She’d sit on the bathroom floor, holding her hair like it was her favorite toy.

“No, Daddy,” she’d say firmly. “I want my hair long.”

At first, Lina and I thought it was just a kid thing. Children get picky, don’t they?

Lina’s mom, Maris, always said Lina’s short haircut wasn’t “ladylike,” so we thought Fiona was just picking her own look.

“Okay,” I told her. “You can keep your hair long.”

Then came the gum mess.

It was one of those parenting moments you dread.

Fiona fell asleep on the couch during movie night, gum still in her mouth. By the time Lina and I noticed, it was stuck in her hair.

We tried everything—peanut butter, ice, even a weird vinegar trick from online.

Nothing worked.