CURL

When I was a kid I was teased about my hair sometimes.

"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear ..."

Rhymes that could be chanted were a delight.
NOT TO ME.

Kids at school could chant them ad nauseum.

"Once there was a little girl,
  and she had a little curl ..."

Even my loving and kind parents would quote the curl one.

My mother always 'finger curled' ringlets into my naturally curly hair.  At times she would hug me and perhaps give me a kiss on the forehead and say, "Once there was a little girl, and she had a little curl, right in the middle of  her forehead ..."

My mom loved me AND especially loved my hair. She loved to wrap it around her finger and 'pin' it to dry.

Most pictures show it neat and carefully 'guided'.
I say guided because I never could tolerate curlers.

My father quoted many things.
Scriptures, song lyrics, famous saying, and poetry.
He especially got a kick out of witty rhymes.

Sometimes he would scoop me up, swing around like he was dancing while singsong-ing that rhyme over and over again. He especially delighted in finishing the end of the rhyme,
"... and when she was good she was very, very good and when she was bad she was horrid."

I think he likely did that when I was being horrid.

He might look me straight in the eye.
He might modify the rhyme and repeat it a new way.
'... and when you are good, you are very, very good ...'

And then he might set me down.
I would feel determined to always be very, very good.
I felt loved - never horrid.

Sometimes I was horrid.
I cried buckets of tears about my hair.
I notice in many pictures bangs are VERY short.

this look was achieved by taping my bangs
 to my forehead until dry

The main problem was the curl in the middle of my forehead.
My mother told me often how lucky I was to have a "widow's peak".

my long hair pulled back tightly

That is a nice name for a double 'cowlick', in the front on a girl.

I had 2 ways to wear my hair - short or not.
'NOT' was pulled tightly back into submission.

about age 13 ish

Short always has some variation of a curl on the forehead.

about 15 ish

Styles dictated that hair should be straight and smooth.
I tried. I really tried. I truly really, REALLY tried.
I failed. My hair kept its kinks no matter what!

I still waffle - long  is always fuzzy ... ish ..

It keeps it kinks even now.
I often have a literal 'curl in the middle of my forehead'.
A curl that must always be 'guided'.

Hairspray, gel, and mousse coax it to a wave.
I can live with waves.

The curl changes directions occasionally.

I get out of the shower and towel my hair.
I wait a few minutes and shake it a bit.
Will it be left or right today?
I am never sure ...

Sometimes some of it goes left and some goes right.

One thing I do know.
There will be a curl in the middle of my forehead.

Still.

Always.

I promise to try to be good.
Very, very good.
And never horrid! [Fingers and toes crossed.]