I Really Should Have Thought This Through

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I once had a large gecko inked on my back, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I was secretly relieved that it was gone within a fortnight; you’ve got to love henna ink.

I’m not strongly opposed to tattoos, but my reasons for not personally having any are threefold:

  1. They are permanent.
  2. I am indecisive.
  3. They are permanent.

Fortunately for me, the impact of most lapses in judgement is fleeting. Just imagine if every decision you made stayed with you forever…

At five years old, I gave one of my Trolls a particularly striking Mohawk haircut. Hairdresser of the Year, I was not – so I couldn’t wait for his radiant pink locks to grow back. Much to my horror and disappointment, they never did.

At six, I decided that I wanted a fringe. I tried to bribe my mother with a fairy made from half a discarded kitchen roll, two goggly eyes, several pipe cleaners and some sticky-back plastic, but she was having none of it. So I resorted to the tried and tested method of pester-power. It went a little something like this:

“I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I want a fringe. I WANT A FRIIIIIIIIIIIIINGE!”

Just three short months later, my mother finally caved – and I was granted my wish. I changed my mind within minutes, cursing her for “forcing me to have my hair cut”. How dare she?  Stomp stomp stomp.

Studies have shown that it is beneficial to let your child dress themselves, to help them develop a ‘sense of self’ early-on in life. I have strong evidence to the contrary:

 

I vividly recall a nativity play my brothers and I performed for my parents, at a young age. The shepherds wore towels on their heads, secured in place by y-fronts. My hobby horse was the donkey, Kermit the frog stepped in to play Jesus and our menagerie of barn animals present at the birth of the son of God included a giraffe, two lions, a talking parrot, three Velociraptors and a Tyrannosaurus rex. Eat your heart out Andrew Lloyd Webber. Regrettably, the pants-on-head look never caught on.

At twelve, I wanted all the boys to fancy me – so decided that the way to their hearts was cropped tops and head to toe denim. It wasn’t.

At the age of fifteen, my parents foolishly allowed me decorate my own room. I think they hoped I’d favour sophisticated salmon pink or soothing lavender. I actually opted for a postmodern self-conscious homage to the Teletubbies – namely lime green and purple passion, with a hint of turquoise. It looked like Tinky Winky and Dipsy had collaborated with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen. Delightful.

At seventeen, I was keen to find out for myself whether blondes really have more fun. So I saved my pennies and took myself to the best hairdresser in town, who dyed my brunette tresses a sexy shade of ash blonde. I smiled at the hairdresser, paid him a massive tip for doing such a fabulous job, then ran to Boots, bought a brunette home hair dying kit for £2.99 and ran home to change it back immediately. I really should have read the instructions – as not only did I ruin a towel and stain my forehead, but my hair came out bright orange (and to clarify – I really do mean ORANGE, not ginger). Not quite the look I was going for. Hats were my favourite accessory that season.

I’m pleased to report that my fringe grew out, I disposed of my denim jacket/skirt combo and the pants-headgear incident was a one-off. The bedroom I share with my husband does not glow in the dark and although I still don’t know whether blondes have more fun, I can verify that oranges certainly do not. 

470 thoughts on “I Really Should Have Thought This Through”

  4. I enjoyed your post. It reminds me a lot of my middle daughter. A couple of years ago, she decided that she wanted to do her room in pink and black. She wanted the ceiling to be black. She and her mother taped and drop-clothed and painted for 2 days and she loved it … for about a week. Now her mother won’t let her repaint because she doesn’t want to deal with the black on the ceiling. She really should have thought it through.

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      • Maybe it really IS a middle child thing, I’m in the middle and ALL of this is exactly my life. Including a brief stint with orange hair. At least we can take solace in the fact that we are not alone???

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  6. Cute photos. Funny, I just drafted a blog today about getting a tattoo with the same thoughts as yours. It’s not up yet, but plan to get it up this week. 🙂

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  7. Wait, so you’re saying head-to-toe denim isn’t the key to attracting the opposite sex? Well that actually explains a lot.
    Congratulations on your fresh pressage.

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  9. this was really, really funny. I thought I was reading a blog by daughter when you spoke about the teletubbie homage as she did exactly the same thing! loved your photos, they really are great fun

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  11. I always love how 10-15 years down the line, we look back at old pictures of ourselves and shudder at the fashion. I can’t imagine what we will say twenty years from now… I also can tell you’re British because you used the words “fringe” and “fancy.” 😀 We say bangs and we “like” boys in the USA. Thanks to the Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison, I’ve become well versed in British terminology (oh and living in Spain where they learn British English). Congrats on Freshly Pressed!

