David wanted a buzz cut. His friend Sam had one. Why couldn't he? Why not? I have no strong feelings about his hair, and it grows back. So, Tuesday, Sam's mom put David in her kitchen, wrapped him in a garbage bag, and buzzed off his hair. David grinned the whole time. It was so much fun. He and Sam were just giddy with the fun of it all.

I snapped lots of pictures and tried not to think my son looked like a skin head. It's true I associate buzzed cut men with the military, right wing hoodlums, and that boy in third grade who came in crying because his father force shaved his head. Having David choose to shave his hair forced me to think about my assumptions. He's still the same kid--full of questions, fixated on books on cd, eager to play outdoors without a coat, sometimes kind, sometimes obnoxious--but with the new hair cut, you can see his biggest grins.