For the love of Gingy, my mother's a hair hater!!!

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

Man, I couldn't believe it yall. I went home this weekend and I was soooo excited to tell mommy dearest about my hair growth progress over the last couple of months. So, I get home with my hair all pressed out and stuff, but I still had it wrapped, and I proceed to tell her that I'm not too far from WL....in fact, about 4.5 to 5 more inches, and I should hit WL. She frowns up at me and tells me to keep dreaming, it ain't happening and that my hair can't grow that long and won't ever grow that long I almost told her off yall!!! I finally unwrapped my hair and showed it to her and she tells me that my hair has grown, but it will never get to WL. If it hadn't been for the fact that she's my mommy and I love her with all my heart, I would have went off on her Apparently, she doesn't know that I'm a member of one of the best hair care boards there is out there. And what's sad is that all my other family members, including my brothers/sisters, aunts and cousins all notices that my hair is growing and growing. Damn momma, why'd you have to go and hate like that? I told her to just wait and see.......dammit, I'll show her better than I can tell her. She won't be talkin that noise then. I still love her though

 

[coconow2007]

I don't think ur mom's a hair hater but I do think she is just a non-believer we have been conditioned to think for so long that our hair can't grow that its hard to be open to anything else. If I had not found LHCF I would still have my doubts and even though I am no where near my goal (just started in May 2007) I keep checking the boards , refining my hair care schedule and viewing pic's of sista's who have made their goals with my hair type and I feel more encouraged.

My mom also thinks I'm a bit crazy with all the things I do that are different from what she knows about hair care. I just say 'ok keep laughing until I reach mid-back and then u have to take all those laughs back' But she had a mini breakthrough this week when she saw my newly henned hair and asked me if I thought henna would cover her gray, lol

 

[sugarose]

It's ok. My mom has just started to believe I'm growing to WL (not sure if she believes I can get to Hip Length) and I have been doing the hair car thing for a year. I told her the day I discovered the boards that I was growing my APL hair to WL and she was like . Now she believes me.
When you get there she will see.

 

[tnorenberg]

Oh that's so sad to hear that. Even mothers can be jealous and down right competitive. And even more resistant when we try to enlighten them to take better care of themselves or hair. My mother has pretty long hair so that isn't our issue. We clash on child rearing, because the world and kids in general are so different than when I was raised. She got into this "you think you're better than me " thing ...and I knew where that was heading.. I thought mom was gettin ready to go ghetto on me. Anywho, you've worked hard and learned a lot on your journey and too bad she can't enjoy being a part of that journey. Don't let her steal your thunder. Be proud of your waist length hair and flaunt it when you get there.....just make sure she's not hiding a pair of sissors behind her back

 

[PapillionRouge]

Do u have any pics?

 

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

Thanks for the pep talk ladies. She really made me mad though when she said all that stuff. It was if she didn't support my dreams and goals. And the weird thing about it is that my aunt has WL hair!!! How come my aunt can have WL hair, but my mom thinks it won't work for me?? I know now that she doesn't know any better and she hasn't the slightest clue as to the knowledge I have found off the hair boards. My mom's one of the older generation folks, so she doesn't believe in all those growth aids and stuff like that, so to her, it's impossible to grow our hair that long nowadays. But, everytime I try to give her advice about what she should do or how she should tweak her regimen, she always turns a deaf ear and ignores anything I say. But, if anything good has come of this encounter, it's that she's made me that much more determined to reach my goal. I've always been a fan of faith and persistence, and now I have an extra boost of both. So from now on, I'll be keeping my mouth shut and instead of telling her about my progress, I'll just wait and show her the finished product when, and if, it arrives!! But I love me some momma though, she's my little rosebud

 

[theAlist]

Oh yes...my mother just KNOWS myhair won't grow AT ALL while its natural. Everytime I see her she says, "Why hasn't your hair grown yet?" When she knows it has grown plenty! It has been a year since my big chop . My dad asked me, "How is your hair going to grow when it's nappy like that!" He believes a relaxer grows hair...CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!

 

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

Do u have any pics?

No, I don't have any pics right now, I was planning on taking some this past weekend, but my SO took the cam w/ him when he went home. But I am planning on posting my progress pics at the end of the month, so I'll have a chance to show them then.

 

[Dak]

You sound like you have a pretty good relationship with your mom, it could be that she doesn't want to see you disappointed, so she's warning you ahead of time (strange logic, I know, but moms can be like that.)

Smart move, just avoid that particular conversation with her, but definitely show up at either Thanksgiving or Christmas with your hair out, and let her bring up your beautiful hair!

 

[pistachio]

You're only 5 inches away from WL so must be about BSL+, right? I find it odd that she would doubt you when your hair is already by far longer than the average Black womans'. WL is super long, but BSL is nothing to sneeze at either!!!!!

 

[glamazon386]

My mother was like this too until she saw the growth with her own eyes. My hair is still short now, but it's come a long way from the 2 inches of hair I had last September. I think she's really going to act up when my hair gets longer than hers. It's about APL now but it seems like every time she goes back to the salon for a relaxer, the stylist says her ends are bad and chops her hair back to SL. She's real salty about it.

 

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

You're only 5 inches away from WL so must be about BSL+, right? I find it odd that she would doubt you when your hair is already by far longer than the average Black womans'. WL is super long, but BSL is nothing to sneeze at either!!!!!

Yes, a little beyond BSL. I agree w/ Dak. Yes, we do have a wonderful relationship and I now that I've had time to think about it, I believe her negative comments were stated simply b/c she doesn't want to see me disappointed if in fact I cannot achieve my goal. She's not the competitive type, so I know she didn't say those things out of jealousy or envy. She's at a point in her life now where things like that don't matter. But I would be a fool not to realize that there comes the possibility that I may not be able to achieve my goal. There are always obstacles whenever you try to achieve something of importance. I already know hair can only grow so long before the growth process comes to a standstill. But that goes without saying that I have a goal in mind that I do plan to accomplish, so I still have high hopes. When I do accomplish my goal, I will just sit back and smile, thank God Almighty for his blessings and enjoy the fruits of my labor. If I don't accomplish it, at least I can honestly say that I did put in the effort and hard work, and it will have been a wonderful journey to embark upon. It's given me discipline and strength. In the end, all I want is a head of healthy, beautiful hair. Sure, length is a bonus, but I sure don't want scraggly, thin strands and see-thru ends all over. But thanks for understanding ladies. I knew someone would!!