it myself maybe, I am experienced after all.....
(my experience is at the end of that post!)
Luckily my boss was out all day so I googled a few barbers and hairdressers and made a few calls, sadly none were open late tonight. I phoned The Builder, we both discussed the options, a raging & upset son, with mop hair or we pull out all the stops to find someone who could handle scissors. A Facebook call went out but little response, then the builder phoned me back (thank goodness for bosses on long business lunches!) he had found a free newspaper on the site he's on just now, and therein was an advert. Not a glossy ad I'm afraid just one of those "Hair by Jane" types, a mobile hairdresser from up the road. No photos or pictures, just a telephone number. And apologies to hairdressers called Jane, I don't wish to cast aspersions!
A call was made, she may be free, she would call back later.
We had no other options, mobile Jane or no one it would have to be, number 2 son was reluctant, we encouraged him with lots of "the ad says she's qualified" , "it'll be fine, don't worry"
and some "what could possibly go wrong?".......

He googled a photo of the type of thing he liked and mobile Jane arrived. Well she hurled herself through the door more like and wandered about making comments about the house, "how many bedrooms do you have here", "are you attached to next door then?"
"What would you say your fuel bills are like here ,...roughly?"
 Then proceeded to tell me all about her life, with little regard to the photo of the hairstyle we had up on the laptop
(did I mention my new laptop?)
I could see it start to go wrong with the pointed over the ear cuts, a Dr Spock look alike! and then the back...it didn't need to be straight did it? And the fringe, well she did really well to get that shape without the use of a pudding basin.
I had to stay smiley and positive looking as number 2 son sunk further into the kitchen chair. Mobile Jane explained she was fully registered and qualified (originally we thought that must be a good thing) and lots of people these days aren't you know, we were lucky to find her!
We bid her goodbye and paid the full £10.
So what does it look like now, I couldn't possibly photograph  the end result, but I'm going down to the salon in the village to book an appointment for next week; and tomorrow we'll have to wax it to within an inch of its life, well the bits that are long enough anyway!
So we were lucky to find mobile Jane at such short notice, hopefully we'll lose her just as quickly!

16 comments:

  1. Oh Jay....you are a scream!
    What the heck did he look like?
    I am dying to see a pic!
    I used to cut my kids hair...the 2 girls always had blunt cuts with bangs...
    And... My son...always looked like I had put a bowl on his head!
    Ahhhhhhh...the good old days♥️
    Perhaps I should try my skills on Miss V! Ha!
    Enjoy your week...
    Cheers!
    Linda:o)

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  2. I am dying to see pic too, you are the " can do a do" Mum. My kids seem to be constantly heading down to the hairdresser with blank cheques, mebbe i should save myself some dosh and get out the kitchen scissors

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  3. Oh no your poor son! This hairdresser sounds like a treat you should have included her contact details!

    Victoria
    FlorenceandMary.com

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  4. Your son has my sympathy. As a teenager I needed my bangs (do the English call it a fringe?) trimmed, we were having school pictures taken. Normally my Mom did it, but she was unavailable, so my Dad said he could do it, so he did. They stuck straight out, I was horrified, my Mom couldn't repair it. I stayed home sick on picture day.

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  5. Oh dear, I hope it doesn't look to bad in the photo on the brochure! Next time he will have to get his experienced Mum to do it!
    Sarah x

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  6. Oh my goodness! This is an experience not to be forgotten, especially as there will be some kind of photographic evidence with the cricket club!
    I'm with you on letting the little things go, I have only so much energy and can only cope with so many things at once!
    Lisa x

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  7. I do feel for him...and you....I cut my sons hair once (and once only) and I still feel guilty about it now......he had to go to school and suffer such teasing......oh the shame!

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  8. Oh gosh he has my sympathy. My dear husband used to be sent for a haircut once a month by his mother when was a boy. One time he had such an awful cut that he didn't go out for weeks with embarrassment. He still has a hang up about his hair and how it looks! Don't tell him I told you though.
    Patricia x

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  9. Oh no! Well, maybe he will learn a lesson about procrastination?
    You are such a funny writer!

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  10. Oh dear, I hope the photo shoot was not too traumatic! I am a slacker parent when it comes to arguing about the less vital necessities of life (like haircuts and crumpled school uniforms). Having said that, I recently booked Sam (13) an appointment at the hairdressers (a barber won't do he says) and made him walk there, threatening that he would have to pay for the missed appointment if he couldn't be bothered. He went but only because of the additional comment "you look more and more like your sister" with your long mop. Cx

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  11. Oh no! Sorry, but this did make me chuckle. I hope the hair cut is fixed soon... x

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  12. Oh dear, poor boy, I hope it's fixed soon. At the very worst it will grow out. My littlest boy gave himself rather a special haircut a while back, (it has only just grown back in fact - it was down to about half a centimetre in places) and we still laugh at the photos. His face is a picture, the moment when the full horror dawned on him.

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  13. My parents used to make me cut my brother's hair for some reason - poor kid! we have to see a pic!!

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  14. Oh dear - the poor love. They're so self conscious at that age too. Mine has already started at 8. Must have been bad if you can't post a pic! He'll still be reminding you of this in 20 years time, no doubt.... :)

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  15. Poor lad ( bet he won't forget to get his hair cut again )
    Joe missed two appointments I'd made for him over the Christmas holiday. I rang grovelling a third time after he text me from college, " Please make me a hair cut appointment mum, it's driving me mad ! "
    It's gone up two pounds which we now owe them. He could go to the barbers ... but the hairdressers have the pretty girls so why would he ?

    My mother once trimmed my hair... while it was in plaits ! You can imagine the crooked line afterwards. What posesed her to do that ( must ask )

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  16. LOL... You do make me laugh. It's the things like that that can send a mom into complete crazy!!!
    Next time tell him if he doesn't get his hair cut, you'll do it for him! That should motivate him! My boys are mortified if I pick up a pair of scissors!
    Have a wonderful week,
    Much love to you,
    Tammy

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