Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Inculcating values

"Mom, will you shave all my hair off?"

"Good grief. Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've decided to do it for charity."

"Which charity?"

"The Bobby Moore fund in aid of bowel cancer. Johnny's Mom just passed her 5 year all clear."

"Okay. I'll do it. On one condition. I get to keep the longest lock and one of those gorgeous corkscrew curls that suddenly pop out from nowhere."

So, after four years of growing it, my son has decided (seemingly out of the blue) to shave his head on a #2 setting. The big snip takes place on Saturday 8 November. There is a Facebook group, should you wish to join and contribute. If you're a UK based FB friend of mine, you have already been invited.

I shall be heartbroken to see those locks go - especially since I shall be the one wielding the clippers - but I am prouder than I can say. I tried to persuade him to let me style it into something trendy, but he is adamant that, when you do something for charity, it has to be extreme and it has to be a sacrifice. Rendering yourself bald at the beginning of winter strikes me as ticking both those boxes!

3 comments:

Jason Allen said...

You must be SO proud of your son. It's amazing how kids turn out, we teach them the best we can, we expect the best from them, and more often than not they deliver - even if it wasn't what we had in mind.
Isaac (my four year old) started Junior Kindergarten this year. On the first day, there was another boy who was so scared to go inside, it took his parents 1/2 an hour to coax him in.
Isaac decided this boy needed a friend, walked up to him and took him by the hand. Now they are inseperable. We teach them what we can, then we turn them loose.
Kudos to you for being such a mean mom! Clearly something must be working.

The upsycho said...

@jammasterjay What a lovely anecdote! Most of the time, kids don't want to be associated with the ones who seem weak or unable to cope - they prefer to be around the so-called 'beautiful people'. Your son has identified a deeper set of values ny which to choose his friends. Perhaps this will blossom into leadership potential.

ggrosseck said...

You're so lucky having such a son!
I belive that being involved in charity acts (sometimes only with thoughts is enough looking at the M generation) is the best thing that could happened to our youth.