long hair on boys

i would like to get an unbiased opinion...my son is 15 mo old with the most beautiful blondish hair that is just starting to get long and thick. so much so that people are starting to mistake him for a girl (no matter what color he wears) it is only hitting the top of his back so its not super long or anything, but i would like to let it grow longer. a woman actually accused me of neglect and abuse for letting his hair grow!! should i cut it so people dont tease him? he can always make his own decisions later...(i would attach pic if i knew how..i'm not very computer literate!!)

i think he should make the desicion when he`s older.. it`s not very usual for young boys to have long hair. but it`s you`ve got to make the choice. lol

There is nothing wrong with a boy having longer hair. Infact many cultures include boys/men having long hair.
I know a Somoan (spelling) family, and the 2 older girls and 1 boy, from the back you cannot differenate who is who. They all have gorgeous thick wavy long black hair. The other girl is just over a year, and her hair is growing.

IMHO, babies, and even toddlers can look one sex or the other, it just depends on how you dress them. Good luck on keeping the food out of that hair

Grow the hair out, it isn't hurting him.

hould i cut it so people dont tease him?

As a young boy I was teased mercilessly and I had *short* hair. Kids will tease other kids. If his hair is short, they will find something else to tease him about. (The thing that got me teased was my grandmother's enjoyment of dressing me in little sailor suits). The best thing you can do for your son as far as teasing goes is to instill in him a strong sense of self-esteem and teach him to completely ignore the taunts of others. As for his hair, if you have the courage to deal with everything a toddler and young boy could do to his long hair I say go for it (and I salute you).

Cadensmama

The correct link is
http://photos.yahoo.com/cadensmama2002

That will get people into there.

He is a cutie!!!!

Cadensmama,

Your son is a cutie pie. I agree with Gollan - kids will tease other kids for just about anything. So I wouldn't let other kids potential teasing be the only factor in your decision. As far as that woman accusing you of abuse and neglect, well, if she was pointing a finger at you she should realize that there were 3 fingers pointing back at her. Next time someone says something ignorant like that to you just say "bag it" and walk away.

Let us know what you decide!
Caramia

Thank you for asking this question and
for wanting the best for your son. I will
answer it on two levels.

1) The first part of my answer is very
straightforward: it is my adamant opinion
that CADEN should make the final choice
about HIS hair. Thus, if he wants to keep
it long as you have let it grow, and
tolerate teasing, let him. That is kudos
for his character - he can stand up to it.
On the other hand, if he is one day upset
because kids tease him about it, or if he
wants it cut for another reason, it's his
hair again and you should allow it. By
all means, suggest he sleep on it, plainly
make him aware of the consequences
(if he cuts it and doesn't like it, it'll take a
long time to grow back) but do not be
obsessive about trying to get him to (or
making him) keep it. This is posessive
and wholly unnecessary. At his age, I
don't think he'll be asking to cut it, but
he may not like you cutting his hair, so
allow him to make his own decision
about it.

2) As for growing it longer, this is a
tougher one. Again, what he wants
(yes, at his age he may well be able
to express a preference) should be
paramount, but I don't know if it would
be a good idea to cut it (if he doesn't
mind) or not let it grow longer if it
would spare him being teased. On one
hand, I am against conformism and
have respect for guys with long hair.
On the other hand, your son shouldn't
be forced to change the world, so
some conformity to what his peers are
like (I repeat if he doesn't mind
conforming) may be helpful. Kids are
likely to tease for anything, but
especially for anything "weird" (even
if I liked sailor suits, and I think they're
ridiculous, I'd never put one on a son
of mine. Too "weird"). Does that mean
parents should never do anything
unusual to their childrens' dress? Maybe
but not necessarily - it's a difficult
question. I will therefore not advise you
to cut his hair, but consider not letting
it grow much longer (unless he wants
to, again) and keeping it tied back. And
if you do decide to cut it, I would advise
you not to cut it too short. He doesn't
need a "short back and sides" (tapered
short classic male haircut) to look like a
boy, indeed I find such a haircut makes
a little boy look forlorn. A longer,
relatively short haircut would probably
be the best answer if you do decide to
cut it. But before deciding to do so, use
your good judgement and don't let what
you want get in the way of what would
make him happy.

Wake up and smell the expresso! This is the year 2003! Men or women should be able in a free society to wear their hair as long or short as they want! Geeeeeeezzzzz! Give me a break! And if someone is so stupid they can't tell the difference between a guy and a gal, regardless of their hair length, then they are an idiot!


People should just wear their hair how they want,.......... and if someone doesn't like your son's long hair,..... well train your kid in karate so he can kick the friggin daylights out of the creep who is giving him a bad time about it!

Zap! Pow! Make your kid a tough guy so he can be as mean as the creeps who bother him are!

Jenna wrote: He's just a kid so it's not that serious. :)

AGEISM ALERT!

Something to remember. He is only 14 months old. DO what you want to do as a parent.

My personal opinion is that very young children should have shorter hair untill they are old enough to know the difference and prefer one way to another. Even then very long hair on a younger kid can be too much if they are not tidy about it. i wouldnt want to be the parent who has to constantly tie their hair up.

Anyways, I think as a young boy it should be short untill hes old enough to tell that hes a boy even with long hair and only then if he wants it long.


As a man, I prefer men with long hair...i wish my boyfriend had long hair. But unless the kid wants it long, keep it short untill hes more manly and do always let him know how hansome he will look when it is long, when he is older. I think middleschool is a good age for a boy to have long hair and still look male.

In highschool and beyond he shouldnt get teased at all really unless he is efeminate. Then its normal for guys to have longer hair.

Just whatever you do dont go for the rat tail look!!! Even if you think you can see how long his hair could have been if your keeping it short still dont do the rat tail! Thats far worse than being called a girl every once in a while...in my opinion...

but of course I AM a girl...so maybe my opinion is off about that =)