Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let's Wash Your Hair

I wonder how Rapunzel washed her hair.  If it were me toting along a quarter mile of those luxurious tresses, I'd tilt my head out the window during a rainstorm.  Washing Samantha's hair has always been a dreaded event for me.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm a bad mommy for only washing her hair once a week, but seriously, it's just too much of a pain to do any more frequently.  I am pretty sure my mother and my husband are reading this and thinking, "See...if she'd only listen to me and get that poor child's hair cut she wouldn't have this problem!"  But it really doesn't have so much to do with the length of her hair as it does with the fact that until recently Samantha would never put her head back to allow me to rinse the soap out of her hair without getting sudsy water in her eyes, and she hates getting water in her face.  What to do, what to do?  I mean, she's been perfectly capable of putting her head back so my water-soaked washcloth could be squeezed over her hairline without issue - she'd proven it on many, many dry runs.  She'd even say (in missing-word, gramatically-incorrect Sammi-speak), "Look up, no water in your face!"  Okay, child, take your own advice, please!! 

I did say until recently, though.  She's gotten much better about it.  It's like one day it just clicked, and we've had blissfully tear-free bath times ever since.  See, the length of her hair doesn't have a thing to do with it!!    The length does have to do with the amount of time it takes to ensure it's dry enough for her to go to bed, though.  So hair-washing nights have to be carefully planned so she doesn't end up having to stay up too late.    It's also planned carefully from the time she wakes up on the morning of hair-washing day.  She's a creature of routine, quick to absorb the run-down of the day ahead, reciting it back to you throughout the day.  She likes to be prepared (activity transitions for people with Ds can often be challenging), so we do tell her from the get-go that I'll be washing her hair that evening.  Seriously, it actually makes her accept the inevitable, whether  it's something she's looking forward to (ie. a birthday party), or something she would ordinarily resist (ie. hair-washing).  For those of you with young children with Ds, please take routine to heart, and get your kids on a schedule or be sure to give them plenty of advance warning.  Then sit back and watch the meltdowns begin to disappear.  :-)