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  12. Love the blog! Had to share it with my peeps, as it seems to fit it with our nostalgic theme as well. At age 12 I thought Sun In would be a cost-effective way to go blonde (This was after I cut my own bangs that I had spent a year trying to grow out from the bowl cut I had for most of my childhood). I used my babysitting money, went to Target, came home and got out the hairdryer. The result was orange, of course. That, along with my jammers (bearing a striking resemblance to yours) and half-inch bangs provide a lot of comic relief for friends and family when we stroll down memory lane via photo albums.

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  13. OMG – I’m so excited for you! I’m so excited that I haven’t even yet read this! I will read this and comment properly soon…

    Well deserved — you are a fantastic writer 🙂

    Congrats!
    Angie

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  14. This is such a cute story! At least hair grows and can be dyed! I just cut all of mine off and dyed it auburn! I love it, but it was risky.
    Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. You will have quite a ride today! Enjoy!

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  19. Your pictures are adorable… especially the one with you and your brothers in shorts and sunglasses. I’m 100% with you on the tattoo thing. I’m indecisive, they are permanent, and for me (as a hypochondriac) I will never be able to put my trust in the process of being tattooed… needles… communicable diseases… and all that (sorry to all you reputable tattoo artists out there… the issue is mine, not yours).

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  20. I love tattoos; my boyfriend has his sleeves done. But I especially love them on women. I’d love to get a tattoo, but I’m a bit like yourself… much too indecisive! Maybe one day I’ll finally decide. But until that day comes, I’m fine getting all jealous over my friend’s ones 🙂

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  21. i can’t look at most of the photos of myself when i kid for the sheer reason that i had an embarrassing fashion sense. i think i was in my early 20s by the time i finally got “with it.”

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  30. Great post! I’ve always thought I’d like a tattoo…but I have commitment issues. I can’t think of something I’d want to get that I wouldn’t hate like a week later. I also experienced an unfortunate bleached hair experiment. I tried it, hated how I looked and had my Dad go to the pharmacy to get some Nice and Easy so I could cover it up (I didn’t want to be seen in public). LOL! Unfortunately the Nice and Easy turned orange…which forced me to get a super short haircut. It took me a year to recover from that hair disaster.
    Love your blog!
    -Kristin
    http://coupletastic.com

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  31. I very much agree…… when I was 5 I decided to get hair cut to my ear… i had really thick hair so it was like a bowl cut…it was SO embarassing. it took years till it was normal

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  35. When I went blonde (naturally dark, beautiful, chestnut brown), it didn’t come out looking so hot- splotches of orange here and there. “Professionally” done, even. And I changed my mind about it immediately, cried about it… And kept it. That’s how my mind changes: I change my opinion, but don’t really do anything about it. I got my roots done once, but not well enough. Flash forward a year later, and I had a wonderful (not) head of hair: blonde hair, then a section of orange roots, then a section of outgrown dark brown roots. I just did my makeup really well every day… That’s a little embarrassing. Moral: We indecisives should never dye our hair.

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  36. Oh, I am a member of the orange hair club and not knowing how to pull strands of hair to highlight it looked like I leaned into a tub of peroxide face first! Thanks for the reminder! 🙂

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  38. Funny, just last night I was thinking how I might want my bangs back. Then I remembered how they always looked messed up during the 20 years I wore them. Thanks for reminding me not to make a regrettable trip to the hairdresser!

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  40. I believe tattoos make great memories and remind you of what state in life you were in when you took them. Personally I love tattoos, and the fact that they are permanent 🙂

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  42. My tattoo is on the bottom of my back, its perfect because I forget about it sometimes then when I glimpse it in the mirror it almost surprises me and gives me an exciting little thrill! Love the fringe!

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  45. I Really Should Have Thought This Through is the only phrase i refuse to utter under any circumstances lol i have to much pride in my self to admit so i took it on my self to think every decision i make really though mom thought i am a bit impulsive but since i showed her how much thoughts and research i do before i stir a move she pitied me lol
    loved ur Spontaneity though very refreshing

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  52. So brave to share all those photos ! I think the secret of avoiding tattoo regret/ boredom in the ink world is to just go get another one to distract from the last one. Unfortunately I am also indecisive and have not come up with a second “brilliant” idea in 15 years. Congrats !

