Calista wasn’t satisfied with her recent haircut. She didn’t like her fringe hanging in her eyes, and she didn’t want to keep tucking it behind her ears. So she cut it.

Calista cuts her hair, May 2012
Calista gets fed up with having hair in her eyes and decides to give herself a trim.

Delaney and Calista, May 2012
Calista proudly shows off her new hairstyle — David has trimmed some of the more obvious loose ends.

Watching my girl-child cut her hair is a very difficult thing for me to do. However, I believe it’s a necessary step in modelling a life that is not dependent on the opinion of others.

Almost two years ago, I received a revelation that I was unnecessarily forcing our children to conform to society’s standard of beauty. After repenting, I stopped dressing our girls and dictating how they should look.

Now I’m been stretched again. I’m learning to show Calista that she is cute and beautiful, even with a well-scissored hairstyle. Besides, it’s just hair and grows back so quickly! (I also reassure myself that Cali is so cute she could pull off any hairstyle…)

Parked outside the library, May 2012
On rainy nights, it's wonderful to have access to an outdoor shelter like this one.

When visiting Kaitaia, we often park out the back of the Te Ahu Centre, where we have access to shelter, concrete paths for scootering and even external power points! We’re thankful to have somewhere to hang out while Calista creates a new look.