Being a parent and admitting you might need some assistance is OK. For Stephanie Hollifield, she came looking for help in the right place.
According to WTVM, Stephanie Hollifield and her husband became foster parents when their daughter Haley was only 7 weeks old. The couple adopted Haley at 8 months old. Now Hollifield is tasked with managing her toddler's growing head of hair. The problem is Hollifield's daughter is Black, and she is white.
Hollifield, 33, posted a call for help on a Facebook page titled "Black Friends of Social Media," pleading, “This clueless white momma is humbly coming to you to ask your help with Haley's hair."
The Georgia woman said she had contacted friends and strangers for help, but neither were able to provide any advice.
"I'm still not getting it," she said, explaining her weekly ritual on how she treats her daughter's hair. "We wash once a week. We do the water, leave-in conditioner, oil and hot towel every morning… We are gentle as can be, but she still requires at least 6 minutes of cuddles after the trauma of her daily hair combing."
Dear Black Friends of Social Media, This clueless white momma is humbly coming to you to ask your help with Haley’s…Posted by Stephanie Hollifield on Friday, November 9, 2018
Her post generated hundreds of likes and comments from stylists sharing their insight on how to care for Black hair. One user, however, went above and beyond the call of duty. Monica Hunter, a fellow Georgia mom who happens to be Black with three young daughters of her own, privately messaged Hollifield offering her services.
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle about the now-viral good deed, Hunter praised Hollifield for posting her inquiry.
"I applaud her for reaching out and asking for help because that’s not easy at all," she said. "I told her about different products she could use on her baby’s hair. Then I said, 'If you ever need help, I'll come over and help. I'm serious. We'll style Miss Haley’s hair!'"
Hollifield gladly accepted the help, and last Sunday, Hunter arrived at her home loaded with combs, headbands, hair product and words of hair wisdom.
"It was important to me to touch Haley's hair. Some hair is really soft; some is really kinky. With some, the coils are loose; with some, they're tight," Hollifield told Yahoo.
Hunter described Haley's hair as being "clean, soft and manageable," suggesting to keep styling at a minimum because Haley is still a toddler.
Hollifield revealed that others advised her to give little Haley extensions, to which she exclaimed, "No, ma’am, she's two!"
In a follow-up Facebook post written shortly after their meeting, Hollifield posted a photo of the three and thanked Hunter for her help, leaving her feeling confident to do Haley's hair in the future.
"This lady, Monica Hunter, who I had never met in person before today, offered to come to my house and walk me through exactly how to style my daughter’s hair," Hollifield wrote.
"She asked for nothing in return and wouldn’t accept my money," she continued. "By the time she left I had a little more confidence in fixing my daughter's hair, and most importantly I felt supported by my new friend. In a time of so much hate and division, our world needs more people like this."
This is only the beginning of a lasting friendship, as Hunter also revealed to Yahoo Lifestyle that the two moms are planning a playdate with Haley and Hunter's daughters soon.
"I think this opened up an opportunity to create positivity for everybody," she commented about the good that can come from others reading a story like this. "We will definitely be seeing each other again!"
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