One of my darling daughters decided to cut her sister's hair last summer. She was seven at the time and was playing with her dolls. She had them all lined up for haircuts when her 5 yr-old sister got in the line. 5 yr-old wanted to pretend but backed out quickly when she realized the 7 yr-old was really going to do it. There was pushing, screaming and yanking. Since the girls play so loudly and dramatically, James and I didn't notice anything out of place for a long time. It wasn't until I realized that two-year old's braid was missing. (It was her second birthday and the very first time her hair had been braided.)
It took weeks for the family to get over things. Admittedly, it took the longest for me to recover than anyone else. I characterized it as a form of assault. She was held down while something was taken from her.
After the fact it was like reliving it over and over again everytime we went someplace new, since her appearance was noticably changed and everyone commented on it.
I also had a haircut once where the stylist told me that what I asked for was way out-of-date. She proceeded to cut it the way she wanted. (I blame too many cable shows for that kind of attitude.) The hardest thing then was to feel the wind on the back of my neck. It also felt so odd to go to bed at night.
Elisabeth
