Do you ever feel concerned that CAS may contact you because of the appearance of your kids? Me neither. It’s just that my kids sometimes go out into the world with that “neglected” look. Everyone can probably relate to being caught in a public setting with a kid with a ketchupy face, or green boogers stuck to their nostrils, but my kids have some consistent issues that go slightly beyond that. But only slightly.
With my almost 3 year-old daughter Emma it is the hair that is the problem. She has hair that is similar to mine. It is curly and fine, and tends to dry out quite easily. This type of mane does not take well to the “in-between stage” that she seems to have been in for about 18 months. It actually looks pretty crazy.
Sometimes her mop provides comedic opportunities, such as the other day when she insisted on wearing a headband around her forehead and a belly top and her hair looked like it belonged to a teased-up cougar from the eighties. But when I am trying to accomplish a more professional look for her we run into big trouble.
I don’t know why, but I feel like she needs to look a little bit professional to go to Nursery School, and most of the time it just ain’t happenin’. Her hair often looks matted down in some areas and sproingy in others, all the while accomplishing that arid look. It looks pretty trashy. And it doesn’t help that she won’t accept barrettes or pigtails. Wait. That’s not true. She will accept pig tails but she pulls them out about 10 minutes after they have been done and then parts of her hair stand in poofy balls that remind me of Princess Leia, but the scuzzy version.
This morning I spritzed her hair and loaded it will gel and it was still a bit wet when we went into the school. Two of her teachers complimented her, and I’m wondering if they were thinking, “Maybe her mom is not as neglectful as we thought!” Luckily my own hair was hidden under a hat.
With my 5 year-old Noah it is the constant scrapes and bruises that make me wonder if people are judging me. This morning I sent him to school with a fat lip. He accomplished this yesterday by biking directly into a fence. He also has a scar on his forehead from pushing a truck into a brick wall and needing stitches. This scar seems to become re-aggravated on a weekly basis so that he constantly has a red bump on his head.
I remember when he was two and he had a big bruise on his cheek, my friend who is a social worker looked at him and said, “It is extremely hard to get a bruise on the cheek”. Not for Noah. He has had several. He has also scraped off a major layer of skin on his nose, bruised his ears and pierced right through his own tongue. Right now he also has some concerning looking bruises on his back that he has some how accomplished on his own, but they make you think twice about putting him in a bathing suit.
Luckily anyone who has known him for more than 5 minutes can see why he may be covered in scrapes and bruises. He is just that kind of kid. You know it has been a serious fall when he actually cries, because he is so accustomed to falling. One time he biked right into a chain and clotheslined himself. I waited a second, fearing the worst. He just got up and said “Ta Da!” like he meant to do it. He is going to give me a heart attack one of these days.
I don’t think my baby Maia looks too bad. Generally I keep her well-clothed and puke-free. Sometimes she has a bit of sweet potato on her eyebrow but then, don’t we all? Maybe that will be the only neglectful looking thing about her. Or maybe there will be something I haven’t even thought of yet.
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