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  56. My daughter’s Barbies were the victims of her “Edward Scissorhands.” Not only did she Mo-Troll-a-size at least two of them…she bobbed, fringed, spiked, and mulletted the others. She never was one to have two of the same things.

    Funny post!

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  59. A great memory of how climsy growing up can be. I am not a tattoo person b/c I want people to judge me, not my ink. I have always liked my hair colors, so I never colored it, but I did a couple of perms, until I figured out they only look good for four weeks and then take three years to grow out. Congrats on FP!!!

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  61. I think you looked real cute when you dressed by yourself. The fringe, umm, although it wasnt totally a fringe, it still made you look very cute.Bottomline — You are pretty anyhoo. 🙂
    And this is a very fun post!!!

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  63. This was fabulous… I lol’d so many times. I think we all have something we should have thought through. Personally, I went though a whole phase… but I’ll keep those stories for another time. lol Congrats on being freshly pressed!

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  67. What a laugh! Great post! I remember exactly the same incident with pester power and hair cuts when I was about 11. I had very long white blonde shiny hair and I convinced my Mum to let me cut it into a bob with a ‘teased’ spikey fringe! She cried at the hairdresser’s then I cried about an hour later…alone, where she couldn’t see that I thought she just might have been right in this case. 🙂
    KL

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  68. hello, there,

    i had several good laughs over this post. your nativity play production was something, haha.^^ did you know back then that you were going the way of the hair coloring saga?
    lols! ^^

    had my hair colored when i was 19, i think. not just highlight, but the entire mane, hoping that no one would notice, haha. the first place i went to after the drastic move was my friend’s house. i was closing the gate upon entry and my friend quipped, “did you have it dyed?” she’s some kind of a friend, huh. ^^

    very light and amusing post. thanks for sharing and congrats on a well-deserved FP! 🙂

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    • Such kind words, thank you! I was hoping our Nativity play would take off and be performed on the West End and Broadway, but alas it was not to be… I’ll just have to write a new play, also starring Kermit the Frog. He was brilliant 🙂

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  72. Pingback: I Really Should Have Thought This Through | Infos Press

  73. I love this post, and of course, it sounds SO much like my own childhood. I begged for the “Dorothy Hamill” haircut for months. I finally got it, losing about 18″ of very long hair. I hated it, everyone hated it. Right after that I got really chubby and awkward, too. It was a bad time. I have also never committed to a tattoo. I can’t imagine what I would want forever on me, and I tend to think that the human body is already a work of art, and I don’t want to look like a railcar, all graffiti’ ed up. Thanks for the laughs!

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  75. I love these old photos, especially the one of your sassy brother with his hand on his hip! I posted an equally 80’s photo today too (ahem, skiing in jeans).

    Cheers to 80’s babies!

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  77. Great post! I was laughing my rear off as I was taking my own trip down memory lane. I was reminded of my awful permed hair (including bangs) that resembled more of a shaggy poodle on my head when I was having a good hair day. Sadly, I went back for a second perm. Then, there were the tight rolled jeans, shirts tied to the side, and the unfortunate mismatched brightly colored clothes. Oh yeah, I was an adolescent in the eighties and nineties and although I think I have burned most of them, I think my mother still has pictures hidden away somewhere to prove it. That reminds me I need to do another pass through her house and burn the rest!

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  78. Hahaha!!! My first laugh of the day. Your adventure in haircuts reminded me of my 80’s do. I had cropped hair ala Demi Moore in Ghost though I looked more like a US Navy draftee, bob that looked like an apple, Tina Turner style (long back with spiky bangs)… Thank you for resurfacing the memories back to my consciousness. I think now I understand myself better. I haven’t changed my layered long hair for ten years. Maybe because of those weird haircut choices in the past. 🙂

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    • Surely no-one can pull off the Tina Turner look? Not even Tina Turner! We should definitely all do a Brian May and keep the same hairstyle forever. I think you are on to something!

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  79. Lol, cute blog! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I remember in 6th grade I permed my hair. I regretted it after I came out of the salon. The curls were too tight and my hair was short. Since then, have never gotten another perm. Hope you have a nice week! 🙂

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  80. EXCELLENT post! I “stumbled across” it courtesy of WordPress featuring it on their main page, as I was closing it. From the title and picture, I thought it might contain pictures of “fails”. It did not – however, I was far from disappointed and read the whole thing.

    As a blogger (or as I prefer, columnist) I WRITE rather than read. But this piece demonstrated that it IS possible to write intelligent, entertaining material using only personal recollection. Sadly, most of such pieces range from naval-gazing to trivia – but as this piece showed – not ALL!

