First Time Fears

Four eyes stared at the black salon chair, sparkling with a mixture of fear and excitement.  It was my three-year-old twins first time inside a salon.  We were there for their first “hair-ah cuts.”

“Who’s first?” the stylist asked them.

“A can go first,” P said quickly.

“What?” I asked P, kneeling down next to her.  “I thought you wanted to go first.”  I thought that was a fair assumption because ever since I announced the night before that we were going to get their hair cut, P had been saying, “I’m going first!”  But now, faced with the unknown of actually being the first, her excitement had faded.

P shook her head.  “A can go first,” she repeated.

I turned to A.  “Do you want to go first?” I asked.

A’s eyes got as big as saucers and she quickly shook her head.  “No thank you,” she whispered.  “I’m a little bit shy of it.”

The stylist tried again.  “Who wants to go first?  You get to sit in the chair and sit on this big cushion!”

Both girls looked a little more excited at this new revelation and took a step closer.  “Do you want to go first?” I asked them both.

“A can go first,” P repeated.

“No thank you,” A insisted.

The stylist got out the cape and started getting her combs and scissors ready.  “Oh, look, you get to wear a cape!”  A got really excited at this prospect and broke into a smile.  Oh good, I thought.  “A, are you ready to go?”

Her face suddenly turned to stone and she dropped her eyes.  “No thank you,” she said again.  Now what? I wondered.

Finally, after a few more minutes, curiosity won out and I finally convinced P to go first.  She climbed up in the chair, a little hesitantly, but was all smiles as she settled onto the big cushion that made her sit up higher.  When the stylist started to raise the chair up, P burst into giggles.

“Mommy, she’s pumping me up!” she laughed.  And from that moment on, it was nothing but fun and smiles sitting in the salon chair and getting her first “hair-ah cut.”

Before too long, A was won over by the great time P seemed to be having.  “Is P done yet?  Is it my turn?” A wanted to know.  When her turn came, she happily climbed up in the chair.  “It tickles!” she exclaimed when the stylist sprayed her hair with water and started to comb it out.

Somehow the stylist managed to cut their hair, no small feat given that neither of them paid any attention to the stylists directions to “hold still” or “look down” or “don’t move.” When both girls were done, the stylist gave me two envelopes with the first curls she cut off of each girl.  After I paid and we were headed down the sidewalk, the girls skipping in front of me, all I could think about was how big they are getting.  Turning three has brought many challenges and frustrations as they try to assert their independence, but at the same time it is amazing to see how much they depend on each other, especially in new situations. What a unique situation, to be a twin and always have your best friend at your side.  I can’t wait to watch how they grow up to be independent, dependent girls.