when you’re seven, this is what matters.

Not too long ago, 7 year old Chase wrecked on his scooter.

Almost every day, Chase and Harlowe bike or scooter to school with me running behind them, carrying their backpacks like some underpaid sherpa and yelling out extremely calming statements like, “WATCH OUT FOR THE BUS. A BUS IS COMING DOWN THE STREET!! DO YOU SEE THE BUS?!”

So Chase was scootering and all of a sudden, he was a heap on the ground.

I ran over to him. I mean, maybe not the speed at which I would have run over to my first child if they had fallen but I promise you, there was definitely a quickening to my step.

As I got to him, he was pulling himself up. I said, “Chase, are you ok?!” (As a parent, always add some urgency to your voice so they are convinced of your concern. It’s also important to not look at your phone while you are doing this. That’s a free parenting tip right there.)

Chase looked up at me with worry in his eyes and said… “Is my hair messed up?”

That was it. Despite some scratches and a possibly bruised leg, he only had one overriding concern and it was his hair.

Chase’s hair has become quite a focus.

It’s always garnered considerable attention because of its reddish color. Many a person has sauntered over to Chase to proclaim, “I wish I could bottle that color!” at which point Chase gives the person a sheepish look that says, “I wish I could get people to stop talking to me about my hair.”

But then one day, he started styling it.

The styling process involves wetting his entire head in the morning, slicking it back and then asking me to hairspray it in place.

But wait, that’s not it.

An important part of the process also seems to be asking his sister Harlowe and me roughly 10 million times if his hair has been messed up.

Things that he worries could mess up his hair…

1. bike helmet
2. the slightest breeze
3. wrestling with his brother
4. gravity
5. not enough hair spray
6. anyone touching it
7. anyone looking at it
8. anyone talking about it

But for the most part, it always looks pretty perfect.

If perfect is slicked back and sprayed with strawberry scented Suave max hold.

Now Rick has been talking about the importance of hair for a long time and maybe it just finally sunk in for Chase. Although I don’t think Rick ever mentioned strawberry scented Suave max hold.

And for all those desperate to know… that day when he crashed on his scooter and fell on the tough, unforgiving streets of Fort Lauderdale?

His hair was thankfully okay.