    Oddly enough, I was just polishing off a piece about the death of The Art Of Writing – in which I theorised that while texts and Tweets are villains, the keyboard could be the SAVIOUR of writing – being much CLEARER than “joined-up” handwriting.

    And thus, I stated that the Art Of Writing is FAR from dead – if people take the TIME to use keyboards and e-mails with THOUGHT and CONSIDERATION – and the above piece is certainly proof of THAT. Again, WELL DONE!!

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    • Vincent, thank you so much. High praise indeed! Such kind words 🙂

      It is great to encounter a fellow wordsmith! Come back anytime – the art of writing is most definitely NOT dead! Long may this continue!

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  81. p.s. You are obviously from the same country as I (although I’m now retired to Thailand) – ENGLAND! The country that developed the language of SHAKESPEARE!!

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  84. Hi …. you have a beautiful sense of humour … I had a huge grin on my face the entire time I was reading your post. A smile a day keeps the doctor away. Trying writing for a living . its a fun way to earn some cool cash. Want to know more visit my blog or else write me.

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    • What a lovely thing to say – thank you so much! You have made me smile too! I love your adage about smiles and doctors.

      I would LOVE to write for a living – so shall check out your blog. Thanks!

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  85. Pingback: So Trends N Shit « xenomorph811

  88. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this post. I’ve thankfully never been curious enough to test out that “do blondes have more fun” theory, but I have overtipped an eyebrow waxer, going on and on about how I was “SO HAPPY” with her work, and then promptly bawled my eyes out as soon as I was out the front door. I sported hats that season too.

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    • Hello fellow hat wearer! Thank goodness hair grows back! Methinks all things hairy (eyebrows included) should be left to the professionals! Thanks for the compliment, I’m glad you liked it!

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  92. Fantastic blog! I’m sure we all have horrific stories like that, it’s refreshing to know that for at least once in our lives everyone has been through that. Only a couple of years ago I went to the hairdressers asking for a lovely gamine crop ala Natalie Portman as she grew her hair out from V for Vendetta….What I actually got was the bald look. No matter how I tried I could not hide it!

    I look forward to more!

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  99. Oh what we did to our hair! Fun post! I can’t wait to see what my own kids do with their fashion and hair gambles. It’s been a pleasure already having to go out in public with my daughter ensembles of horizontal stripes and diagonals and a mish-mosh of other patterns. She’s kind of beyond the cute stage for that. I just bite my tongue. ; )

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  100. Do we all do this? I can remember thinking the exact same things and making even worse hair mistakes(decided that my bangs/ fringe were too long and when my mother wouldn’t cut them for me I did it myself, resulting in a mullet, one hour before I was supposed to go cheer at a basketball game). And I did made them over and over (later tried to do highlights on my dark brown hair which turned a lovely shade of orange). Thank goodness I’m a responsible adult…oh wait. 😉

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  101. Totally with you on the henna. Every summer I get one at the beach. Then I pat myself on the back for being smart enough to get something that will fade away in days instead of going the permanent root. I’m so smart.

    Although I’ve never been brave to try to go blond, I admire that you tried, even if it didn’t work out.

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  102. My oldest daughter is turning 8. Up to now, I have been pretty much in control of the decisions. That is changing, and I am fearful! It is nice to be reminded that most of these decisions will only be temporary things she can hopefully look back on with amusement one day.

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    • Thank you so much! The funny thing is – I never actually considered this to be one of my better posts. Though who am I to argue with those fabulous WordPress gremlins? 😉 Glad you enjoyed it – I shall continue with my random ramblings!

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  104. Haha, this is amazing. I have a friend who teaches 7th grade and she brings in her 7th grade picture at the end of every semester for the kids to tear apart without them even knowing it’s her. Don’t we all have those awkward moments.

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  106. I’m so glad choices are not always forever! I’m terrible at making decisions, and yet I ended up with a tattoo, but that’s a long story that involves getting lost in the mountains. I once died my hair bleach blond with large chunks of black on top. I thought it was super cutting edge, but it looked terrible. I was 18 — a little too old to admit, but I was so ahead of the trends….right?

    Great post!

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    • I feel the lost in the mountains / tattoo story deserves a post of its own! Please get on to that immediately! 😉

      Yes, keep thinking you are ahead of the trends – that’s what I tell myself too ;D Thanks!

