Georgia weather is strange on a good day. We really -don’t- have actual seasons. All seasons meld together. Once you think you got it figured out a frost, freeze, drought, or heat-wave can readjust -everything-.
One rite of “summer,” when my Things were coming up, was “The Summer Crew Cut.” I called that one by the last day of school.
Crew cuts in our household -was- the beginning of summer. All heads got shaved! Cooler, easier to clean, no brushing/combing… Heaven! I think the boys’ were also ready to get rid of the bowl-cuts I gave them the rest of the year. (Only exception was the lice letters I got from school. It was -all- coming off then.. Another respite from Mama’s bowl cuts).
Thing 3 had a tendency to be last in the hair cut line, by choice. I don’t know why, but he paid for it dearly.
The last assembly crew-cut line I remember, Thing 3 was at the end of the line. Bless his lil’ heart.
I had a chair in the kitchen, clippers plugged up and ready, and sheared the heads. I even had the ear guards for the clippers that faded out the sides! Only one problem. When you’re at the end of the line, you’ve got brothers’ distracting Mama. This is not a good thing.
Having successfully given 3 outta 4 a good crewcuts, Thing 3 sat down in the chair, with brothers all around him. They were a -major distraction!
Thing 3, with a smile on his face and brothers’ being brothers
,’ allowed me to cut his hair. I promise, this one was my mistake. With all the boys running around being boys, I forgot to put the guard back on the clippers. I started in the middle. Thing 3 had a runway down the middle of his head. No guard. Skinned clean to the skull. I did the best I could with the rest, but…
The last time I cut Thing 3’s hair, same child order, I kinda clipped the bottom of his right earlobe. Not my fault. Blame it on his brothers.. By then he -should- have known better!
The Marines have done a much better job.
- Bess Tuggle
