One one hand, it's a hilarious and endearing little predicament, especially when I imagine how much she's going to laugh at these stories when she's older. On the other hand, it's remarkably difficult to remain patient when the disobedience is so blatant!!!....wait, how often do I blatantly lack self-control? Probably a lot more often than Alexa, if I'm honest with myself. Teaching a child to curb her will is easier and more effective with a heap of human understanding and careful removal of that plank in my own eye.
So, after a long talk about disobedience, and a reminder of the "My scissors are for cutting PAPER ONLY!" mantra, I put her in front of the mirror to reveal the effects of her cosmetology adventure. While I know Lex did it mainly for the tactile experience, she was also impressed with the visual outcome and declared her new 'do so very, very pretty!
I love the aesthetic assessments of little kids and had no intention of arguing with her perceptions of physical beauty. I truly wanted to keep her hacked up bangs just the way they were- as an artist I completely understand the need for self expression, and I've always made it a point to teach my girls that loving God is what brings about true beauty. But in the end, I opted to try to tame Alexa's bangs into a more conventional style. I summoned our friend Miss Margaret, a former professional hairdresser, to do what she could. Lex is now quite the trendsetter, rocking retro 40's bangs. And she thinks her new bangs are so very, very pretty, too.
