I have Short Hair, Not "Mom Hair"

I remember spending my entire pregnancy basking in the glory of the new found hair that I was growing, at a record pace. I have always had shorter hair.. you know that awkward length that has no name and lies somewhere between your shoulders and your boobs? It was always just there and it wasn't anything special and shortly after we had our first child it quickly found its way into the standard "please don't pull my hair" mom bun.

I felt lazy. Going from taking the time each day to put into myself to not giving myself the time of day was harsh on the self esteem, which a new mom struggles enough with already. It wasn't long before I made the decision, I was going to chop it. 

I was excited to get rid of the long locks, I figured having less hair would require less time, make my life a little easier and allow me to feel more myself during those long days and nights that so easily blended together. I went in, chopped it off and immediately afterwards I realized the mistake I had made..

"Lost another one to Mom Hair!"

Wait what? No, I don't have mom hair.. I am a mother that has hair, yes, but thank you. Why short hair is the staple of motherhood I will never quite understand but mom hair or not I love it, so if Mom Hair is what I've got goin' on than I'll flaunt it in all of it's short and bouncy splendor. 

Here we are pregnant again with our second and to no one's surprise I chopped the locks yet again, and yet again I have been told what lovely "mom hair" I have going on. 

Let me tell you why this is demeaning..

I cut my hair to find myself again. My new life as a mother has changed my world and everything that I know, including how I take care of myself. I went from the top to the bottom of my own totem pole in a matter of minutes and it has been the greatest gift I have ever been given, but I am more than just "Mom". I am Taylor, I have a name and an existence all my own and cutting my hair was what was going to give that back to me. To go and tell me that the one thing I did in order to give myself a little personal identity labeled me as a mom to the masses did not aid in this process. 

Often times we forget that a mother is in fact a person, not just a walking, breathing, diaper changing robot. Whether she's wearing "mom jeans", only ever rocks a "mom bun", or has exhausted "mom bags" under her eyes she is more than just mom. Finding a sense of self between the moments of motherhood is critical, and while I can guarantee that being a mother is what makes her life worth living, labeling any part of her personal self as "only a mom" can hurt. 

I have short hair, not "mom hair". I wear jeans that fit and are comfy to me.. not every pair of jeans that I put on are "mom jeans", and when my hair is in a bun it's just a bun.

I flaunt my role as a mother though the children I am busy raising, not the materialistic little things that make up my exterior. I'm still Taylor, don't forget that.

-T