A change of pace here – but hopefully something that relates to many dads!

I’ve never really minded about having boys or girls – much to people’s confusion, as I am madly into sports. Most people would have thought I would really want a boy.

But, alas, I don’t really think about the fact I have two girls!

I knew immediately that I would have to connect with them on a level that they want, whether that is sports or not (thank you Matilda’s, the oldest one is now mad about football!!). So early on, I decided I wanted to learn how to do their hair.

At first, it was the basic ponytail, then the plait and now I can give a few things a red hot go. It started off with YouTube (Anna from Frozen hair – always a winner) how to guides and now a couple of insta pages (good page here!) followed.

So what has this done for me? Well firstly, it’s a chance to take (albeit small) some pressure off of my wife. She does way more than her fair share, but when trying to gather the troops, it means I can do the hair and take one thing off of her plate.

What it definitely has done, is has allowed me to connect with the girls – to ask what they want done with their hair and then do it. It brings them joy and gives me a sense of satisfaction.

Often as men, we get left out of the conversation when we have girls. Dancing, nail painting, hair and playing with dolls doesn’t stereotypically come naturally to us. It is good to be involved where possible, but when it comes to hair – I’m not blessed with much myself so a game of hairdressing doesn’t come my way! But learning this skill has allowed me to get involved.

A weird thing that this has done is that it often sparks conversation with other parents. There is an assumption that mums do the hair – it’s a fair assumption, as mums (generalisation alert!) tend to do far more than the dads. But when other parents realise I’ve styled their hair, it leads to a genuine, often unexpected, connection

Making friends as adults is notoriously hard and small talk can be tough (I know, try small talk with a Scottish accent in Australia!) so anything to break the ice and connect over is a good thing. The recognition is also good for the ego!

What I do look forward to is helping the girls with their hair in the future. I don’t want to be left on the sidelines at the dance recital, the disco or prom – I want to be involved. It’s not just about hair; it’s about stepping into their world, understanding them, and building a lasting bond.