Pages

Friday, March 27, 2009

What's red and black and striped all over?

Children do things to drive us parents crazy- on purpose.

Mac has been a rather congenial child overall, but since the middle of age 15, he has decided it's quite fun to play "Let me think of ways to irritate my mother." There are various rules to this game, I am slowly figuring out.

Sometimes he plays the Devil's advocate in an argument just to watch my head explode, especially if it has to do with politics or being politically correct. Sometimes he'll say or do something so outrageous, just too see what I'll do. And of course I try and "communicate" or just lose my mind or lecture him before I realized what the little shit is doing.

Overall, he's a smart kid and he just likes to jerk people's chains a bit to see what sort of reaction he can elicit. He also does this with teachers, the sperm donor and other kids. Sometimes there is a negative fallout and he'll admit he went too far- very Ferris Bueller of him- and sometimes it all comes out in the wash.

Which brings me to the point of this post. While Mac is a usually a smart kid, he wanted to prove a point to the other kids at school that being Emo does not make you an individual, it makes you just another follower. He dyed his hair black, which is an Emo trait, but then didn't do or say anything that was remotely Emo. He explained all this to me in his long drawn out teenage boy way filled with sarcasm, smarminess and other teenageisms. All I know is that I think his hair looked ridiculous when he dyed it black because he has this gorgeous natural colour of a honey/ strawberry blond combo. The first round of black shit went into his hair a few months ago and I have been agonized over it ever since then, but I learned to JUST LET IT GO!

Then he started talking about wanting red hair and it was another sort of fad. And something about the "red headed step child" slang statement since he hates his Stepmonster (aka his Stepmother) and she calls him... And his natural color was starting show show in his roots for about 4 inches- and the black is way to dark to dye over without paying $100 at the salon to strip it out. But he was talking on and on and on and on about dying his hair red, I made the same argument and then ignored him and just let him ramble and my thoughts drift. I think I missed something vital when I tuned him out. Because the next time I saw him he looked like this:


The mother of a red and black- zebra headed child,
Mags

7 comments:

Anna said...

I love that even if it drives you a bit nutty, you allow him to make his own decisions! I can't really get a good view from the picture but looks pretty cool to me! ... I have all types of wacky hair dreams I can't fulfill thanks to the J-O-B... gotta get a free-lance unjob gig!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but I have to laugh. LOL

Actually, you can get stuff at wal-mart now that is designed especially for striping out dark hair color so you can go lighter. And you know, I KNOW a thing or two about dying hair! LOL

D-nice said...

Chef used to dye his hair black, bleach blond, etc...thing is it backfired. He used to have blond hair due to all they dying he now has brown hair...or at least that is what he says.

Curley said...

Ok, Momma, chill for a bit. This will pass. At least hair is just temporary. He isn't piercing anything vital. Just tell him not to buy permanent dye the next time, and if he does anyway, haircuts are alot cheaper than color stripper. Don't forget reverse psychology.

Maggie said...

Ty-Anna: he does drive me batty with it but I keep telling myself it's only hair! LOL, and I hope you can have hair colour fun soon!

Hecate- I would love the name of the products I can buy at the store to strip his hair PLEASE!

DNice- i have no idea what colour his hair will be if we ever get all the gunk out of it.... it will probably all fall out! LOL

Curley- Oh Im okay with it, other than it looks like shite all the time. And you're right, he's a good kid with no weird piercings, tats, he's not using drugs (as far as I know) and he's not whoring around, so I guess I can live with weird hair..

And reverse psychology doesn't work- he's figured out that concept and i think he reverses my reverse psychology back on me... hmmm- did that make sense? ;)

Anonymous said...

I can't think of the name of the stuff, but I know where to find it in the store. LOL Next time we get together we should hit a wally world and I'll help ya out!

Maggie said...

Hecate- then you can bet your buns I know what I want us to be doing the next time we have "book club"! ;)