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  110. Wow. It’s as if I wrote this myself. I can relate. I certainly am not the tattoo-type for the very same reason. (I’m the type that will almost certainly regret my last meal or choice of wardrobe much less a tattoo).

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  111. Great post and congrats on the fresh press. I love your phots and I think you may have insprired me to swing by my mothers and borrow the old albums and start scanning. It may mean getting a new external hard drive though. I hope that doesn’t upset the wife too much…

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  116. Congrats on being freshly-pressed!

    I completely relate with nearly everything in your post! I will never, ever get a tattoo because although I’m incredibly impulsive (which seems to be a character trait of those who get tattoos) I would definitely end up changing my mind as soon as the needle touches my skin. I’ve gotten henna and airbrush tattoos when I was a teenager (because, ya know, it was so badass in my 15-year-old mind), but that’s about it.

    I went though so many phases as a kid and teen. My parents stupidly let me choose the color of my bedroom when we moved when I was 4 years old. I chose pastel pink walls with a border that was of heart-shaped flower wreaths. My carpet was magenta. I believe I only liked the color pink from age 3 years 9 months to 4 years 2 months. I spent the next 14 years of my life covering my walls in an array of posters, stickers, and glow-in-the-dark stars. I also wanted at one point to re-paint my room all black (goth phase…).

    Oh, us crazy kids!

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    • Thank you so much! Can’t believe I’ve been freshly pressed after just 7 weeks! (I might have cried a little bit!) Felt like I’d won an Oscar 😉

      Love your stories! Thanks for sharing 😀 Us crazy kids indeed! 🙂

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  123. Purple people love orange hair and oranges and lemons too. Being on the fringe can be exciting when Love goes bangs and batty. My sister fought over “bangs” (fringe) and it was all for nothing — hairy things are so unimportant. Well, almost. A beard is an important thing to fight over. The style of shaving came about because in hand-to-hand combat grabbing the beard was a disadvantage so German warriors shaved their beards. Why everyone shaves now even if they are not in combat is a mystery. Now, orange hair makes sense for purple prose, no? Send the blondes who have more fun to me. Well, I like orange too because I have green hair and like blue cheese, long walks on the beach, and lying… um… in the orange sun.

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  125. Great post, made me laugh so much! I have pictures of me and my brother in terrible outfits and the worse ones are when I am teenage!

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  129. I tried to dye my hair black. It came out blue.

    (No, blondes don’t have more fun in general, but for me, trying something different [in my case, going to a salon and having a professional dye is black] can be fun.)

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  130. This made me chuckle! I think we all have our “moments” from the past that make us laugh out loud when we remember them! Many a time I’ve seen a picture of me and thought “What was I thinking? That shirt?!? Ugh!” Thanks for sharing!

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  132. I can totally relate to this post and insert my own quirky life experiences into it. I love the photos as well. They give the voice throughout the piece a growing face to look at and relate to.

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  133. What good value you are! I needed a giggle this morning to counteract my lack of enthusiasm for reality and the day ahead, thanks for providing it.

    Can relate just a little too well to the ‘to fringe or not to fringe’ neurosis as at the age of 33 I’m still bouncing back and forth and angst-ridden about such important issues.

    I’m new to the blogging world but suspect I’m about to start “following you” – in the least creepy non-stalkerish way of course but I believe that’s the appropriate term. I don’t pretend to understand these things…

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    • You are so very welcome! 🙂 I’m kind of new to this blogging thing too – been posting for just 7 weeks, so maybe we can learn together?

      You are most welcome to follow me – in a non-stalkerish kind of way 😉

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  135. At least you went to a professional. I tried to go blond, and at a later date tried for red streaks. None of these ventures turned out well.
    As for the denim, I think most of us went through that phase, not that it makes one feel any less embarrassed!

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  139. Hilarious…I can remember that I used to oppose EVERYTHING my parents said on what to wear—I can’t believe I was so entirely ignorant.

    Parent: “it’s cold today, better wear that dark green with yellow stripes jacket today”
    And I go change into shorts and a shirt just to oppose them. They knew what I’d do if they forced me. And I was freezing all the way.

    Guess what?

    I never did it ever again. :/ The power of nature :/

    http://theopinionchair.wordpress.com

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  140. Unbeliiieevably good post! I too was distraught when my Barbie’s hair didn’t grow back after I cut it. Also, when I accidentally pulled her head off (probably due to rigorously styling her hair), I thought she was dead. After my mum shoved her head back on, she certainly didn’t look so dreamy with no neck.
    At around 7, I was desperate for train tracks (braces). Needless to say, I later found out that “metal mouth” was not a dazzling look.
    Congratulations on hitting Freshly Pressed, you deserve it with a great post like that!

