AKRON, Ohio — Under the instruction of a hair care professional, Aamir Spaulding was one of several fathers who learned how to braid their daughter’s hair at a special class hosted at Hair Geek Studio on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022.
“Pull it tight?” Spaulding asked the hair stylist.
The Dads with Daughters Basic Hairstyling Class provided dads a chance to learn basic hair care and styling skills. It’s something Lavar Jacobs Sr., one co-founder of the event, thinks is important for all parents to know.
“My wife is a traveling nurse and when she’s out saving lives in different states all around the country, sometimes I’m at home alone with my daughter and her hair looks crazy when it’s just me and her,” Jacobs Sr.
Besides giving the guys tips on how to moisturize, detangle and style their daughter’s hair, the event’s other co-founder, John Morgan, said planning the party was a chance for him to create fellowship opportunities for fathers in the community.
“It was important for us to be intentional about the things that we have challenges over. We know that there’s other dads that also can relate to those things,” Morgan said.
Stylist Sapreea English said the class also helped the fathers learn how to share child-rearing responsibilities.
“I think it’s important just because it lightens the load on the mothers, sometimes. I think moms work just as hard as men. So, you know, sometimes you have to take turns to balance. So I think fathers should know, just as well, what women do,” English said.
They are skills that first-time father, Justin Barnett, said he will take pride in showcasing.
“I think overall it’s just having the time to be able to do something with her. I travel a lot for business too, so when I get home, this would be another opportunity for us to just get together and also be able to take some pressure off of my wife,” Barnett said.
As for Spaulding replicating the styles that he learned in the class after it ended, he said, “I’ll try.”
