October 14, 2010

I took over the mantle of being the parent present for Jax’s haircut yesterday – to date I have successfully avoided this responsibility to date. I had previously been off with Lex getting his eyes tested (they’re fine, phew) and during the 30 minute wait he had already endured, Steve was a sweaty mess. Apparently Jax had rampaged through the salon, smashing products at kid height, getting into the electrical cupboard, taking on the scissors… Steve doesn’t always find it easy dealing with the chaos around our boys in a public environment – bless. So he wrung his shirt out and headed off for some nice time with Lex. In the meantime, it was Jax’s turn and from the second he was in the chair, he cried and cried and cried. The hairdresser was stuffing around a bit, but then I realised she was a little apprehensive about doing an upset little mans’ locks, so the job was handed over to a colleague. All the while I’m thinking I don’t care who fucken does it, just get it done. The crying was going up in decibels and when the clippers touched Jax’s noggin, they went up even more. Opposite the salon is a cafe, and for the next 10 minutes, no one was able to enjoy the peaceful serenity of a nice brew or a pleasant conversation. Jax was howling down the house and there were real tears too. By this point I knew there was nothing I could do, so I just laughed – it was pretty bloody funny. But then out of nowhere, this bloke walks up and gives Jax a Freddo (a chocolate frog). By the time I turned around to thank him, he was gone. How nice is the kindness of strangers sometimes? I can’t think of the last time I experienced that. The chocolate didn’t help though, the crying just intensified, and there was now chocolate and snot everywhere – including down my pants. But it was done. Unfortunately for Jax, he cannot carry long hair. His hair is too straight and his crown is slightly off centre, so he just looks really scruffy when his hair grows. I dearly hope he doesn’t have dreams of becoming a surfer dude one day, because he definitely won’t be able to carry the locks that come with it. Ahh bloody kids I tell ya. He was lucky though – he got a new truck for his trauma and he looks extra handsome with short hair – shows off his big beautiful eyes. Hope I don’t have to do the next haircut though. Yours, without the bollocksAndrea

There’s quite a perplexing advert on TV in Australia at the moment. It features an oldish dude, who you eventually realise is in a wheelchair, and he’s talking about what a pain in the arse he is, but he’s got a “friend” from community services who keeps him company, expects nothing from him, and he admits that he just loves him. As the ad comes to an end, you realise this “friend” is a beautiful Labrador dog. My first reaction was ‘isn’t that just lovely.’ I mean, the guide dog program is a phenomenal success and gives vision impaired people an amazing chance at a full life. And so it seems that idea has been expanded into Assistance Dogs Australia, which is designed to give people with disabilities freedom and independence. The dogs are trained to open doors, press crossing buttons, pick up things dropped, and so on, but they also give people confidence and independence – what is more important than that? But then I realised I had an issue with this program, because it’s such a shame that we live in a world where it’s even necessary. I remember Mother Theresa visited the UK and after everything she’d seen in India and the rest of the world, she found the loneliness of the West far more heart breaking than anything she had ever seen in “poor” countries. People are so lonely and so alone, which she extrapolated on by telling the story of one old lady who used to write letters to herself just so she received mail. We can all only hope that we are not so alone in our dotage huh? I do find it sad that we need this and if there were the funds, there are thousands of people who could do with canine company just to help them cope with their loneliness, but wouldn’t it be nice if everyone had the loving non-judgemental care and company they needed huh? The non-Western cultures of our world definitely have a better idea here – they take care of their own. Yours, without the bollocksAndrea