One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a single (grand)parent raising toddlers is “girl hair.”

What I mean is that taking care of of Kenzie’s hair is a lot of work! As for styling it, I can’t seem to figure it out.

With Kaleb I can get him a buzz cut with a No. 4 comb on the clippers, put a little gel on it, and he looks cool!

But with girl hair, it’s completely different!

The little maintenance that Kaleb’s hair requires is the exact opposite of the high maintenance required for Kenzie’s hair. (Yes, I’ve considered a No. 4 buzz cut with a little gel on her, but I don’t think that’s the look I want her to have!).

Girl hair is just a lot of trouble to take care of. And I have developed a new appreciation for all the work you girls have to do to fix your hair each day.

For example, washing her hair is not just a matter of washing and toweling it off. It has to be blow-dried for several minutes and she is not always a willing participant in that activity.

I said in a previous post that fixing little girls’ requires some fine motor skills that guys do not have!

I know what I want it to look like. But when I fix it, it always ends up looking like a four-year-old fixed it!

Which just goes to show, I suppose, that guys have a lot in common with four-year-olds!

I have tried to do pigtails and a short pony tail, but either I can’t get all her hair in my hand or I get a handful of hair and I can’t get a band wrapped around it.

If each hand has to perform a different task at the same time as the other, I can’t manage it. Or maybe it’s my left-handedness that just gets in the way. If I could have two left hands going at the same time, maybe I could do it!

One Saturday I decided to do some pigtail practice. After several attempts I was able to get some hair tied up in pigtails, but it took a long time.

And I learned that doing pigtails (and ponytails) is not just a matter of using your fine motor skills; it’s also a matter of geography.

Location, location, location!

Where the tail is located on the head gives it the look you want (or don’t want). And with pigtails, they have to be located in approximately the same spot on each side of the skull.

I didn’t realize that until I was finished. So I just left her with one pigtail higher than the other and sticking straight out of the side of her head.

So what? It’s Saturday. I’ll just paint one blue and one pink, and everyone will think I meant it to be that way.

I call it the clown-do! But she thought it was a hair styling masterpiece!

The main problem is time. When we get up in the morning and get ready for the day, I’m lucky to feed them breakfast and get them dressed and out the door in time so that Kaleb isn’t tardy for school.

So, there’s no way I can work on her hair for half an hour or more so she can leave the house with crooked pigtails!

I’ve decided to grow her hair out from the bob she has had for a couple of years, hoping that I can learn to put it up in a ponytail quickly and easily. I want to just grab a handful of hair and pull it back and tie it up, and away we go.

Meanwhile, I ‘ll just keep on brushing it out straight and putting hairspray on it so it will sort of stay in place as we wait for her hair to grow out.

Then, hopefully, I can master the skill of making a quick and easy pony tail. If not, then it’s back to the swing bob!