Stahlke Adoption

Misha's Mop

Attachment occurs in many ways, and seven-year-old Misha is doing it by emulating Mom and Dad. For example, the charger for my electric toothbrush sits on the bathroom counter, and right next to it one always finds Misha's electric toothbrush.

As for connecting with Jonathan, Misha is growing his hair out so he can tie it back like Papa's. The problem, however, is how long it takes until he's able to tie it back. Most of the school year, it's been hanging down in his eyes and looking like "surfer's hair," as one woman at school described it. His hair is driving me crazy, although Misha doesn't seem to mind. Part of the problem is that his brown hair is so thick, so it doesn't stay back. So every morning for months, Jonathan or one of the older siblings has been fixing Misha's hair with gel to give it at least some chance of staying out of his face. I've considered insisting that he get his hair cut, but his need to "be like Papa" is also pretty important.

Last Monday, much to my relief, he finally tied it back in a very short pony tail. That day, we attended a Memorial Day parade in nearby River Forest, and enjoyed the small-town parade experience. Some of the parade entries were groups in period costumes from the various wars in U.S. history. First we saw people dressed in Civil War-era clothing, and later came the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) with both men and women in Revolutionary War garb.

Ruslan looked at the DAR group and turned to his dad. "Pop, what is the name of the war that America fought with England?" Jonathan answered him, "The War of Independence." Then Ruslan looked at our Misha, running around with his short brown ponytail, and commented, "He's got War-of-Independence hair."

posted by Stahlkes @ 11:10 AM