WHEN I WAS A KID

WHEN I WAS A KID

I can remember going to the barber shop by myself for the first time. It was a big adventure. I remember worrying what I would tell the barber. My mother told me to just say that I wanted a "boys haircut." That evidently meant short around the sides and longer on top with a part to one side and enough hair on top to comb over. This was my standard hair cut through the 5th or 6th grade. (I think this was influenced by Frank Sinatra)

The barber shop was several blocks away. I remember that they had magazines there that I had never seen before; Field and Stream was one that impressed me (there was no talk of hunting or fishing in my house).

When I was in the 7th or 8th grade, it became fashionable to wear a crew cut. You had to get some "butch wax" to keep it standing upright. (I think this was influenced by The Four Freshmen or some other singing group.) Some guys were letting their hair grow longer like Elvis Presley...not me or any of my friends. Long sideburns were in - if you could grow them. Funny thing is, I never gave baldness a thought back then.