You should probably know this background information--my mother had a thing about curled hair. She thought that girls and women looked prettier when they put a little curl in their hair. My mother was very nice about fixing my hair up when I was little; either in ponytails, or a bun on top, or sponge curlers the night before.
This picture was taken in 1971 and at that time I had noticed that teenage girls had long, straight hair. I begged to my mother by saying, "Just once I would like my school picture taken without curls or ribbons", and she allowed it. My hairstyle is not very flattering in the picture, but I see a big smile because she let me make that choice and I felt stylish and groovy.
"Your guiding principle must be to provide experiences and offer comments that convey to your children that they are active participants in what transpires in their lives." (Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child, by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein, pg. 149)
Hats off to my mother for allowing me to be an "active participant" in my life that day, though I know this decision of mine would have been hard for her.
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