HAIRCUT TIME!!!

Malik is coming n 2 his own! ...As time passes he's becoming more & more independent !
Although, he'll 4eva &always b my babe .... I luv his independence! ...He has his own opinions and he knoes what he wants and doesnt want ! Things I neva thought he would do on his own ..he's now doing ... for eg: last weekend, was haircut time ..... As soon as I said it was that time. Malik ran 2 the bathroom grabbed his stool, haircutting smock, and the clippers along w/a big smile ....
Malik's receptiveness caused me 2 reminisce back2 his 1st ever haircut ... like all new mothers I was soooo excited 4 his first haircut @ 1year old......He cried of course bcuz, @ that time he was really spoiled, I didnt think ne thing of it ... so, the barber turned the clippers on and was starting to cut his hair ...Malik became irrate ! he kept trying 2slide down from the chair , he screamed/kicked, he grabbed the clippers ...he was something awful! ...the barber asked 'is he ok?" of course I said yea continue, he'll be fine ... ...The barber refused 2finish! .... that was our 1st and last time n a barber's chair ..... Needless 2say our 1st year haircut was not a good look! ...As I stated many times b4 ... I was Sooooooo ignorant concerning Autism !..I didnt have a clue! ..I thought ok ...I'll give him a lil time and cut his hair at home ... it'll be okay .... So Shawn and I became Malik's barber from that point on ... (and occasionally my brother Jr )...
Little did I knoe ....that was just the beginning ..it didnot get better ...it actually got worse. The haircutting ritual became a scheduled event 4us ... We had 2plan 4 it ...but, it was such an effort/event ...it absolutely drained us all! ..my goodness ...now, It took me a looooooooonnnnng time to figure out ....the sensation along w/the buzzzing noise the clippers made was too much 4 Malik sensors ...so they would became overloaded ...and cause him to act out ....and when I say act out .....oooh my u have no idea ....the haircutting event was a guranteed workout 4which ever1 of us had the pleasure of participating n the event .....he would kick..any and everything near him eg:mirror, toiletries. He would scream eg:to the top of his lungs ..he was beyond crying ...he would also grab his head and hold it while screaming.....Grab the clippers eg:plug, on/off button ...ne thing he could get his hands on .. and ur talking about
S T R O N G ...it would take me & Shawn both to hold him ...one of us would hold his legs ..the other one cut his hair while holding his arms ...
Goodlawd!!! those times were awful !
I would get sooo frustrated and I couldnt understand 4 the life of me what the big fuss was ...I would run the clippers along my arm to show him it was no big deal but, Malik was beyond reasoning ! I would often cry ...bcuz, my child would be looking up at me with red water filled eyes and gasping 4 his breath.... @times Malik would cry so much he would often throw up .... I would feel TERRIBLE !!!
As time went on ...I would often purchase new clippers (hoping that would stop the events)...Most times Malik would break them ...(the older he got the stronger he became) ..I was also convinced the clippers had to be hurting him for him 2act out like that ... ...Like I said I was so ignorant back then ... To this day, I still beat myself up ...for not knowing ....i knoe.....duuuuhhhh ...how could I knoe ...Autism was not an IN topic ...info about the disorder was not readily on the internet .... and Doctors didn't knoe ANYTHING!! So, our journey was definitely a learning process!
Now my boy is 15 years old and welcomes his haircuts he often grab the clippers and help cut his own hair!!! Those times n that bathroom @650 lenox Avenue NYC ..seem sooo long ago ...
I often wonder how Malik would do w/a professional barber ....I think he would be fine ...but, until then ...Shawn & I will remain the only 2 who cut his hair ...and occasionally my brother Jr!