A haircut - without screaming?

Will wonders never cease...

Today was haircut day. In most households, that means the boys go to the barber, take turns getting into the big chair, get a lollipop when they are done, Dad pays, and everybody goes home a couple of ounces lighter.

Um, we aren't most households. It's been 4+ years since us boys have been to a barber shop to get our hair cut. I think it was right before Grant's 3rd birthday (insert dreamy memory music here)...

We went over to our local barber, just Dad and Grant (Owen was just a little baby then), to get a nice hair cut before Easter. Grant began crying when he got in the chair, but surely he would be pacified with a lollipop? The nice lady began to cut his hair, ever so gently... The crying becomes screaming. Maybe it would be a good idea for Dad to sit in the chair and have Grant sit on his lap. The nice lady turns on the clippers and takes a couple of swipes on the side of Grant's head. The screaming becomes a full-blown, out-of-control melt down. Dad decides, for the betterment of all within a square mile of the barber shop that we better pay quickly and leave even faster. One problem, Grant's hair is about 20% cut, and it is the day before Easter.

And so begins the story of how Staci learned to cut the boys' hair at home. That's not to say that the experience of cutting Grant's hair had gotten any easier, it was just done in the privacy of our home. Screaming, yelling, running, squirming - haircut day became the most dreaded day in our household.

Over the years, we've learned that Grant's ears were incredibly sensitive. The sound of the clippers, the sound of the scissors, the touch of either - it drove him crazy. But, we also learned more about sensory issues over those years and found that we could concentrate him on other areas of his body to help a little bit. It was still horrible, but we could get through it. Still though, when you are dealing with sharp scissors and Grant is making these sudden movements with his shoulder to cover his ear, or a sudden swing of his hand up to his ear, it's a small miracle that he was never hurt.

But back to today... today was haircut day at our house. And Grant let us cut his hair!! He let the clippers get close to his ears. He let Staci cut the fine hairs over his ears. He didn't squirm. He didn't squeal. And then he was done. And his hair looked good. And it was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

Days like today allow us to continue to hope that his many other challenges will also improve over time...