By: Heather O’Neill
End of summer—tis the season to visit the barber and hair salon to make sure your kids look stellar as they meet their new teachers for the new school year.
At the end of every school year my boys like to get “summer haircuts.” For the past few years this has meant the ultimate boy summer-cut….the Mohawk. 
I know what you’re thinking…..seriously? Is this family stuck in the 80s? Does she really allow her kids to be seen with a hairstyle that look like a ferret died in the middle of their head?
Yes, yes I do.
I know you’re asking yourself “WHY?”
Well for one, it brings such joy to my kids…. It’s the little things, right?
Second, tick checks are so much easier when there’s a small strip of hair rather than a full head.
Third, they are recognizable….. And memorable. When they arrive at summer camp, counselors will say “Oh, you’re the mom with the mohawk boys” One thing’s for sure, they won’t get lost!
I’ve always been OK with them ending the year with this hairstyle. They sport them all summer and then with a few weeks to go, we stop cutting the sides down, let it grow out a little, and then they both get that middle strip cut right off. A typical wiffle.
I hate the wiffle on them. Let’s be honest, my boys have chunka-cheek faces and this extremely short hairstyle do not do them justice.
In the past I’ve been reluctant to have them start the school year with these mohawks. I figure, “let the teachers get to know you a little before they make a judgement on what your behavior will be” due to a hairstyle that you’re sporting.
This year however my sixth grader asked if he could keep the hawk ….. “For football season” he said. And because I do despise the wiffle, and because there are so many other battles we will fight that a hairstyle just isn’t one of them for me right now, I agreed.
The problem, my third grader wants to keep his too.
In a moment of weakness ….. And because he has the same teacher that my older son did and she’s already made up her mind about us 🙂 …… I said yes.
So yes, I’m that mom who let my boys sport their hawks for the beginning of school.
Can’t wait to see how these Fall school portraits come out …
Community Voices for Health 
Fantastic!! <~ says the mom of a daughter with pink hair! The "pick your battles" adage is exactly right. And really, it's only hair. And it's their hair. It grows out, grows back, and can be recolored. But it means the world to them when they can freely express themselves as who they are, not "mom's version" of who they are. P.s. I love the hawks! They look awesome!
So cute. I hear you mom