Weaving Life Lessons Into Her Dreads

Selah has recently been coming to terms with her dread-locked hair. While she's always seemed to be proud of them, she's been hipped by her classmates from school to how "different" her hair is from theirs. And, sometimes being different and standing out from the crowd tends to be a source of teasing and mocking from other children.

Truth be told, Selah's always been different, for a number of wonderful reasons. Obviously, Paul and I would be supportive of her decision to shear them off, but we're hoping she'll be amenable to a few creative ideas of what can be done with them, before cutting her hair off at the scalp. If she were to decide to cut off her dreads, she would be essentially bald for a while. Some of you might remember that her first set of dreadlocks (formed when she was 2) ended up being shorn, and the locks she has now are the "new set" she's been growing out since then.



Dreadlocks are interpretted differently in a many cultures, and it's a common occurrence for them to be shorn when the person who bears them is searching for a change or a release of some kind. We are guessing that Selah is interested in a "change" because she's mentioned she wants "straight hair, like Hannah" or "straight hair, like Mahina" - which is impossible, essentially, because naturally, her hair is kinky and tends to lay in spirals when not locked. Plus, Hannah and Mahina tend to tease intensely, and have likely made it obvious to Selah that their hair is better than hers. I suppose this is when I feel very thankful that Paul has dreads, as well, which is something that Selah finds very endearing, and a fantastic mirror of her wonderful self to be celebrated.



We're thankful she decided she'd like to do a number of creative things with her locks before throwing in the towel, and our first attempt was weaving ribbons within them. She's thrilled, and so are we :0)

We're trying to instill a sense of confidence in her about the fact that she stands out from the other children in her peer group. Having dreadlocks is an obvious contrast to most hair types and styles, and no doubt this is the first of many challenges for her when it comes to being a unique, gregarious, creative genius like she is. I believe entirely in supporting her decisions when it comes to appearance, but at the same time, want to steer her toward believing in her magical, wonderful self. Being different is not easy until you can embrace it as a special part of yourself, unique and dynamic. Selah was born to shine in this light.