LG's hair : to trim or not to trim!

Some traditions puzzle me, what makes following them difficult is there are so many of them; some cultural; some family practice and some religious. I'm sure there are reasons for each of them or atleast that's what I would like to believe. I don't follow most of them, yes, I am aware of many or make an effort to keep me aware in the least.

One such traditional practice is to cut a child's hair for the first time in temple, the practice itself being called mottai or mundan. Now, there is no hard and fast rule; the practice varies according to the different regions and religions in India. In some parts, it is not a practice to remove a girl child's hair (I had mottai done twice by the time I was two years old), in some places they do mottai by the time the child is six months old and in some not until the child is a year old. In ours, the practice has been to wait the child is a year old.

LG was all of seven months when his hair touched the top of his nose and it was all over his eyes; he used to sweat a lot too. So, I had to make a decision being practical versus adhering to family practices. It is a common practice to tie the hair with a band but that didn't sound good to me; imagine LG with a orange color band - he would have looked like a hippie. So I trimmed his hair and saved it for the real mottai occasion. The first time is always difficult. Once the rules are broken, then you don't think much afterward, right? I tried not to do too many times, the foremost concern always being LG's convenience. I've saved all the hair (yuck! you think?).

Anyways, the whole point of this post was that there is such a thin line between being traditional and practical. Sometimes, it is just not possible to satisfy everything. It makes decision-making all the more easier if you understand your priorities right!