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Here's a pic my wife took today. Three of our four kids are pictured here.
From the left: my daughter, age 5 (with her hair in a braided bun, as we'd just come from her ballet performance); my son, age 2 (who has curls that fall well past his shoulders, though it's hard to tell from this picture); and my other son, age 9 (whose hair has been growing for approximately 2-1/2 years, with only two very slight trims to remove split ends).
We don't get many days like this, here in the northwoods... gotta enjoy 'em while they're here!
--Val
Hey Val-
What a nice photo! The kind that you will treasure ever so much in years to come. And do those years EVER pass quickly. Thanks for sharing.
Justin~
Thanks Justin! You're all too right about time passing quickly. The closest I've come to finding a way to slow it down a bit is to strive to make each day, in some way, unique. It seems that when they all start to blend together I find myself asking, "Where did the time go?"
--Val
What a great beach pic -- and your kids all have amazing hair, to boot! OMG, do I ever miss lake country sometimes, though...
Having grown up in Northern IL just 5 blocks from Lake Michigan, and spending most of my vacation time during my youth in the Northern Great Lakes region, and also around North Woods smaller lakes (especially Northern Wisconsin, the UP, and the Traverse Bay region of Southern Peninsula MI), being around all that natural fresh blue water I remember as pure Heaven!
As much as I love California (and believe me, I DO), there are times that the Midwest still calls me, beckoning me to come back to the land of many lakes, especially to see and just be around the Great Lakes again... It's a very special part of our planet, -- and I feel very lucky and blessed to have experienced it when I was a boy and teenager, as well as a young man before I moved out West when I was 24.
- Ken
Thank you, Ken! If you ever make it back to northern Wisconsin, let me know... it would be nice to meet you.
--Val
(n/t)
Thanks! As for the beach, sometimes you've just got to make things happen.
--Val
Hi Val,
Looks like a beautiful day out but hopefully its not as hot and humid as it is by me.It's been a really hot summer so far and to think it just started.Have to say I love your kids with their long locks:)Your 9 year old has incredible length already and with great care I would wonder how long it would be by the time he's 18.I'm sure a mane to die for!Good for you letting your kids enjoy the longhair experience.No one ever done that for me when I was their ages so I just discovered it on my own;)
Thanks for posting that wonderful picture Val as I wouldn't mind being on that beach right now.Cheers
Mark
Thanks, Mark! We've had a ton of rain over the past month, but the temperatures have been pleasant (70's to low-80's during the day)... perfect beach weather :)
--Val
First off, nice pic and some great looking kids.
As Ken said, wow does that bring back memories. I'm another midwest kid, also having lived in northern Illinois til I was 12. I remember one summer we spent living in our travel trailer at a campground on a lake (we were waiting for a new house to be completed, and had already sold the old one). It was the only time I actually got to grow my hair out much, because it was apparently too much of a nuisance to drag all us kids into town for haircuts.
Frodo
Thanks for the kind words! I'm looking forward to soon creating some camping memories for my family, as well :)
--Val
Great pic Val!
It's so refreshing to see such awesome long hair on both boys and girls. If I ever have a son, I'll of course give him the choice but I hope he decides to be a longhair.
Thanks for the compliment on my kids' hair, Jason. You've been a great source of inspiration and encouragement since I first discovered MLHH, all those years ago.
--Val
Great idyllic pic of your kids, You should be very proud. I also grew up in the midwest, The western suburbs of St. Louis, Mo. Spent many a summers day along, on & in a river, stream or lake in the Ozarks. My family's home was atop a bluff not far from the Missouri river, but one did not swim in that water, it wasn't tainted, but it was/is a very strong current. I miss the Ozarks and we are planning a trip this August to take care of that. FYI: There are lot of longhairs in the Ozarks.
Thanks, Jason. I've dreamed of one day visiting the Ozarks to do some turkey hunting since I was a small boy. Maybe some day...!
--Val
Hi Validus,
What a graet photo, your kids have awesome hair, and a tip of the hat to you (and your wife) for encouraging your children in their own long hair growing journeys!
Take care, and thank you for sharing,
David
Thank you, as always, for the kind words, David. Your own fantastic hair (and unfailing kindness and politeness) are a true inspiration. This world needs more such as you.
--Val
What a great family photo. The eldest has accomplished quite a mane in 2 1/2 years. Congrats.
Charlie: Here's a pic my wife took today. Three of our four kids are pictured here.
Thanks Charlie. Yes, my older son's hair does grow a bit faster than the 1/2-inch per month average... lucky kid!
--Val
Nice pic, does your boy get any shit in school? I know what you mean as far as the weather, it's been nice though when it's not storming.
How far up the Northwoods are you? I was hiking part of the Elroy - Sparta trail a few weeks back.
