annx33

"Boys used to lose privileges for not getting a haircut, or
grandmothers would buy a kid a stereo (a big a deal as a Wii and some
games and components would be now) just to get a haircut."

Both my boys, Dan and Joe, are taking a wilderness first aid class right now at the American Red Cross. On the first day, I took them over there and learned the course was already full, Joe was registered, Dan was not. I waited for the instructor and asked if he would mind adding one more to the class. The instructor (who I immediately thought was an older looking guy, probably my age, though - ha, and looked somewhat conversative), took one look at Dan and said, "He can stay in the class if he cuts his hair." (Dan has long shoulder length dreads.)

I smiled and then laughed out loud, he meant it as a joke, sort of . . maybe the way Archie might have said it. I recognized it from a comment my dad would have made and I was reminded of a time when hair length was a major dividing factor between generations. This conversation about All in the Family reminds me of this incident; which happened two days ago.

I asked Dan about it later, if the guy mentioned his hair again, "Only once, but he's an OK guy", Dan said. It lead to a conversation about hair and judgement and different generations and what hair means, or can mean, or used to mean . . . and how hair gets talked about differently whether we're with black friends with really kinky hair, or mixed race friends with "soft" hair . . . it went on and on.

Ann