Children’s Guest Post: Ita’s Ponytail

A few days ago, my daughter Rosita surprised us with a picture of her blonde braid, which she had cut off. After she told me why she had done it, I asked her if I could post the picture and share the story behind it. Initially, she was skeptical, but after I insisted a bit, she wrote these beautiful words:

“Since I was little, my sisters and I always had short hair. When we were young we trusted our mother a lot so we never questioned her, and at the time we didn’t give it much importance. As I got older, I started to notice the older girls at school, with their long hair and different hairstyles. I hoped that the day would come when my mother would stop cutting our hair so short.

One afternoon, when we got out of school, I met up with all my sisters on the corner where they would wait so we could all go home together. I noticed my sister Carmi was brushing her long hair and I started thinking how one day when I was older I could have my hair as long and beautiful as hers.

When I finally got to elementary school and my mother was still cutting my hair, I decided to ask her if I could keep my hair long. We discussed it a while and she eventually convinced me to keep it short. Although to be honest, after she cut it, I forgot why I agreed to let her.

After showering, I would always put the towel on my head and imagine that it was my long hair. That’s how much I wanted to have long hair…

At the end of primary school, after speaking with my mother multiple times, she finally told me I could have long hair, but that I would have to take care of it. For my part, it was easy to agree because I had always dreamed of having long hair. Ever since, she never cut my hair again.

Until now, I have always had long hair and my friends always tell me how beautiful and healthy it looks.

After having experienced the disease of cancer so close in my life, I felt like it was time to rid myself of this absurd attachment that I had since I was a child, and decided to donate my hair to the women that are fighting cancer.

Many asked me if it was difficult for me to cut my hair. The truth is, not really, because I had a good reason. I feel liberated from that attachment.

I hadn’t really thought about writing anything, but my mother wanted to share the picture and I felt it was important to understand the story behind it.”