We’re Not Crying; We Just Have Hair In Our Eyes

Adorable Children, Australia, Awesome, Children, Grocery Store, Inspirational, Strangers | Friendly | October 6, 2022

I’m an African woman living in Australia, in a small town where the odds of running into anyone else who even looks like me are almost zero. Thankfully, while there aren’t any other African people in town, there are TONNES of people from other cultures and there’s very, very little racism. I love my small town.

I am in line at the grocery store when I hear a very small “Excuse me” from behind me. I turn around and see a beautiful little girl with a skin tone almost identical to mine.

Me: “Oh, hello, little one! Where did you come from?”

Little Girl: *Shyly* “My daddy said I could come to tell you your hair is beautiful.”

She gestures at a redheaded white man standing about six feet away, shrugging his shoulders and smiling. I recognize him from my school; his oldest adopted daughter is in the year I teach, though in the other class.

Me: “Oh, thank you! They’re called twists. I’m glad you think they’re pretty!”

I notice the little girl’s hair. It’s done in two adorable little puffs with beautifully done braids down each side, sporting purple glittery beads, and it looks professionally done. It looks beautifully healthy, too, which is a miracle in a place where it’s hard to find good products for black hair.

Me: “Your hair is STUNNING! Where did you get that done? I want my hair to look like that.”

Little Girl: *Grinning* “My daddy learned it on YouTube!”

I was stunned. I’ve seen dozens of foster kids and adopted kids go into white families who have no idea how to care for their hair. I’ve been helping one of my student’s mothers for months to get her hair in order.

The little girl skipped back to her dad. I was touched deeply that this man had gone to the trouble of learning a gigantic amount of information to keep his girl’s hair healthy and looking nice. It might seem like the bare minimum to most people, but a lot of people won’t do the work.

This story is part of our end-of-year Feel Good roundup for 2022!