To the Editor,

My 10 year old daughter, Jolene, asked me if she could shave her head, and I said yes. Don’t get me wrong. My gut instinct was a hard no. It remained a hard no for two years since the first time she asked at age 8. My gut told me that her hair was too beautiful to shave… what would everyone think? More importantly what would they say to her? How might they damage her self confidence? 

Then I looked into her amazing eyes and it hit me… her hair is beautiful, but it doesn’t make her beautiful. Her beauty isn’t defined by what you think of her, or what you say to her. Her soul is spectacular and beautiful and strong. Most importantly it’s her soul, her life and her beauty to embrace. 

My child will know that her beauty is not found in the length or color of her hair, or the shape of her body. It’s not in her clothes or her height. My daughter is beautiful because of the glimmer in her eye and the love in her heart. 

She does not exist for others to judge her. She exists to create a life that is meaningful and passionate to what she feels is right and justified.

Her hair will grow back if she chooses to grow it back, but her safety in us as a family is fortified. We will always have her back, we will always let her be herself and we will always make sure she knows how beautiful, smart, kind, loving and cherished she is. 

Tammy Fosse,

Henning