Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My Jewish friends let their son's hair grow long. Until 3. Custom.
Who the hoot cares? I mean, it is seriously disturbing the stupid stuff people get worked up about.
Now, if it is dirty or grungy, that is a separate issue.
When my middle son was in 5-7 grade he had long hair (his choice). I was shocked at how many people were bothered by his long hair. It made his lacrosse coach crazy. People would bother ME all the time about his hair, which was clean and groomed. It was just long. I didn't love the look but he was doing well in school. He had nice friends. He was happy playing lacrosse. He was doing well at his piano lessons. I figured it would pass.
Fast forward to his 7th grade school year. He was in the upper school marching band that year. All students with hair below the shoulders had to have their hair put up before every game/competition. He is a low maintenance kind of guy. Right before his 8th grade year he decided he hated having his hair done. He viewed it as a waste of time. He asked me to take him to a barber and have his hair cut. End of long hair. He has had his hair short since then (he's 19 now).
The reason I tell this story is that I am very glad I just let him have his hair the way he wanted it for a few years. I am glad I didn't damage our relationship over something that really and truly didn't matter.
I had a friend who had a son and she insisted on keeping the son's hair long. The son was constantly upset that people thought he was a girl. I just wanted to shout, "Why the heck do you do this, even when it's causing obvious distress to your son and causing problems?" But I didn't. I just smiled and kept my mouth shut.
.
How old was this kid?
I'd be sad if a three year old actually gave a crap.
When my middle son was in 5-7 grade he had long hair (his choice). I was shocked at how many people were bothered by his long hair. It made his lacrosse coach crazy. People would bother ME all the time about his hair, which was clean and groomed. It was just long. I didn't love the look but he was doing well in school. He had nice friends. He was happy playing lacrosse. He was doing well at his piano lessons. I figured it would pass.
Fast forward to his 7th grade school year. He was in the upper school marching band that year. All students with hair below the shoulders had to have their hair put up before every game/competition. He is a low maintenance kind of guy. Right before his 8th grade year he decided he hated having his hair done. He viewed it as a waste of time. He asked me to take him to a barber and have his hair cut. End of long hair. He has had his hair short since then (he's 19 now).
The reason I tell this story is that I am very glad I just let him have his hair the way he wanted it for a few years. I am glad I didn't damage our relationship over something that really and truly didn't matter.
That's my philosophy too. If the kids are doing well in school and keeping up with home chores, and they run with a good crowd and whatnot... then they get a lot of leeway. I'm not going to insist on controlling stuff like hair and clothes. My daughter has put together some outfits that made me cringe (she loves bright colors and doesn't really care if anything matches LOL) but she's a good kid with lots of good kid friends who does well in school so I just suck it up. But I was really glad to find out her new school requires uniforms. LOL
My best friend's 33 year old daughter has a two year old boy and his parents have never cut his hair.
My friend says that she and her other daughter have talked to his mom about this as they have some concerns, rightly placed or not, with how this child will be received now that he is going to daycare and is among other children.
The mom does not seem to see this as an issue and seemingly has no plans to cut it.
Now I have seen this little boy on Facebook and his blonde, straight hair is quite long, about 6-8 inches below his chin and jawline. It is usually dishelveled, sometimes clipped back and up with barettes, and recently formed into a ''top knot'' on the crown of his head.
I am as open-minded as they come, but I feel sorry for the kid and think it looks ridiculous. And so does grandma, aunts, and grandpa and they worry about the child's self-esteem and how other kids will react at daycare. He definitely looks like a little grungy girl.
If he ''chose'' this style for himself as an older kid I feel it would one thing. But to put him out there among playmates looking this is another. But the mom won't budge, for whatever reason.
What do you all think? Is it a non-issue? Are we old fogies just not ''hip enough''? Grandma wanted me to ask CD because she is quite concerned, so have at it and please tell us what you think!
Everyone should tend to their own lives and leave others to tend to theirs.
There is a boy in Louisiana that is trying to grow the world's longest hair (about 20 feet) & if he can grow it long enough to get in the Guinness Book of World Records, then he will get it cut & give it to someplace like Locks of Love (to make wigs for cancer patients).
Off topic, but just wanted to let you know that Locks of Love does not provide wigs for cancer patients. Please do some research before donating to them. They make wigs for people who have permanent hair loss, not temporary (i.e. not cancer patients). They also buy hair from some very questionable sources.
I'm open minded but yes, I agree with you. Nothing you can do about it though. Eventually this child will wonder why people are referring to him as a girl, dislike the negative attention he receives or he'll grow up embracing it. Time will tell.
How old was this kid?
I'd be sad if a three year old actually gave a crap.
Most kids at 3 to 5 do care. They are starting to identify themselves as part of the boy or girl world. My son at five did not have long hair, but he had a sweet face and when he wore his winter jacket and hood, random strangers would say, "what a pretty girl." He kicked one lady who said that and said "I'm a boy!"
Of course, long hair does not have to play into this and I would say let a child alone if he is fine with his long hair.
So you are actually equating a car accident with hair? Ummmmm.....ok. Quite the stretch there.....
The toddler's hair should matter to 3 people...the toddler, his mother, and his father. That's it. Grandma's opinion and grandma's friends' opinions get to carry zero importance. And who says the hair is not maintained? Long does not equal unmaintained.
You did get one thing right..."horrible judgmental people". If anyone treats someone differently because of their hair length, that that's on the judgmental person, NOT the one with long hair.
If the toddler is OK with it, his mom is OK with it, and his dad is OK with it, then that's all that matters.
My kids as teenagers had long hair. They washed it, combed it, and kept it neat. They liked it, I liked it, the girls certainly liked it. No one else's opinions mattered. My kids had my support, they knew it, and that was all that mattered. Everyone else could just go pound sand if they did not like the long hair.
^^^Women love long hair on some guys. I remember some of them wanting to touch mine back then. Oh, the horror of having dozens of girls wanting to run their fingers through your hair.
Off topic, but just wanted to let you know that Locks of Love does not provide wigs for cancer patients. Please do some research before donating to them. They make wigs for people who have permanent hair loss, not temporary (i.e. not cancer patients). They also buy hair from some very questionable sources.
I was surprised at your comment, so visited the website. From the FAQ - Locks of Love
Most of our recipients suffer from alopecia areata. Others have experienced hair loss from radiation therapy and chemotherapy, severe burns or trauma, and various other genetic and dermatological conditions.
Not sure where your comment about questionable sources was found, please provide a link. It would be a shame to discourage potential donors from participating in this program if your claims are unfounded. According to the Charity Navigator, this charity does quite well, with an overall rating of 89.1.
I was surprised at your comment, so visited the website. From the FAQ - Locks of Love
Most of our recipients suffer from alopecia areata. Others have experienced hair loss from radiation therapy and chemotherapy, severe burns or trauma, and various other genetic and dermatological conditions.
Not sure where your comment about questionable sources was found, please provide a link. It would be a shame to discourage potential donors from participating in this program if your claims are unfounded. According to the Charity Navigator, this charity does quite well, with an overall rating of 89.1.
They also charge the people getting wigs up to thousands of dollars. There is plenty of tarnish. My pet peeve with them is that they aren't upfront about the facts they don't give wigs to kids with cancer they give so very few wigs and they sell hair for a profit...never mind the missing money...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
