You’re Never Too Young To Start Helping Others
One of my New Years’ resolutions in 2011 was to travel more and see all my friends that I haven’t been able to spend time with in recent years. As I was packing for my most recent trip, my friend called to ask if I could bring along my scissors as her daughter, Aurora, wanted to get a haircut. I said yes but to be honest, I brought them but I didn’t think we’d actually do the cut because her daughter has changed her mind every time in the past.
Well, it was a great weekend as it always is with my wonderful friends. They are so much more like family and this particular weekend we also celebrated 15 years of us being friends and sorority sisters. Throughout the weekend, I kept asking Aurora if she was looking forward to her haircut and sometimes she seemed excited and other times she seemed hesitant. As we sat around a campfire one night, I asked Aurora to tell me why she was cutting her hair.
Aurora told me about Locks of Love and how people can cut their hair and donate it so that people who need wigs can get them. I asked her why she had decided to donate her own hair and she told me that she wanted “a little girl who didn’t have hair to have her hair because all little girls should have hair.” Let me tell you I do NOT get weepy about things but her answer really moved me. I thought this was one of the sweetest things I had ever heard. And I really think that it is amazing that these are the great values and ideas that my friends are teaching their children.
Again, no lie, I still thought Aurora would chicken out. In the past, Aurora wouldn’t even let me trim her hair and, to the best of my knowledge, she has never had a haircut in her life. I told her that in order to donate she had to be willing to cut off 10 inches and her long, beautiful hair would be quite a bit shorter. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t trying to talk her out of it but I wanted her to fully understand what she was getting into. The last thing I wanted was a crying, unhappy five-year-old on my hands with a haircut she hated, even if it was for a good cause. Hair issues can be pretty traumatic and I wasn’t about to traumatize a five-year-old, no way, not even for Locks of Love.
That Sunday morning, I got all my hair cutting tools ready to go and went to get Aurora for her big cut. She came into the kitchen and we talked and she kind of got nervous and decided she didn’t want to go first. Again, I’m thinking, here we go, she’s not going to do it. I just told her we could start with someone else and she could go next.
I finished one haircut and turned to Aurora and asked her if she was ready. She took a last look at her mom and came over to get it done. I was finally beginning to think she may actually do it so now I’m gearing up for the tears I’m sure will come. But let me tell you, I WAS WRONG!! She was so proud to be donating her hair to someone that needed it and to stick to her decision to do it. Aurora was a champ, she took her seat and I measured her hair. I put Aurora’s hair into four pony tails on different parts of her head so we could get the most hair for Locks of Love AND still leave the most hair on her hair, a little trade secret. I got my scissors in hand and told her I was going to start her cut and she just smiled. I decided then that we had to document this because I was just so impressed that this little girl who wouldn’t even let me cut a half an inch ever was now about to let me cut off ten inches of her hair so another little girl could have it. So, out came the cameras and we got started.
Well, let me tell you that here were no fears, no tears, nothing but smiles!! Aurora made me so proud of her and if I do say so myself, she looked great!! As much as I loved her long hair, I think she looks so totally adorable with this new cut and her big smile just made her even more precious. I even gave her one of my trademark flowers to celebrate the occasion.
And, of the course, the best part was that Aurora really did it to help someone else and she was so happy and proud about it. It is so important that we remember that there are so many ways to help others and they don’t always involve time or money, just the choice to do something and then following through with it. I think if a five-year-old has figured this out then maybe more adults should too.Way to go Aurora Jean, you made me so proud and I have never been happier to have been so wrong!!
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