The $23 Haircut

About once a month, Matt gets shocked all over again that Jackson's haircuts cost more then his do. Frankly, I'm not sure if this says more about the cost of Jackson's haircuts, or the cost of SportsClips, Matt's favorite "hair salon." Anyway, I fully admit that paying almost $25 for a two year old boy's haircut is a little bit...extravagant. But I have some good reasons. First of all, he loves going there. Who wouldn't? They have a train table, airplanes to sit in while you get your hair cut, and lollipops. We make sure to always go on the day "Miss Heather" is working because we both love her. He gets super excited whenever I tell him we are going. But the real reason I'm willing to pay $17 plus tip for a haircut is a little more complicated. You see, before I had Jackson, I always thought that I'd have a docile little angel who would read quietly at a restaurant while waiting for his meal, and then calmly eat whatever he ordered, and then charm the other diners with sweet smiles and funny little quips. I'm pretty sure kids like this exist - my friend Carla seems to have one of them. But trips in public with Jackson often involve more running, screaming, and fussing then I imagined in my pre-kid fantasies. Which brings me to the $23 haircut. The haircut place is the only place we go where Jackson is consistently the sweetest, most enviable kid in the establishment. While other kids hide behind their parents, cry when placed in the chair, and shrink from the clippers, Jackson walks into the store with a big smile and greets his "stylist" (Miss Heather), jumps into the airplane, and giggles when it's time for the clippers. We usually make a special morning of it: Starbucks for mom and dad, special time with the train table, and wrapping up with a trip to Petsmart (which, by the way, is like a free trip to the zoo for a two year old). Can you blame me for wanting to spend a little extra cash for a morning like this? Today we all had a reason to smile because it was his tenth haircut, and it was FREE!