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  142. As women/girls, we’re allowed to change our minds as often as our underwear as to which styles we love. Our once cherished styles are happily recycled on their way toward someone else’s new found fad. And that someone lives next door to me, happily wearing your denim jacket/skirt combo with dirty white stirrup pants and a long blonde braid. Ah, nostalgia…

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  143. haha, i can relate to this so much. i’m always trying new hairstyles and things like that… some of which i regret afterwards, and some of which i love. but in the end, i learn a little bit more about myself, so it’s all good.

    love the photos and your sense of humor :)!

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  145. I am chuckling from your post, and enjoyed it greatly! Although I had no idea what Fringe was. My mom forced me to wear short pixies most of my childhood, with bangs/fringe. To make it worse a relative always cut my hair with the 1/2 inch bangs that I hated. It was horrible because I was the pale porcelain skinned child with the white blond hair cut so short that I looked like a boy!

    I showed them, when I grew up, I grew my hair clear down to my hips! Haha! My husband at the time loved it, so when I divorced him, I showed him and I cut it clear back up to the pixie that I have now! LOL! Do we ever learn! I am thinking now that I would like to grow it back out to shoulder length or just below. That way I won’t have to deal with the headaches of the weight of hip length hair, but it will be longer.

    As for the whole denim look, feel blessed you were allowed to wear jeans. My parents were from the era when girls didn’t wear pants and especially to school. The only time this tom boy was allowed to wear pants let alone jeans was when it snowed. I was in High School before I revolted and wore a pair of jeans to school. Forget about all denim. Now, I rarely wear anything but jeans and pants. Go figure!

    Thank you for the laugh,
    Sallyjane

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  150. A great read, a good reminder of ‘the way things were’. I had a fringe all of my childhood. I am from New Zealand, and yes, we have fringes here too.
    If I got out of the album some of my photos and put them up, they would make everyone cringe – then laugh out loud.
    My fashion sense still isn’t great – these days I opt for comfort ahead of fashion, and I have a job with a uniform so I don’t have to decide what to wear!!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  152. Great post!! I have some of those pictures of my kids when they dressed themselves…pictures of when our older son decided to cut his own hair (the hairdresser chuckled and told me it happens all the time!), awkward moment photos, etc. Wouldn’t trade them – or those times – for the world!!

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  153. LMAO!!! aside from the tatoos {i have 2}, i thought i was reading about my life! except that i’ve managed to give myself orange hair more than once. {bag over head} i think, at 40, that i have finally learned my lesson! thanks so much for sharing your story!

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  159. Thanks for giving me that spew-hot-tea-through-the-nose-because-I-laughed-while-drinking experience this morning! I actually love that kind of surprise, sneak attack humor, and I enjoyed reading this so much. Kudos to the folks at Freshly Pressed for a great choice today! Congrats!

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  160. Thanks for making me laugh out loud! Your writing and choice of photos are pitch-perfect. I just remember my mother shaking her head and saying, “Some day, when you’re older, you’ll look back on this and wonder what on earth you were thinking.” Right again, Mom.

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  166. very cute!! As kids I think we all want to dress our own way
    I once wanted my hair cut but my mother could not imagine cutting off my blonde locks so i took it upon myself. She caught me when I was only half done, and half a head of hair.. I ended up with a mushroom/bowl cut after that.

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  167. I think there’s a bad tattoo out there for every good one. I’m glad I never did anything more permanent to my body than a henna tattoo, haircuts, ugly nail polish (I have AWFUL taste in nail polish), and other quick fixes. Now I’m thinking about hennaing my hair, but you have me afraid that it will come out more orange than ginger. Thanks for being my boogy man! 😉

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  172. Amazing childhood similarities! Except I wore fluro handmade clothes, cut my hair into a bowl shape and wallpapered my bedroom ceiling with purple flowers. Lol.

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  173. LOVE the nostalgic pics. Boys really rocked the short-shorts back then.. I can truly relate to the hair nightmares of childhood; I sent that mushroom haircut out the door when I escaped the terrors of haircuts at home, by my dad. lol. p.s. Congrats on making the home page!

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    • I have my father to thank/blame for the majority of photos. Boys certainly did rock shorts back in the 80’s!

