Black Girls Can Have Long Hair!

I was out with my 8 year old daughter the other day.  She received an award at school so I let her wear her hair down for the special event.  As we walked pass another little Black girl, I saw her just stare at my daughter's hair.  My heart went out to that little girl.  Her hair was over processed and pretty short. I felt bad because there is no reason that little girl's hair, should not look just like my daughter's hair.  My daughter does not have what other people consisder "good hair" and she doesn't have the longest hair.  Her hair is a 4a or 4b thick hair with very tight curls.  I wondered if that little girls Mother had been under the same pressure I had been under.  The pressure relax my daughter's hair.  People would always tell me "you should put a perm on that child's hair."   It's so funny because people never really said anything else about the way I was raising my baby.  I'm not saying if you put a relaxer on a girl's hair it won't grow.  I'm saying if I put a relaxer on my daughter hair it probably would not be the length it is today.  What do I think helped my daughter retain her length, protective styles, conditioning and just letting her hair, be her hair.  I always say, a relaxer is a long term commitment and that's a decision she will be able to make, when she's old enough.