Sometimes you just gotta let 'em BE

THIS is my precious girl, IZ. This pic was taken when she was 14 and she had just begun to test the bounderies of her individuality and personal style. She had just cut off her waist length, gorgeous red locks, thrown away the last pink hued article of clothing she would EVER wear and had decided that she wanted to be a punk rock star, stage name: Izzie Sparx.

I am totally cool with this. If my parents had spent less time trying to mold me into the person they thought I should be and spent more time just letting me BE then maybe I wouldn't have rebelled so hard. And then again maybe not. Who's to say? But I am proud that my girl has the courage to be who she wants and doesn't really care what other people think.

And then...

I picked my daughter up after a night spent with her friends and THIS is what I got. OMG and all that is holy WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR????!!!! Seriously People, I may have hyperventilated and then I cried. Yes. That is a Mohawk. Not a Faux Hawk. Not a wig. Not a Ha Ha, Just joking, I wish you could've seen the look on your face... A MOHAWK!!!!

And I thought I was so cool. So open-minded. I have a tattoo. I listen to cool music. I AM WITH IT, MAN! And I actually LIKE Mohawks. Just on other people. Not my baby. Not my precious little pumpkin who used to sing "It's our problem free ill oss a bee, acuma matata" at the top of her lungs.

Ok OK! It doesn't look that bad. And I am getting used to it. And IZ LOVES IT! And that is what is important but I guess what is really bugging me the most.... Iz and I have always had this special connection, this THING, this acceptance of one another, this ability to just let each other be and for one minute I became another person, this MOM that I hate! You know, the kind that won't let their kids play with the neighbors because their father rides a motorcycle and the mother smokes cigarettes. The kind that pulls their children to the other side of the sidewalk and shields their eyes when a gay couple comes strolling by.

ALRIGHT! I'm not that BAD!!! But how far is it before I cross that line. How far from "Making my daughter feel like shit because she got a Mohawk" to "You won't be listening to the devil's music in this house!"

I guess my point is this: IZ, I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I didn't mean to make you think I hated it, cuz seriously...you could shave your head bald and tattoo your face and I would still think you were the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth. And I don't EVER want you to be ANYONE other than WHO YOU ARE! And I want you to continue to test your boundaries and explore your world and try absolutely EVERYTHING! And I LOVE YOU, no matter what! NO MATTER WHAT!

And your hair will always grow back...right?