Thanks, Kevin. A couple of years ago, my wife and I decided that we would homeschool our kids from 2nd through 8th grade, and then give them the choice to remain homeschooled or return to public school through graduation. As a result, my son has been able to avoid, for the most part, any taunting or pressure from other kids about his hair. He is involved in a number of athletic activities, however, and does occassionally receive a rude comment, either intentionally or as an honest mistake. Luckily, he's pretty laid back, and cares more about being true to himself than worrying about what other people think. Right now, his "hair focus" is simply on being the Lord of the Rings character, Legolas, for Halloween.
We live pretty far north, about an hour south of Lake Superior.
--Val
That's an incredibly nice picture. You should really consider having it turned into a painting type look somehow, with photoshop or something. Not changed too much though. The composition of it is like some of the masters.
- John C
Thanks, John. My wife took the picture, and has a very good eye for composition (and a real knack for catching those bits of life at just the right moments). I know very little about altering photos using a computer, but like the idea.
--Val
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It looks like a really fun day at the beach. It looks like a lake to me.
Your 9 year old has good length for only 2 1/2 years of growth. Hair on children tends to grow fast, though. It is interesting that the 2 year old has curly hair and the 9 year old has straight hair. What type of hair you get is a toss of the genetic dice. Hair can change from straight to curly or curly to straight over a period of several years. (My good friend Bill has straight hair growing in. His hair was curly a few years back.)
I sure wish I could have had long hair back when I was 9. That was in 1962 and long hair on males was really shunned, and rarely allowed.
Hopefully your sons will grow up to appreciate the freedom they now enjoy to have their hair long. (A freedom I did not have in my childhood.) When I turned 16, the schools abolished the antiquated rules on hair length. I tried to grow it long, but did not know how to care for it. Too bad that MLHH did not exist in 1969.
Even as an adult, MLHH did not exist in 1992. That is the year I gave up on getting my hair cut.
Scott
Thanks, Scott. Yes, this beach is along a small lake attached to a county park. It's interesting to watch a child's genetic traits reveal themselves as they grow. Hopefully the world my kids are growing up in will continue to become more and more accepting of individual expression. In the case of hair length, I think this community (MLHH) has been of tremendous benefit and influence in advocating for personal freedom.
--Val
It's great your kids all like to have longhair, looks very good on them.
Thanks, Vincent! It's nice to hear from other folks that they like my kids' hair as much as we do.
--Val
Wow, your kids all have awesome hair Validus, especially your 9 year old. I wish I was allowed to have long hair when I was 9. You must be very proud of them.
Luke.
Thank you, Luke. I am, indeed, a proud dad.
--Val
Hi again Validus,
Just thought I'd echo the compliment that I believe John C made re. your wife's photographic eye, and that she really captured a beautiful scene there -- and very artistically, too. Everything about it is like a slice of time standing still, caught just at the right moment on a beautiful summer's day, just awesome!!
I'm including this pic from my own childhood that I've shared here in the past (probably seen it many times, in fact - LOL). The interesting thing about pics from childhood is that at the time the photo is taken, not too much thought is usually given about it (I know in my own case, such was the feeling about this picture, for example). But then years later... a classic photo that has all the right elements of composition, etc., suddenly just pops out at you -- almost as if the image was asleep for many years, then suddenly came back to life!
I think this photo of your kids will turn out to be a favorite of theirs for many years to come, especially as they themselves grow into adulthood, maybe even having kids of their own.
And again, as John C. I think said, this pic would make a gorgeous painting -- it really is hands-down PERFECT in every way!
- Ken
PS - I also read one of your replies where you mentioned being only an hour South of Lake Superior. Back when I still lived in the Midwest, I camped out and hiked three different times in Porcupine Mt. State Park, in Upper Peninsula of MI (near Ontonagon -- not sure if I spelled it correctly, though - LOL). Also my youngest nephew who lives in IL goes to a college up near Ashland, WI (I'm sorry I'm forgetting the name of the school right now; but I'll ask my youngest brother the next time we talk). When we were all kids our parents took a 2-week trip up to the UP one summer, camping in various spots, but mostly near or on the Copper Peninsula. We also spent a lot of time in the very Northernmost parts of Lake Michigan -- Door County in WI, Escanaba, Menominee at a Boy Scout Jamboree, Fayette Stae Park (I think that's the name -- it's an historic spot right on the lake), and of course, visiting Macinac Is in Norhtern L. Huron... It's been a long time; but I remember these places and their beauty, almost like it was yesterday!
And yes, it would be great to meet you someday, if I ever make it back to the Midwest -- or if you ever make it out to SF!
Thanks again, Ken. These are, indeed, moments to cherish. Thanks for sharing the image of one of your moments, as well. I like to think that, as you said, my kids will look at this picture of a day on the beach one day, and smile.
--Val
Lovely pictures Val.
It's a joy to see young, unencumbered, up-n-coming longhairs in action!
- Oren
Thank you, Oren. We're doing our very best to raise our kids to be as authentic and fully-actualized as possible.
--Val