Today the Department of Awesome Parenting salutes Melbourne, Australia-based mother Shelley Gifford, who turns her daughter Grace’s hair into elaborate works of braided art nearly every day. Gifford says she’s always enjoyed braiding hair, but wasn’t aware of just how creative one could get with it until she discovered people all over the world sharing their own braids via social media.
“I found accounts that were solely set up to show hairstyles that mums had created on their daughters. I loved what I saw and it was then that I started my own Facebook and Instagram braiding accounts. I started following other hair and braiding accounts: asking questions and continuously watching video tutorials. I also attended braiding and up-do workshops. I just love learning new styles and advancing my skills. I’m hair obsessed. I’m always challenging myself to create something new and unique.”
Gifford usually braids Grace’s hair before school and sometimes on the weekends. While she’s always coming up with new braid designs in her free time, she spends only about 15 to 20 minutes actually braiding her daughter’s hair, which is done while grace watches tv after getting herself ready for school. If a particular style is going to take longer than usual, they wait until the weekend to do it.
Gifford always documents her daughter’s new hairstles with a photo. You can follow her latest creations via Facebook or on Instagram.
“You don’t have to pay for it—friendship. The truth is there are a lot of people like you—us—with strange hobbies or talents or gifts that we try to hide because we’re afraid it makes us seem weird or turns people off. But that’s a mistake. What makes me unique has brought every person I love into my life.”
Han is all “there’s to much Vader in him,” without mentioning that there is too much Vader in Leia too.
Like, Bail Organa, bless his poor poor soul, tried to politician the Vader out of her. He tried SO FUCKING HARD.
But the fact that she abandoned politics to be a General in the Resistance says a lot about her similarities to Anakin Skywalker.
See, people get it wrong. They assume because Luke got the blond hair and the lightsaber that he is Anakin’s child. He’s not. He’s Padme’s.
Leia, though. Leia is very much Anakin’s child. She is the one with the deep anger in her. She is the one who will bring peace to her new empire freedom and justice back to the galaxy whether the galaxy wants it or not. She is the one who commands armies and amasses followers as easy as breathing. She joined the Rebellion while she was in her teens. She is the one with the spirit of a warrior.
Don’t get me wrong; Bail Organa did his damnedest to raise her in the mold of her mother, fighting her battles in the halls of power with words as her weapons. And she was very good at it. But unlike Padme, Leia’s words always had an edge to them, her tone and meaning always a little too sharp, a little too angry.
Peace and mercy are the trademarks of Luke and Padme. Justice and order, obtained by whatever means necessary, are the marks of Leia and Anakin.
thefallendream 