Three Week Dreadiversary!

So, I've had my dreadies for three weeks now. I don't have a picture because it is too dark outside and I don't have enough lighting inside for a good picture. And they are in a towel. But honestly, they don't look that much different from last week. I'm experiencing typical early dreadlock paranoia, and it seems to be rather common. Shouldn't they be doing something?

Like, in the beginning I was afraid to show them and now I actually like walking around with just a headband on... but I think that's more because my perception of them changed slightly. I think they'd be so much cooler if they didn't have tacky rubberbands in them and had blunted tips... even if they didn't get thicker, which I really hope they do.

I did try to blunt one of the tips. Jonny Clean recommended wait until end of the second month, maybe longer for thinner dreads (and mine are thin), but this dread had one of the worst tips on my head. Let me give you a tip: if you are having inexperienced backcombers, have them start on the back of your head. The dreadlock in the very front, right on my widow's peak, had the worst tip and it drove me nuts. It was long and messy. So I tried to blunt it, and it shows no indication it wants to stay that way, even with the rubberband on. But it looks a lot better.

Sooo... that's not really recommended. But I'm not really sorry, either.

I rode bikes with my mom today. The first things I learned involved hats. I learned that my helmet is tight on my head and David's helmet fits great. I also learned that Mom loves my tam, maybe in part because it covers my head. But she also thinks it looks cute on me.

And we talked. It helped her a lot to know that for some reason she cannot comprehend, my husband likes my dreadies. Sometimes, I think he likes them better than I do. He's playing the supporting husband role very well. But she was afraid I had somehow plowed ahead with my own wishes and he was stuck letting me do what I wanted but not really liking them. So it helped her that he actually sat there and told her that he likes them.

We had a conversation about why I got them. She can't understand what would posses someone to do this to their hair. I can't understand how a hairstyle could matter so much. I think we've hit another generational gap (not saying everyone my generation would understand, either). I like my dreadies because they make me feel free, funky, crazy, cool, and will hopefully someday be a low maintenance, awesome hairstyle. I like the look of them. She seems to think they are worse than if I tried cutting my hair with a lawn mower, or let a mouse build a nest on top of my head. She doesn't understand why I'd do something she considers the opposite of trying to look good.

And in the end, I can't really explain it to her. We start from very different positions, mine being "dreads are awesome" and hers being "dreads are horrible."

But she felt a little better after that, and I'm glad she felt a little better. And liked my hat.