Who Says Moms Have to Have Sensible Hair?

My hair is short, but far from what most people would probably define as "sensible". It's entirely shaved on one side of my head (the other is a hot mess) and ranges from pink to red to teal to...you name it (but it's currently pink :). I'm a proud mama of four and my opinion is that if you're rockin' your true self you are, in fact, rockin'. :)

The term "sensible hair" is somewhat controversial to begin with, as I see in the comments. There is no certain "way" a woman "should" do or keep her hair; everyone should have the hair that makes them feel like their own version of a woman despite any life variables. We give so much of ourselves... making up a reason to cut your hair or to keep it long is not necessary. Any incling of guilt brought on by another's comments can only be caused by emotions within yourself. If you're happy with your hair, just smile and say "<i>I</i> like it."

Gosh, I love this post! I am 42 and the mother of four (my youngest is four) and I've always had it in my head that women over 40 should have short hair-probably because my mother had short hair. However, I've always had long hair, and I don't want to cut it! When I was younger, I remember thinking that "old" women looked silly with long hair. However, these days 40 isn't that old. So I plan to keep my hair long. Now if I could only have the courage to go gray!

Awesome post...lol I sometimes think I'm crazy for having my hair so long (almost touches my butt...does touch it if I look up!) I have a 6mo baby that LOVES to grab it too!! My MIL has long grey hair too, I've considered cutting, donating, or even selling it...haven't yet though so it just keeps growing...

Those of you who are offended because you have short hair obviously didn't read the post thoroughly. 4th paragraph, first few sentences.

So I'm pretty offended by the some of the responses here (I mean, as offended as you can be when the subject is hair). I think by calling short hair "practical" or "sensible" you are giving it - and the moms who have it - a bad rap.

I have super short hair and I think I look pretty awesome. Long hair in a pony tail seems a lot more "sensible" than my short do, as pretty much every mom I know has that look and that look requires zero maintenance and zero budget. Short hair must be cut every 4-6 weeks - not too sensible when time and money are an issue, which they often are when you have kids.

Wear your hair in the way that makes you feel great about yourself. Period.

So how long is too long? Most of my life I have had very thin straight long hair. I'm due for a trim. My hair hangs below my butt. I always wear it in a long braid down my back. I love my gray hairs and will never dye it!

One of my daughters friends is a hair stylist and she wants to cut my hair so bad but I won't let her.

Why is short hair "sensible"? Women with short hair spend a lot of time curling and styling it. I don't get it. Never have. Shortest my hair has ever been is shoulder-length, and all I do to mine is wash, condition, comb. (note the lack of hair torture devices). For me, long is far more sensible than anything else I've seen :)

I certainly don't have long hair but I think I've developed the same attitude on the other side of the fence.. I have really curly hair .. if it were Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman long-looking, that would be a different story but when my curly hair gets long, it looks horrible. I also fought with my curls when my hair was long.. I wanted it straight or up and since I was too lazy to straighten it, it was always up. So.. right after my 40th birthday, I said to hell with it and cut it all off... and loved it.. but mine is sassy like me - not frumpy and mom-like. I battled the insistent gray at the front crown with a bold and huge blond chunk (too big to call a streak) and have never been happier with my look. It's all about finding the funk and sassy look that fits your mood.

By the way.. I love the older women with the cool, flowing, long hair.. it's very poetic and warming! My cousin has that hair and she owns 3 hot yoga studios at age 68!

I cut my hair after our first kiddo was born. I really thought short would be better (everyone else had short hair!) and I came home, looked in the mirror and burst into tears. I grew my hair out and have kept it long ever since. For me, it's so much easier to pull it back into a pony tail than to try to tame my cowlicks into a sensible short hair do.

ditto on the minivan for me....made it so far w/ a '98 two door Jeep Cherokee ...stick shift..... no air conditioning in VA.....but back to the hair : )

I'll never wear my hair short either. Sure, it winds up pulled back in a ponytail more often than it used to, but at any moment I'm ready to be glamourous!

I'm with you on this. There are two things I vowed to never do after having my son, one was drive a mini-van and the other was to immediately go out and get the "mom 'do".

Interestingly, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina and 99% of women here have long hair. By long, I mean at least to the shoulder blades. Tourists, especially American women, stick out so much because they have really short hair.

So interesting - thanks for the post!! I have always wondered why all older ladies (kids or no) had short 'sensible' hair. I vowed to keep mine long.... and this was cemented by an experience like yours, but later in life on a blind date at the Kennedy Center for a performance. There was an older lady in a wheelchair near us in the audience. Must have been way over 75 years old -- and she had LONG red hair up in a Madonna "top of head" ponytail. She was super cool and glamorous. I said to self - "self -you will rock long hair like that when you are old." I'm almost 45, two kids, long hair w/ pink underneath.... And will keep it at the very least as hip as I can manage for as long as I have my wits about me!!! (my mom role-model has always been Morticia...not because I'm goth........ but she ran a home with style!!!)

When my first daughter was born, I cut my hair, was disappointed and swore not to do it again. When my second daughter was born, I cut my hair!! Must have been the hormones. Now I'm wearing it long again (and no more kids planned :-))

I'm totally with you on this issue! I've always kept my hair long. 3 kids and living in the 'burbs and it's still long. I've had similar reactions when I'm at my local Fantastic Sams ;) but I ignore them. I like braids, pony tails and straight down my back. I am not a fan of the popular mom haircut; although it looks good on others. I also don't understand why all the women in my family all have sensible and mannish haircuts. Is that a prerequisite for aging or something. Not me!

I have chameleon hair. I cut it, dye it and do what I want with it. And none of it is ever very sensible. Heh

Love this - my hair is longish, too -- am putting off the sensible hairdo as well ;)

I tried the suburban do and almost had to go on Prozac, my reflection depressed me so much.

Wear what YOU feel sexy in.

Great post ... thanks!

I have not very sensible long hair and I love it! I cut my locks off once and I will never do it again :)