Mommy, Am I A boy Now?

Having and older brother had many advantages. He would help our mother take care of us. He enjoyed the title of the Big Brother, and when he was younger took it very seriously. Sometimes, this was more of a disadvantage than an advantage.



Our mother was going to college while we were all very young. On this particular morning, it was the day before Aspenn and I's birthday. Though we were only turning three years old, I still remember most of what happened on this day.


After our father had already gone off to work, and our mother left for school, we were being babysat by some teenage girl. She was too busy in the main room with Aspenn, and had neglected to come and check in on my brother and I.

Big Bird Chair

Meanwhile, in the room we were playing in, we had a lot of our toys. Some of you may remember a distinct plastic Big Bird chair. Aspenn and I each had one of our very own. My brother new we were having a party the next day, and so he offered to trim up my hair a little. You may be wondering what scissors he was planning to use, well those would be the teeny tiny ones that come with a travel sewing kit. The kind that can barely cut a piece of string, and didn't even work on paper.

Travel Sewing Kit

Being so young, it is hard to imagine how I was able to sit in my little chair for as long as I did. I kept myself busy with a small book, and my big brother talked me through the whole thing. So I tried to be a good little sister and sit still, just like when my mother cut my hair.


My brother started with the bottom of my hair to give me a trim, and my hair was almost down to my hips. I remember hearing the noise that hair makes when it is being cut and watching it fall at Big Bird's feet. I wasn't sure what my brother was up to when I felt him doing what I thought was brushing my hair. After a while, he was finished. I started to panic when I couldn't feel my hair even touching my shoulders anymore, and so I ran out of the room and straight for the babysitter.


She turned ghost white as soon as she saw me. My big brother had chopped my hair so short, it looked like I had multiple thick layers. The babysitter immediately called my mother at school. This is part of what they said:


"Ummm, you might want to come home now. One of the kid's cut Etaina's hair."
"How short?"
"-------"
"Is it just an inch?"
"Nooo."
"is it to the middle of her back."
"No, it's shorter than that."
"Is it to her shoulders?"
"No."
"Well how short is it?"
"Ummm, it's really short. You should probably come home."


Well, it didn't take long for my mom to come home. I had been crying non stop since I had seen what happened to my long hair. The babysitter had confiscated the little scissors and we were both in time out when my mother got home. The babysitter was frantically trying to explain how this could of even happened. She had the scissors to show my mother.


My mother then came over to me, and we gave each other a big hug. As she was wiping off my tears she asked:


"What's wrong hunny? You don't have to be so upset."
"My hair... it's so short."
"Yes it is. It will be OK sweetie."
"Mommy..?"
"Yes dear?"
"Mommy am I a boy now?"


After I asked her that, all my mother could do was laugh. She was definitely NOT happy with the babysitter. Needless to say we never saw her again. My mother had the perfect punishment for my brother to teach him never to cut hair again. He got to answer the door for the guests at our party the whole night. Anytime anyone said, (~Gasp~) "Etaina! What happened to your hair?!" he would get to explain why.


My mother is surprised I was able to remember most of the details even as I got older. It was  partially a traumatic experience I had gone through. She was to heartbroken to even take any pictures of what it looked like right after my brother had cut my hair so we only have pictures of after.


I should probably also let you all know that Aspenn was also very upset when my hair was cut. She begged my mother to cut her hair to the same length, and so when my hair had grown out a little, my mother made it so our hair was the same length. It took a while, but we both grew our hair out again. After the whole experience, I only let my mother cut my hair until I moved out of the house, though even now I really don't want anyone but my mother to touch my hair.