Shaving

It looked like foam on his face, but it was shaving soap mixed with water in his shaving mug and then applied to his face with a soft-bristled shaving brush. Oh, how I loved watching Daddy shave. It was such a precise and remarkable feat. Sometimes the contortions of his face to ensure all the whiskers would be removed would cause me to giggle and laugh. And at that, Daddy would put a dab of shaving soap on the end of my nose – the laughter continued.

The reasoning of this 5-year child was if Daddy so carefully did this ritual every day, it must be very important and something I should do as well. Setting out my plan to make this happen, Momma and Daddy were patient and agreed I could shave with Daddy. The excitement was almost more than I could stand!

The next morning, practically jumping up and down, it was shaving time!! I stood on a chair so I could look in the mirror with Daddy and was given a small mug in which to mix my shaving soap while Daddy mixed the soap in his mug. A soft-bristled brush was given to me to apply the suds to my face. This was so exciting I was ready to shave with Daddy!!! One thing was missing – where was my razor?! Believe me, Momma and Daddy were very creative in convincing me that little girls did not use razors on their faces. My razor was a regular table knife – a smooth edge with no shaving value. As I stood on the chair beside Daddy, I carefully did all the moves he did! When we were all done, his little girl was delighted. Shaving was too much work and took too long, so from that day on, watching Daddy shave was treat enough! This precious memory is vivid even 80 years later.

Judy McKinney