New job = hairdresser

It was definitely time for Stardust to get his hair trimmed again.

His fair hair, thick and curly in our humid climate, really seems to give him too much of a feminine air. I don't mind long hair on little boys in their nursery rhyme years - they always remind me of Gainsborough's The Blue Boy. However, instead of becoming Little Lord Fauntleroy, he ends up as the Captain of the Good Ship Lollipop. One too many aunties, after complimenting my pretty little "daughter", also take it upon themselves to advise me to allow ribbons and pigtails and to stop putting the poor child in boyish dungarees and short trousers.

"Wait grow up like a boy, then you know!", scolded one elderly lady, wagging her finger in my astonished face.

Anyway, I decided that it was time to do away with the curly lion's mane. Out came the kitchen scissors with a snickety-snip!

Yes, I trim Stardust's hair myself using a wet comb, a pair of sharp scissors...and plenty of distracting storybooks. At the moment, he can sit still for quite a while if he has got his favourite books with him. He turns the pages himself, and if I can remember the story by heart, I recite it aloud as he looks at the pictures.

The book, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' (Eric Carle), seems to work the best for this sort of thing, because it has little cutout holes in it for little busy fingers, keeping them away from the sharp blades.

I find that the most difficult part is trimming the hair around his ears. He immediately turns towards the sound of the scissors, which makes me lose my grip on his silky locks. Hence, I usually make sure that before I start on the area around the ears, I have a few choice music videos at hand which are great for holding his attention. As long as the music is clear, simple and melodic, and the pictures stay focused on a few subjects during the entire duration of the song, Stardust will be completely mesmerised and will sit absolutely still.

Twenty minutes later, I'm pretty much done. His new coiffure is by no means perfect, but it looks evenly done and most people seem surprised that I did it myself. I take that as a good sign.