Don't Relax

Someone important is in the hospital. I'm not really in a posting mood, but I suppose I need to give my mind a break. So here's a brief interlude...

I'm not here to argue the merits of natural hair versus processed hair on black women. Even if the hair on the top of your head is no longer than the hairs in your eyebrows, it is still yours and you can do whatever you want. I never thought I would ever have to say this, but...

DO NOT PERM YOUR THREE YEAR OLD'S HAIR!

I was sitting in the waiting room of the ghettoest hospital in America when I looked over and saw a little girl who couldn't have been a day over three climbing on the chairs with a fresh perm. And yes, I know a hot comb's work when I see it. She didn't have it pressed...it was permed. And they had the nerve to put a style in it. She looked like a black version of the Bob's Big Boy mascot. I wanted to slap the hell out of both of her parents, who (no surprise) looked like they were about four years older than she was.

Then, when the little girl started acting like a three year old (getting restless, running around) her "father" said (direct quote here), "What the fuck you doin? Sit down somewhere. Here, you want some juice?" He then proceeds to hand her a bottle of blue "juice," which any true ghettonian (myself included) will immediately recognize as the old 50 cent juices that you could get from the corner store or the ice cream truck.

Parenting pro tip#7: Sugar, especially refined sugar, turns children into bolts of lightning.

When the juice "surprisingly" failed to calm her down, he offered her some cookies. I just sat there and waited for Wile E Coyote to come up with another brilliant plan. Then it hit me..."At least this dude is taking care of his kid." I simultaneously felt better about the situation and worse about society's situation as a whole. When the bright side of watching someone create toddler strength Red Bull is "at least he's there," something is wrong with society.

This has been the condescension/judgment interlude. Now back to our regularly scheduled program: Stress: Home Edition!