Excerpt from
Dads swap tools for hairbrushes in bonding time with daughters
Natalie Richards
During the week, Tapping roof tiler Peter Waldock is a typical tradie who enjoys a banter with the lads.
So, he admits his workmates would be surprised to see him on his days off, hairbrush in hand, perfecting intricate braids.
But Mr Waldock only needs to see the smile on his six-year-old daughter Courtney’s face to know swapping power tools for de-tangling spray is a worthwhile decision.
Mr Waldock is part of a growing number of dads who have been learning hair styling along with their young daughters
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with my son and his sport so I just thought it’d be something good to do with my daughter.
“I think it was one of the best thing you could ever do as a dad and daughter with the bonding time that you get.”
Noticing an increase in working mums and single dads, hairdresser Christine Gaskell started the classes to give dads the confidence to take charge of the school runs as well as special occasions, including dance classes.
At weekends, Ms Gaskell’s Carramar home salon is filled with the heart warming and sometimes comedic scenes of dads getting used to negotiating partings and hair elastics.
About eight dads attend the classes every fortnight.
Starting off with brushing techniques “to avoid whiplash”, they soon progress to elaborate buns and festive hair-dos.
While the results might take a few weeks to achieve, it’s the quality time which is the focus, with dads dedicating the morning’s session to much-needed one-on-one time with their daughters.