Lucas and Henry have always had their own style. It is important to us that they get to decide what to wear and how to wear their hair. We believe in teaching them about good hygiene, but beyond that, it is their body and they should have a say in how they look.
We do not make them dress up in fancy clothes unless they go to a wedding.
They get to pick their outfits. Sometimes their outfits are unique, but they are authentic and Lucas and Henry feel comfortable.
I spent a lot of my youth worried about how I looked. I was constantly chasing the unattainable because someone in a magazine or on television or in my class at school made me think that I was less than if I did not measure up. It was a lot of wasted energy and I hope Lucas and Henry continue to march to the beat of their own drum and not feel self-conscious.
In addition to choosing their clothes, Lucas and Henry get to choose their hairstyles. Last year they both grew their hair out long. We love that they feel confident enough to choose style choices that are not mainstream. If boys want to have long hair or girls want to have short hair then they should. Gender norms, in my opinion, are harmful, silly, and put a lot of pressure on kids and adults.
We did ask the boys to cut their hair a couple of months ago, but that was because they were not taking care of it (the hygiene thing). With long hair comes great responsibility. They are free to grow it back out again.
Recently they expressed interest in dyeing their hair. We think that is awesome. I have never dyed hair, but lots of people do it, and there are tons of videos about how to do it on YouTube. It was a good learning opportunity for all of us.
We went to Sally Beauty Supply and got the bleach and hair dye. The process took time, but it was easy.
Lucas chose red hair dye. Henry chose blue hair dye, but after we bleached it he decided he likes the bleached look and did not dye it.
Lucas wants to keep his red hair. Henry wants to try out the blue hair dye next time. Who knows, maybe Michael and I will dye our hair too.
