i feared it
from the moment
i found out
we were having a daughter…
i wondered if i would
ever have to deal
with it when
she looked like this:
but as she got
older and her hair
got longer,
the day would
come that
i would have to
braid her hair.
“a braid? what’s the big deal?”
so many have said,
but i have no
idea how to braid hair.
and i’m the only
person in the world
who, despite years
of practice, can’t
tie an effective
fisherman’s knot
(an absolute sin in my family).
i’ve lost more lures
than any one can
count, and i’ve blamed
the fish rather
than my own inability
to tie a simple knot
(sorry dad & nick).
and you should have
seen the mess of
improvised knots i
used to tie
our christmas tree
to the roof of
my car.
a braid…
a braid
is even more
complicated because
it would be in
my daughter’s hair,
so there is a
potential for an
immense amount of
pain inflicted upon
her as i make attempt
after attempt to get
the braid just right.
i’d spent countless
days turning down
brooke’s offer to
teach me how to do it
(because i was scared)
but not long ago,
i acquiesced and
tried to learn the
proper technique,
first, by watching,
then i had brooke
start the braid
and allow me to finish.
(this happened twice)
then two nights
ago, i decided to
try it on my own…
no screaming, no blood.
and when maddy said,
“that didn’t hurt at all, daddy!”
i was sure i
had succeeded.
(haven’t been this proud of myself in a very long time).
(and yes, maddy is wearing an “eazy duz it” shirt).
95 Comments
Way to go!
I have to say, I can’t believe how quickly she’s grown!
Such a proud achievement! Maddy obviously thinks so too!
Great Job!
Just wait until she requests the French Braid. I bought books. Watched videos. Had people walk me throught the Freakin’ French Braid Steps. And I never could figure it out. Splitting the atom had to be easier.
Braiding is no easy feat – very proud of you!
Amazing the things you never dream you can do…and then do well, eh?
awwwww!!! horray!! another reason your are a fantastic dad!
“Fool. You should have known by now…”
LOVE the shirt.
Very impressive! Next up: the FRENCH braid! Haha I was scared of it for a long time, but it’s actually quite easy
Way to go Matt. Like Maggie said, the French braid comes next. Get Brooke to start teaching you now.
I work in a child care center and I have to admit I do sometimes giggle silently when the girls come in and I know their dad did their hair. Never to them of course but I think it’s cute and touching. Although I also have to say because I can’t do hair and I am a female I am even more thankful for my really girly girl teachers that will swoop up said child brush their hair and do wonders with it. Good job dad!
I have not commented in a while, but I have to say that you did an amazing job with that braid. Bravo!!!
Very nice Matt! I’m worried that I may one day have a daughter & be required to braid her hair, so I understand the hesitation. But it looks like you’re a pro now!
So very, very cool. Precious.
Looks great! I thought she had already found a “crush” at first.
Way to go…looks awesome!!
Braid looks great and I’m LOVING the shirt!!!!!!
I know Liz would LOVE this! She’d be so proud of you. Best dad ever!
awesome!
awesomesauce.
love that smile!
and french braids, ugh i can’t even do those!
YouTube. Search cute girls hairstyles. She even has a “daddy do’s” tag. Watch. Learn. Impress your friends. I couldn’t do jack shit with my daughter’s hair and now I’m capable of a few fun hairstyles. And I’m female.
Hooray!
If it makes you feel better, this happens to moms, too. I always wanted a French braid, and my mom didn’t know how. When I was 12, she finally took me to a chop shop (read: one of those chain hair cut places) and asked one of the stylists to teach her how.
fantastic. my best friend dad’s put a french braid in her hair everyday when we were growing up. turns out he had nine sisters and didn’t have much of a choice. way to go!
Love the braid but love the shirt even more.
Way to go!
I’ll tell ya, I learned at a very young age to braid my hair along with my sisters, because my Dad (single parent) was terrible at it!
Glad to see you acquiesced
Good work ! I have fond memories of my dad braiding my hair before school in the morning.
CONGRATS!!! way to go Matt! You will learn as you go along…and thankfully there’s Brooke in your life to guide you swiftly
I can braid… french braids NEVER! and my daughter always wanted french braids. I practiced and practiced and couldn’t get it right
so I had to get my friend to french braid her hair whenever we visited with my friend.
Well, it’s a good effort. But I’m sorry to say it isn’t quite right. This type of braid is very even and symmetrical, but the good news is that it comes with practice. The more you do it the better it will look. Doing a braid while hair is wet was a good plan, it keeps all those free-flying little hairs in line!
Don’t worry right now about the french braid. It will be several years before she starts asking for that. Maybe it will go out of style!
