ThatIsBeyond… The Haircut – A Rite of Passage

Just this weekend I took my two and a half year old son to get his haircut. This is only the second time he has had it cut, and after the first time we approached our second visit with a little trepidation.

The first cut was a spur of the moment, spontaneous dive into a barbers with no queue and we had little clue what to expect!

We knew that the loud hairdryers and the buzzing clippers were “not going to be his favourite”… getting him to sit still for longer than a few seconds was going to be “a challenge” and the new environment a bit of a “sensory overload”, but goddamn it… he needed that cut!

This time, we knew that we had experience on our side! He knew it wasn’t going to hurt, and this time I was on home ground – because I was taking my son to MY barbers. I knew what had attracted me to this local little hole in the wall would also be the reason my boy would love it too.

A) there are Lego aircrafts hanging from the ceiling.

B) there is a stormtrooper in the window.

C) the staff are tremendously friendly and down to earth

D) this is the MANCAVE!

What was intended to be just his haircut, became an experience for us both to share. Distinctly, this was a father/son moment and one that we both enjoyed. My wife was there to talk to him and keep him calm, and sat next to him I could interact and marvel at him from the mirror. He felt like a big boy because he got his own chair (just like Daddy) and the booster seat meant that he was tall enough to see in the mirror and that he could see me at eye level.

I felt my shoulders drop and I relaxed into that chair even just for a few minutes. Toby made sure that everyone in the vicinity knew that he “don’t like the hairdryer” which raised a few gentlemanly chuckles (mine included). He loved the experience and got a sweetie for being so good.

There were also balloon animals, swords and flowers… for the kids both big and small!

Yes, this was just about a haircut, but for us it was also about so much more. These are family moments we are building here, and that is what life is all about after all! (and what’s better than the embarrassment that we will cause when he’s older and we tell his partner that he “don’t like the hairdryer!!!”

That my friend is another Rite of Passage as well!

MANCAVE offers a virtual queue system during busy times, so that you can wait in comfort (in the pub with a cool beer) and they’ll text you when it’s your turn!