The Adventures of Sgt Smell of the Mess Brigade

All any parent wants is for their children to grow up into well-adjusted adults who spread their wings, exploring their independence...... Somewhere else.

So this morning we're on our way to school when I mention to The Boy that his hair needs trimmed. He panics slightly because he thinks I'm suggesting I take him to the salon. Poor guy has been traumatized by his grandmother, a hairdresser. She has "trimmed" his hair before, never ever giving him what he wanted, and at least once making him cry about it. Now he won't go to any salon, ever. So I started to cut it because he was driving me nuts.

I'm no trained hair stylist. I was absolute crap when I gave him his first "trim," which was more like what you do with hedges rather than what you do with hair. I have developed a talent for "5-inch, all-over layers." And lately he doesn't look like his stylist is a monkey with seizures.

A thought occurred to me, and I voiced it: "What are you going to do when you grow up and leave?"

All too quickly, he replied: "That's why I'm never moving out!"