A Quick Cut

By Paul Morrone CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

Seven years ago, I had much more hair to cut, and like many folks, had to regularly schedule haircuts to make sure I didn’t look like a slob. Much of my adult life I had gone to a salon in Wallingford and always enjoyed my time there. The staff was great, location was convenient, and it was one of those things that if it wasn’t broke, there was no reason to fix it. From a convenience standpoint, however, I couldn’t justify going to the same place after having moved to Branford and it was time to find somewhere new. I walked into a barber shop on the green in Branford and met Ron, who I’ve seen religiously every three weeks ever since. 

Within the first 15 minutes, the connections we made were almost scary (he played football with my dad in East Haven – enough said). It also helps that him and I share the same passion for NY Giants football. Needless to say, I haven’t looked back. Now, getting my haircut is as much of a social experience as anything, and it’s always nice to go and chat with everyone at the shop while Ron works on my head. So, when it came time for Kyle to get his first haircut, there was no question as to where he was going to go. 

Cutting a 17-month old’s hair is no easy feat, and Kyle’s demeanor only made it more challenging. His insatiable curiosity, seemingly endless energy and inability to sit still are a dangerous cocktail of personality traits when you have sharp scissors only a fraction of an inch from his eyes, ears and nose. We figured it would be best for him to see me in the chair, and he got to watch as Ron finished up my haircut to see that it wasn’t so bad. In the end, I don’t think it made much of a difference as he just wanted to run around the shop, but it was worth a shot.

We gave him toys, and of course food, to distract him while Ron was working his magic. Thankfully, he enjoyed watching everything in the mirror and the other women who work at the shop were more than happy to help entertain Kyle as well. He was quite interested in the scissors and kept reaching to the top of his head to see what was going on up there. Fortunately, we avoided any trips to the emergency room and will be back for round two in the near future. 

Tracking # 1-950402