Honestly, it's because it was long at one point. It was mid back at its longest. Then, I got the perm from hell. I don't have to have it mid back like it was before, although it would be a great surprise. Shoulder length unstretched is just fine with me. I want to see if I get my hair back to what it was. When it took two people to wash it. When my mom couldn't take all the braids out at once without crying. I am following her regimen for my hair. A shampoo once a week, a deep CON once a week, tie it up at night, use only one product on it, and don't touch it. The only difference is the co-washing. We'll see what happens. It's been about 2 years natural, but 15 months since I started really taking care of it. I know if I do what I wrote above, I can have the length I want in about 2 more years.
That's my reason why I want long hair. It's what my hair is capable of.