Pigtail Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there lived a woman who never did her hair. And by never, I mean never. You see, she was cursed (or blessed, depending) with hair that did only one thing: It lay long and straight on her back. Never did it curl; never did it twist. (Well, except that time she got a body perm in 6th grade. But that's a tale for another day.)

At her wedding, the Straight-Haired Woman opted for an updo. It worked well, but she left a few strands loose in the front. The fairy hairdresser sprayed those locks with magical sticky spray and curled the strands. But the curse was stronger than the spray. The hair fell flat again. And again. And again and again and again. (You get the point.)

Several years later, the Straight-Haired Woman was blessed with a son. And she was content. The son had lots of hair, but he was a son, and she could cut it very short. He was not touched with the curse of the evil cowlick, and his hair was naturally under control. Mostly. 
 
The Straight-Haired Woman was pleased. 

Three years later, her life would forever change with the birth of a daughter - a beautiful daughter with lots of hair. 

Lots of fine, curly hair.

The Straight-Haired Woman was confused. "Curly hair is so cute!" she thought. "But curly hair is so much work."

She knew nothing of hair work. But she loved her daughter, so she learned to do the top ponytail. She invested in bows and headbands. She figured it out. 
Mostly. 

As the daughter grew, her curls disappeared, leaving behind fine blonde hair. It was always staticky. It was usually tangled. It was darn cute, but it was more work than curly hair.

And then one day the Fine-Haired Daughter saw a show called Team UmiZoomi. She became obsessed with Millie's pigtails. She wanted some of her own.

The Straight-Haired Woman tried to ignore her daughter's request. But the little girl hated having her hair brushed straight, even with detangler. 

She hated braids (which the mother couldn't really do anyway). 

She hated regular ponytails (which is the only thing her mother could do). 

She wanted pigtails. And she waited a long time for them.

But one Sunday morning, a miracle happened. The Straight-Haired Woman asked her daughter, "Would you like pigtails today?" and the Fine-Haired Daughter danced with joy. So the Straight-Haired Woman gathered her weapons: a brush, detangler, matching hair ties, and the last drops of the only hair product she owned: hairspray. 

And they accomplished the pigtails. The Straight-Haired Woman had never been so proud of a hairstyle. The Fine-Haired Daughter had never glowed with such joy. They were both content. 

They were both so excited they forgot to take a picture. Oops! 

But rest assured, the Fine-Haired Daughter looked just like a blonde Millie. 

And she felt loved. 

And that was the whole point anyway. 

Doing love during Lent, 
Becki*