It's a Kid's World

Several weeks ago, hubby and I took our biggest little girlie for a haircut. Pookie was quite clear in her feelings about said cut... She didn't want water sprayed on her hair; she didn't want to sit still; she didn't want to look down; she didn't want pigtails. Let me paint a clear picture of the scene that was just so disturbing to our little one... she was sitting in a mini-Escalade while munching a candy necklace while draped in a Snoopy cape while watching The Little Mermaid while being promised a 'pop pop' at the end of the cut.
(Before you imagine my darling as being a complete brat, I must interject that she did, in fact, sit still and act wonderfully polite despite her objections.)
A couple days later, with this experience fresh on my mind, I was browsing the baby section of a store where I spotted a mat that attaches to the back of car seat. Its purpose is to keep the seat-back clean when a child who is sitting in the back seat kicks the back of the front seat. I suppose such an item would go perfectly in a car which includes a personal DVD player and a sun shield attached to the little one's window.
All of this got me to thinking... When did our world become so kid-accommodating? What happened to asking (telling) the kiddo in the back to keep his or her grubby little sneakers off the seat? While I'm not sure I completely agree with my husband that all the sippy-cupping-silliness is creating a generation of weak adults, I do want to establish some sort of middle ground for my girls.
So, when I convince myself that taking my little princess to the fancy schmancy kids' salon is not just for a hair cut but also to make fun memory, I have to remind myself of some of my own hair cuts as a child. Often times, my grandma would trim my bangs (which had been scotch-taped to my forehead) while I sat on a stool in her kitchen. No entertainment, rewards, or treats were involved; though there may have been a few threats if I had dared to wiggle! Yet something about this memory is incredibly special to me. Perhaps it's just the time spent with my grandma or the tenderness of the moment that tugs on my heart strings. In the midst of all this kid craziness, I will try to remember that it's often the simple (and free!) events over the course of our lives that make the most lasting impressions.