Nothing cements a mother-daughter relationship like jerking your kid’s hair out by the roots.

In all those pictures you see of a mother gently brushing her daughter’s silky locks, they seem so serene…so lost in the closeness of this tender nightly ritual. They look like they could be humming folk songs or maybe sharing little secrets together.

They leave out the screeching parts.

My girl’s got large hair. It’s thick and wavy and reflexively shrinks into a knot if it so much as meets a stiff breeze or looks sideways at a body of water.

I can’t tell you how many countless hours of my life have been spent whittling away at hair knots ’til my gnarled arthritic hands are lunging for the nearest scissors.

There has been much growling and muttering from me, occasional tears from her, and little to no tenderness or song-singing.

If this sounds like your house, Day 6 of my 31-day blogging challenge (#write31Days) is for you. I’m posting 31 days of fun/funny stuff for families, and here’s something that’s really fun: brushing your kid’s hair without drama.

So put this on your shopping list: the “Wet” Brush.

My friend whose daughter has butt-length Crystal Gayle hair turned me to this one.

And y’all. This thang works.

I have no idea how. It looks just like any ordinary old brush. But it’s got voodoo detangling powers infused in its bristles.

You can get it at Target for like, $8, or something.

One reviewer on Amazon wrote that this magical brush “glides through the nappiest of birds’ nests with ease.”

That’s what I was gonna say.

It still takes a while to work through this hot mess, but we all live to tell the story. And there is even occasional humming.

A fun thing for families? NOT crying.

So that’s my Day 6.

You’re welcome.

P.S. I stole the word “Hairoics” from my ALL-TIME FAVORITE puntastic hair salon name. (Hairoics is in Nags Head, NC if you’re ever vacationing and need to get your roots done. Or maybe buy a Wet Brush.)