Of course, if the whole thing gets too much, remember pixie haircuts are adorable….and they can save your sanity!
Fabulous!
i love the eazy e shirt.
and nice braid.
Practice doing a french braid on a doll with long hair and you will be an expert at that too in no time. Something fun-braid her hair when it’s wet. Take the braid out when it dries and maybe she’ll have some curl in her hair.
coolest kids shirt ever!
I don’t know what pleases me more…the fanfuckingtastic braid or the shirt. Both.
And that girls smile is infectious, LOVE it!
Nice work Matt!! Looks like Maddy agrees!!
Nicely done. You’ve made it over the hump and now it will get easier.
You’ll be doing braids in your sleep before you know it!
when i was younger, my friends would always braid my hair because i couldn’t do it and my mom couldn’t either. when i had my 1st daughter, i had NO idea how to do it either. contrary to what many think, not all moms of daughters know how to do things like that. but one day i finally did it. and found out it was easier than i thought. now i braid all 3 of my kids’ hair.
very proud of you, Matt!
you did a good job!!! Her hair is really long and such a pretty color. I love the picture of her when she was little she had peach fuzz on her head.
Once again, GREAT JOB!!! You rock Matt.
That’s so cute that Brooke taught you how to braid Maddy’s hair! I’m so glad you & Maddy have her in your lives. And glad the braiding turned out well for you (and Maddy!).
Oh gosh, this reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad would brush my hair.
He’d pick at the snarls so softly, and was so uncertain about it, it drove me nuts, way too ticklish.
Then he’d get the hair in his left hand and the binder in the other and was entirely all thumbs. The pony tail would end up loose and crooked.
The man is a tool and die maker. He does precision in his sleep. But not slippery, fine little kid pony tails.
Oh, I’m grinning. Thank you for that. love, Val
YEAH!
Very cool! Good job!
Wow–looks great! I love the expression on her face in the last photo. So cute!
Great job, Matt. I still can’t do a good braid and my daughter is 16. Maddy is getting so big.
well done
Matt you did good! She is so beautiful! You should be proud.
So awesome! Keep practicing…it will get easier!! I always had to have 4 hands to do a french braid in my sister’s hair when we were growing up. My BFF always called me to come over and do her girls’ nails cause she totally sucked at nail polish application…not to mention I am a pro at the french manicure, and that’s what they always wanted! Just wait til she asks you to do THAT!!
Nice Work! I have to say that my husband is a terrific father and falls short in only one area and that is when it comes to our daughter’s hair, and now we have 2 girls. He is the same as you, he doesn’t want to hurt them, so he chooses to avoid it all together most of the time. I may just have to show him this post as inspiration.
awesome.
It never occurred to me that my husband might “struggle” a bit with getting our daughter ready for daycare in the morning as I dutifully laid out her clothes each night before bed. Then one day he announced, “I’m the master!”. I replied, “Sure honey, I know you rule your domain and all that.” That’s when he corrected me, proclaiming he no longer was afraid of tights! He’d figured them out! I laughed my ass off over that.
As far as the braids? He is still stuck…so it is still a choice of one ponytail or two!
Good for you, Matt!
Awesome job! Now that wasn’t so hard — was it! It is amazing how fast she is growing — you are doing a wonderful job.
I have been reading since Madeline was just a few weeks old, and I must admit this picture made me tear up. She seems like an awesome kid, and you are kicking ass at parenting!!!
This post is hillarious!!! I’ve entered the “how to french braid stage”, but have been putting it off (and I’m female). I, now, have the motivation to move forward with confidence!!
Maybe you’ve broken the spell and now you’ll be able to tie a lure… It’s gotta be easier than a braid.
Good job, Brooke. The wet hair was good to start.
What an excellent job, Matt! It looks absolutely beautiful!
That is definitely a milestone!
We just got this book as a gift for Christmas, for my almost 10 year old:
http://www.amazon.com/Cozys-Complete-Guide-Girls-Hair/dp/1579654223
She loves it, and even though I KNEW how to braid, I have definitely learned some things from this book!
……and I can’t help but to imagine that Liz was smiling down during your many moments of apprehension, lessons from Brooke and during the actual process of conquering the braid solo! Way to go Matt, you should indeed feel proud.
Good job!
I remember this from my time with my dad. He never braided my hair, but the ponytail was always really low. I find it sweet that guys can’t get the braid & ponytail down.
I am pretty sure that if Brooke was not in love with you completely (obviously she is) she will be now!
So does braiding help you with the fishing knots? Just wondered…
This just makes me smile!
Great job Matt!!
I was hoping you were going to say that you proposed to Brooke!! Cute story!