      Thank you for the compliment! Oh and musrooms are highly underrated 😀

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  174. i’ll never forget my kindergarten picture: red turtleneck, a bright green sweater over top, and a GREEN BERET. it wasn’t Christmas, it was the end of FEBRUARY. i also insisted that my hair be straight (i’ve had naturally curly locks my whole life), and my mom tried her best…. no such luck.

    you are a brave soul for posting those pictures, because mine will never see the light of day!

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  177. I can relate, but I think it’s more along the lines of ‘I never really stopped playing dress up’.. I got an haircut today so I could look like a 90s boy band and often dress up for no other reason than that it is a Monday…also have a gecko tattoo. With reason.

    All this to say, I get where you’re comin from.

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  178. Haha, I seriously had a chuckle with this post :). Glad you have had these experiences so you could tell us this story!

    I have a tattoo myself but whether or not I regret I won’t know for another 10 years hahaha

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  179. Sadly, one of my closest friends got not only one, but two permanent gecko tattoos on her back that look strikingly similar to the photo above. I suppose I will have to forgive her, as this was years before the Geico commercials. Ha. I love all the other pictures by the way. Thanks for the highly entertaining post!

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  181. It is always nice when you pick the wrong option and it soon corrects itself. Personally I have always been more the opposite pole in decision making terms. I would list options, weigh benefits, image scenarios. All of this was mostly for the big decisions, like which tie to wear. When I made a wrong one I had spent so much time debating it that it was difficult to back down from it. So I forged ahead without concerning myself with what other people thought / said. Unfortunately deep down in the recesses what they thought and said hurt me quite a bit at the time. My decision on my first pair of glasses landed me with the nickname Rolf at school. They all decided I looked like Rolf Harris with the glasses.

    I think that somewhere a balance between the two poles is a healthy arena. I read recently in the Scott Berkun book Mindfire that sometimes a decision just has to be made. Sometimes you have spent so long mulling over the consequences of either option that the impetus is lost. If you haven’t made a decision in a reasonable time you might as well flip a coin for the normal everyday stuff. Is there any point in spending an hour on which coat to wear? No, so flip a coin and get going. Spend time on the really important decisions.

    Sorry I hadn’t intended to waffle as much on someone else blog page, I usually reserve that for my own out of courtesy. Nevertheless thanks for sharing and hope that mutually our decision making has only improved into adulthood.

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  182. I somehow thought the “backwards mullet” haircut that Kate Gosselin oh-so-famously sported was a good idea when I was in my rebellious (more like depressing emo) phase freshman year of high school. I was proven wrong when my school photos came back in the mail and it looked like I was wearing a mushroom for a haircut. Sometimes, it’s just better to let your parents tell you no and save you the embarrassment.

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    • I thought the standard mullet was as bad as it got…I didn’t know there was such a thing as a backwards one! Eek! Mushrooms are underrated though 😉

      Thanks for popping by! 🙂

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  183. Oh good times! I also had a room that was purple and lime green which took serious convincing on my part that those were the ultimate colors to have. I think I was about 15 too! Let’s not forget the bowl cut I was given (I’m a girl!!) at age 4….I won’t ever forget it. EVER.

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  184. I love how you tried to bribe your mum with a homemade fairy. I recall so many of my play-doh creations failed to persuade as well. Being a mum to a toddler now, thanks for reminding me that kids can be cunning with craft 🙂

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  185. So funny! Those old photographs are too cute…
    and yay for having weird hair! (I dyed mine blue once… ah well, a friend did it in the school’s locker-room. My mother refused to talk to me for weeks…)

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  189. Thank you for letting me know I was not the only teen with a lime green room. Not sure why my parents let me do it, but they did.
    Was thinking of a tattoo for my up coming 50th birthday. Guess I’ll stick with the henna and get fake fingernails instead.
    I need to share your blog on mine today. Having a hard time thinking of something to write and I certainly can’t top this. Thanks

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  193. Funny how fashion changes but seems to come back later in life, as the colors of your room are now back in style!! I too would cut my barbies hair and then wanted nothing to do with them because they were ugly..my mom mad at me would’nt buy me new ones..thoses ones were still good! As she said..Lesson do not play hair dresser with barbies as their hair do not grow back..My barbies had self-esteem issues..since they looked horrible..hahah!

