Here is something I wrote on facebook the night before the hair shaving event....
Well...Here we are the night before my daughter shaves her hair for charity:-) There was a time last year when when Milly contemplated having one side of her hair shaved. I wasn't surprised when she came to me with that plan and was happy to look through styles with her but then she decided against it.... I have to say I wasn't surprised when she said what she wanted to do for charity either and h
ave been more than happy to help her reach her goal.
It has been a bit like when you get a pet and the initial days are high excitement and lots of time is spent with the pet then gradually Mum and Dad end up taking over ;-) I knew that when we set off though - it was a long road with the date we set being six months in advance and I expected to be the one doing the day to day stuff with Milly doing the most important part tomorrow:-)
In conversation today someone said to me that she must be a very confident young lady. That made me think that there are many of you who don't know Milly and I thought now might be as good a time as any to give you an insight into a teenager who is happy to shave her hair off.
Milly is a normal teenager with all the insecurities that this time of life throw at us. Some days she is confident and happy with herself and other days less so. Mood swings are a day to day part of life just now. She is also very gentle and loving.
She has always been a very sensitive and empathetic child and feels things deeply. She is a delightful daydreamer with a head full of stories . Sometimes she has a maturity, wisdom beyond her years and amazes me with her perception and take on things. She can also be very childlike, loud and giddy and has a sharp wit :-)
Some weeks ago Milly experienced a series of panic attacks and since then has found it very hard to leave the house. We are working through that with her and are helping her to overcome her fears. This means that tomorrow night is challenging to say the least.
Milly is determined to go through with it though. She is so very excited to shave her hair off and is not at all anxious about that. We have all worked together to find ways that will ease her anxiety. She will be surrounded by family, friends, a bunch of new friends and people who have come along to support her fundraising...With the dancing, the excitement and the steps we have in place we all feel hopeful that she will enjoy herself.
Milly thought she would feel less awkward if people knew how she was feeling. She has written something that Alan will read out for her that lets people know about her anxiety and explains why she might need to get up during the hair shaving.
So there we have it.... not necessarily a confident girl at this moment but a very brave one. In the words of one lady who commented on a post.... a top bird :-))
Alan and I are so very proud and our hearts are full of love for her. Can't promise there won't be tears tomorrow night ;-)
In Milly's words Stay strong and shine on♥
After the event last night...
Very tired and about to unwind in a hot bath but....Milly did it and went right down to the scalp!! She now has a velvety scalp that we can't stop stroking:-) I didn't manage to get any pictures but others there will have and we will get so
me to you all soon:-) Border Tv were there and it will be on the news Tomorrow lunchtime and teatime. I am sporting a very large flower on my cheek painted by Amy:-) It was a very daunting experience being filmed and I think we coped ok but will see how it turns out . If it turns into any more money raised for charity then it will have been worth it:-) After costs of £81.00 the total raised by those that came tonight was £254.34. A really significant amount from around 50 people a number of whom were children:-) We *think* that when we tot up the sponsor money outstanding that friends and family were collecting for us she will have reached her target.
Anybody who feels they would like to contribute can still do so online on her just giving page...
Before....
After...