Yay! Good job, that’s a nice braid. I can’t braid hair myself. Anything involving hand-eye coordination is usually a massive fail for me.
I am 67…one of my fondest memories of my dad….was him braiding my hair for school when my mom was in the hospital having my little brother…Just happened that it was the day of school pictures. Dad was so proud of that picture! I treasure it also….
You are a fine, fine father….making a very special life for your little girl…xoxo
Hi!! The braid looks great and your skills will improve I’m sure
I actually wanted to post more so because I think I have found an additional perfect dinosaur for Maddie. We recently acquired a Western Fence lizard or blue bellied lizard and they are super cool! After watching it stalk crickets and run it made me think of a dinosaur and then I thought of Maddie’s Christmas wish list. Maybe she would love a bearded dragon lizard??
Awesome on the braid…and the shirt!
Yay Daddy! Way to go!
I LOVE this post, and good job, it’s a tough task!
I didn’t doubt you for a second! Props!
Way to go, Dad! That shirt is the best!
Way To Go Matt!
This post was too funny!
Good Job, Matt! You’re a champ in my book. Seriously. Braiding is NOT something men usually aspire to do. You SHOULD absolutely be proud.
there are lots of websites with instructions on how to do little girls’ hair. but rest assured, you did awesome! there aren’t a lot of fathers who are so interested in hair!
Asalamu Alaykom,
Love it! Both the back and the front look great
Just don’t think of growing your beard long enough to braid. NO JESSE VENTURA BEARD BRAIDING!
I’m with Erin on buying a girlie book on hair. Don’t get a woman’s book or mag because the girlie ones have better step-by-step. American Girls has a nice one called, “Hair-Styling Tips and Tricks,” with lots of photos.
WTFG!!! Another hurdle cleared…whew! I never had braided hair as a little girl so when my girls got to that point I had to teach myself too. I bought yarn in 3 different colors and made foot long strings with about ten strings per color then I just grabbed the bunch of one color and laid bunch over bunch until it looked right. Took forever but eventually I learned. Next up – the FRENCH braid! LOL Good luck with that!
good job!!! i learned to french braid from my girlfriend. i practiced on my daughter’s dolls before i attempted to french braid my daughter’s hair. another trick i learned was to turn on a kid’s program to keep them occupied so they sit reasonably still!!!! if brooke has long hair, practice french braiding on her first!!!!! good luck and you’re fine raising your daughter.
* doing should be just before the word fine in the last sentence!!!!!
Holy crap I can’t believe how old she is already. You’re doing great matt. Keep it up
Gosh Matt. Looking at the photo of Maddy as a baby it’s crazy how fast time passes and how much she has grown. I still remember those posts of her throwing apples every morning. She’s wonderful and perfect now but do you ever miss the baby? I don’t have kids and I wonder what it’s like for parents to see their kids grow so quickly.
hot damn that’s a good looking braid!
Absolutamente eres el mejor padre muchas bendiciones para los dos y quienes los rodean.
I’m impressed. I’m a 25 year old woman and I still have no idea how to braid my own hair. And I’m not that great at doing other people’s, either.
good job on the braid matt! My uncle use to always french braid my cousins long hair, so i know there is hope! Watch some you tube videos on it and you’ll have it down in no time!
You done good, Dad!
Yay! I love her reaction and shirt totally needs to be a hallmark card or poster for ” Congratulations you did it!”
I remember my dad putting my hair in pigtails and crimping my hair for school.
I can’t remember if he ever attempted the braid. Great job! The braid looks wonderful.
I’ve been reading your blog for several years now and I just have to say you are an awesome dad. I am just learning the braids and have gotten braid and started the french braid. It doesn’t look the greatest but its getting better. Goodluck and here is a great blog of a mom who shows how to do her girls hair might give you some ideas. – http://www.princesshairstyles.com/ – Maddie is growing up so fast and is gorgeous. Keep up the great work.
Saw you two today having frozen yogurt in Pas. I didnt want to bother you and maddie. But i regret saying hi and letting you know what a hero you are to me! By the way…Maddie’s hair looked adorable! Good job Dad!
Good grief I love that shirt!! I want one! And good job on the braiding!
Great job, Dad!
Awesome job, Matt! I am very impressed. I can’t braid hair and I have a 5 year old daughter. :-/ Thankfully she hasn’t asked me for one…yet.
Good job, Matt! I’d like to see a herringbone braid added to your skill set. I would tackle (pun intended!) the French braid first.
Maddy, your dad is awesome.
I never comment, but have been reading for years. I have to say:
BEST DAD EVER!
Is she wearing an Easy-E shirt???? Word!