I don’t have much hair left on my head. That is hardly breaking news.

A few years ago, when my daughter was much younger, she accompanied me to the barber. Watching him at work, she asked a wonderfully innocent question:

“Daddy, why does he spend more time on your eyebrows and your ears than on your head?”

It was a fair question then. Sadly, it’s even more relevant today.

For 19 years, I went to the same barber. A lovely man, an excellent barber, and someone I always enjoyed visiting. Unfortunately, he’s now quite a distance from home, and getting there has become increasingly difficult.

Enter my son.

He has a set of electric hair clippers and offered to take over. For the last three or four haircuts, he has done an admirable job. In fact, I would go as far as to say he’s brilliant.

Admittedly, I usually wear a cap, so there’s not much reputational risk for either of us.

His first attempt, during COVID, was rather less successful. He managed to remove most of the hair from the back of my head in one enthusiastic sweep. Fortunately, there wasn’t much to begin with, and what remained eventually grew back.

Since then, his technique has improved enormously. He now has a five-star rating on my personal review website, although I should warn prospective customers that he is not accepting bookings.

There’s a more serious side to this little story.

In many ways, I would rather still be going to my old barber. Not because my son isn’t good at it, but because I would rather not need his help. It’s another small piece of independence that has quietly disappeared.

Yet what could so easily feel like another loss has become something rather lovely.

My son doesn’t have to do this. He offers willingly, does it with care, and I get a haircut from someone I love.

What might otherwise have been another reminder of my limitations has become a small moment of connection between father and son.

And that is worth considerably more than the price of a haircut.

There is, of course, one final advantage.

In a world where artificial intelligence is threatening to transform so many careers, my son now has an excellent backup profession.

Although, given the amount of hair I have left, I suspect he will need to find a rather more demanding customer if he wants to make a living.

Five stars. Highly recommended. Not open to the public.