Locked and Loaded

We have been going back and forth about what to do with Josh's hair.
Today Josh got locked in, locked out and locked down.
What do you think of his new dreadlocks? Or baby dreads as I've learned they are called.

The one time we made him get his hair cut, he was quite unhappy. So his hair has basically been growing unkept for 7 months and was this huge mess! It looked similar to a big black Q tip all fuzzy and furry. By the end of the day it would start sticking straight up on top. And like Bozo the clown on the sides. He was flat out refusing to do anything with it. His hair is so thick and curly, there could be a whole tribe of people living in there. Legos. Star War figurines. Field Mice. God only knows!

I couldn't take it any longer. I told him he could get dreads, which is what he asked for while we were still in Ethiopia, or we could cut it off short. I found a place called The Braidery. The Braidery is owned and run by two women from West Africa who do all kinds of braids, twists and

dreads. They of course loved the kids and wanted to know where they were from. When I said Ethiopia, they said, "we thought so." There is just something about Ethiopians that sets them apart from others. Their features or perhaps their attitudes... ha.

Once we got there, he changed his mind when she told him he wouldn't be able to take them out and we'd have to cut them out if he didn't like them. So I told him we could go down the street and have them shave his head. He opted for the dreads. I kind of felt a little (very little) bad watching his face wrench in pain (ok, slight discomfort) for 2 hours while the lady twisted and pulled and used some weird crochet hook to knot each and every single dred.

But it was so worth it! I'm so glad he ended up getting them. He looks great. Jeff has a good friend who has dreads down past his shoulders. Sean and his wife have agreed to help us take care of them. And what a great opportunity to be a part of the African American community here in Caucasianville. YEAH!