Hair Issues

I'm kicking around the option of getting a drastic haircut.  I'm talking chopping off the huge puff ball of hair and going with a teeny weeny afro.  I've done it before.  I think my hair is not that healthy right now so why not chop most of it off and start over?  I don't want to go as extreme as I did the first time I went  for the big chop.  My mom still has nightmares about that one. She sent me to college  with below shoulder length straight hair and I came back first semester with 2 inches of afro and nothing else. Ahh good times, good times. Now if I so much as mention getting a trim she gets a little heart murmur and breaks out in a cold sweat.  Occasionally I bring up a hair cut when I want to throw her off the scent of something else. What? You say a man answered the phone when you called me at 6am? Did I mention I was thinking of getting a haircut.  How do you feel about the Grace Jones or Sinead O'Connor look?  Works everytime.  I think this time I might wait till  the healthy hair is longer than 2 inches before I chop. If I wait though I do run the risk of having ridiculous split  ends that go on forever.  I've had big hair for so long I'm not completely sure I can function again with a minimal amount of hair.  Short hair is definitely easier to take care of.  Pretty much wash and go. Decisions decisions!