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  194. Great post! Ah, yes…the Great Bright Orange Hair Debacle…oh, wait, you were 17 when you experienced that? Totally forgivable! Unlike my GBOHD, when I was closing in on 40 years old, on the eve of my sweet youngest daughter’s 10th birthday. And we were spending the day in Manhattan…what in God’s name was I thinking??? It takes a special talent to have hair which attracts any attention at all in NYC. NOT a talent to be proud of! Thanks for sharing your story, perhaps one day I’ll be able to look at the photos without bursting into tears!

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  195. Thats all a part of growing up… I keep finding pictures of myself head to toe in denim with what looks like a feathered mullet. Thanks Mom, the 80s miss you too.

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  196. Great post, can totally relate – especially to the hair disaster and childhood clothing experiments. I really want a tattoo though….I’ve been thinking about it for ages. Let’s hope if I do it doesn’t become one of these ‘learning experiences’I blog about in years to come!

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  197. Had so many flash backs thought I was going to have a seizure. Hair styles included a tail with the side spike to a side spike mullet with Vanilla Ice lines shaved in there. Wow those where the years. Oh ya, can’t forget hot pink and greens with hyper color tees.

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  199. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I can so relate…had my own versions of many of these. I love all your old skool pics, too. Kate
    writingtheweirdwideworld.wordpress.com

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  201. I still go through this sort of thing with my hair, and I’m in my 30’s. The only difference between now and then are that I don’t worry about it…it’s only hair.

    I once was Cyndi Lauper red by accident. Let’s just say I didn’t see myself in Feria.

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  203. I would just like to verify that blondes do, indeed, have more fun…especially when that blonde hair is paired with head-to-toe denim and a fashionable sweatband. (<— that's what I wore when I was a kid…still do. Don't hate.)

    Hilarious post! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! 😉

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    • I am honoured! Thank you 🙂 Have sent you an email to confirm – but yes, I’m absolutely happy for you to run my blog on your website. I’ve checked out Offbeat Mama and it looks fabulous. Thanks!

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  208. Amazing blog post! You’ve captured the stages of youth amazingly, I’ve gone through several of the stages you mentioned. Also when I was younger I decided to just get some scissors out of the draw and cut all my hair off, just for the hell of it. It’s safe to say I regretted it…..

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  210. I’m naturally blond but wanted to dye my hair brunette when I was 15. So I did. Then tried to dye it back to blond with my best friend with an at home kit. I too know the pain of having orange hair. Mine was also stripy, due the fading of my previous brown on the tips, the darker colour in the middle and my light roots. DISASTER.

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  211. I seem to be making a few “childish” decisions, even in my 30’s! Its something that I just cannot shake! And even though sometimes I know the choices I make are rash, I just can’t help myself, for I know they add to the tapestry of my life!

    You were one cute little girl! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!

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  219. Reblogged this on MyFutureBlueCat and commented:
    Everybody has a childhood story. I am serious: EVERYBODY – no matter how boring you think yours might be when you write it out you will discover it is something worth remembering, worth telling and most importantly of all, worth reliving!

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  220. This is a great story! I really like that you included photos too. I’m with you on the tattoo thing. But I must admit, I did get a little thrill when I got a henna tattoo and also on those occasions when I put on a do-it-yourself tattoo. Even so, I just can’t bring myself to do something permanent. Thanks for sharing you story with us. Take care, A. 😎

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  221. I loved tattoos…when I was eighteen. That was the year my mother took the chains off and let me do whatever I wanted. So, naturally, I got a tattoo at the age of eighteen and three days. Still thinking of how I can fix it ten years on… 🙂
    This post made me smile and brought back so many childhood memories. It’s always a lovely feeling when writing evokes such emotions!

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  226. ha-ha its a funny read, but i can not relate to it because i did not have many choices given by my parents in my childhood but reading this makes me feel that its better that they did not let me take my way…

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  227. My lord, I think we could have been twins. My idea of what was fashionable in elementary school closely resembles your pictures. I definitely did the head-to-toe denim thing a few times…And far, far worse.

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  232. Haha, very funny post! I remember saying to Mum, “How could you let me wear that??!”… Her response… “How could I stop you?!”
    And you’ve manged to reply to the hundreds of comments!! Well done 🙂

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    • It’s true to say that our parents could not have stopped us. You’d think we learnt from such howlers, but apparently not. I still wear odd socks and have many offending articles in my wardrobe that should never see the light of day 😉

      Replying was more of an issue when this post was first Freshly Pressed, as I simply couldn’t reply fast enough to keep up! I think it’s important to reply. “Manners cost nothing” as my mother would say 😉
      Thanks! 😀

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