No seriously, I love cutting hair. Really!
Whenever I tell someone that I cut children’s hair they all say the same thing: “Oh I could never do that!” with a sprinkling of “That must be a really hard job!” and “Don’t kids move too much?”. I am never quite sure the exact response to give (because sometimes I have a habit of saying what I am thinking, instead of what is polite) but I know that I enjoyed (almost) every minute of my time in the children’s salon I worked at in Seattle. I has been almost 6 months since I moved back to LA, and the whole gig has only gotten better!
To be fair, I don’t cut hair full-time anymore. The regulations for transfer of licensing to the state of California are very strict, but I am working on it. So I cant cut hair in a salon yet. But I do cut hair part time in my spare time away from my grown-up 9-5 job (8-6 actually, but who is counting?) and it is like I brought with me all the great things about my Seattle job, and tossed all the not-so-great things. I almost prefer not working in a salon anymore. I only answer to myself, I have essentially no overhead costs, it is basically impossible to burnout on this.
Any mother will tell you that trying to keep a child docile for 8 hours a day or more is possibly one of the most exhausting and thankless exercises one can undertake. I love children and their endless energy, which I suppose was why I enjoy doing this so much. And working exclusively with children has taught me so many things about child development, parenting, social interaction, young media, and what I want out of my life. I will always keep my comments on parenting skills to myself, because I am not a mother and in no way entitled to judge anyone else, but I will discreetly say that I now know what techniques I will and will not be employing when I have children of my own.
The best part about cutting children’s hair is the kids themselves. I have so much fun hanging out and asking them silly questions that parents are constantly asking me if I have children of my own. Most kids are funny, some very serious (which is funny, too), and even when I have crying kids its not a big deal. Just some tears. We will make it through the haircut regardless. If I can walk them to the door with a great haircut that they are happy with (and that their parents are happy with!) then I have done something great with my time.
I wish I cut more hair these days. I have my regulars that mostly include men who still act like children which is really not the same thing. I have a few clients from Seattle that moved to LA around the same time I did which was an incredible coincidence and has made for a fantastic summer. Really made the transition so much easier even though I grew up here. Over time I will add more kids to my weekend schedule, but for now I will enjoy my free time and maybe spend more time outside before the winter rains come. What is the point of living within walking distance to the beach if I never visit it?