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Boy's first haircut

Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Politics
Forum Description: The politics of Hair is a slippery slope...
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=45255
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 7:32pm


Topic: Boy's first haircut
Posted By: Anniex123
Subject: Boy's first haircut
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 7:21am
Some of the messages here have created a bit of a debate in where I work. It centers on the age and hair length of when a little boy needs to get his first haircut.

We have two mothers in our office who probably represent the extremes or nearly so. Once buzzed her son's hair when the first sign of a curl was visible - at about 3 months. The other hasn't cut her son's hair yet and he's nearly four YEARS! It's way down his back.

That's had people talking and I'm wondering if there's a consensus as to when a little boy should be getting his first haircut, either in terms of age or hair length.

What's your thoughts? What have you seen?

Annie

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Annie



Replies:
Posted By: Hellfrozeover
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 4:52am
If the child likes his long hair then let him keep it. It would be unfair to cut his hair just on the grounds that he's a boy. Until the point comes(if it comes) when her son asks if he can get his hair cut, there's no need for one.


Posted By: Rod
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 10:47am
As long as the child doesn't object, it's up to the parents. No one else.


Posted By: anne6000
Date Posted: July 16 2006 at 9:12am
Hi Annie,
 
I remember your post about you playing with and setting and curling your adolescent son's long hair without asking him about his feelings.
 
With all due respect, you seem to have a control issue when it comes to your child's hair.  I've never consciously thought about making a deadline (age or length) on when my sons' hair should be cut.  I just kind of went with the flow, and when the time came, which is very individual, then cut it.  I'm trying to imagine my friends discussing this issue, and I can't!
 
I've got four children, and my personal feeling is that parents, in general, just need to take children as individuals and quit worrying so much about particular time schedules.  Especially with hair, there is no right or wrong opinion, though I do think that parents making a huge deal out of their children's hair is going to cause undue anxiety for a lot of kids, either during childhood or later.  A relaxed attitude about the topic, especially when there are so many other more important considerations with childhood, is the best.


Posted By: anne6000
Date Posted: July 17 2006 at 7:14am
Originally posted by Hellfrozeover Hellfrozeover wrote:

Until the point comes(if it comes) when her son asks if he can get his hair cut, there's no need for one.
 
What do you suggest for a toddler with long hair that get easily tangled and the child hates sitting still for the hair to be combed or for a very young child whose bangs won't stay to the side and whose hair is always getting in the eyes? 


Posted By: Hellfrozeover
Date Posted: July 26 2006 at 4:55am
That's quite a tricky one. It could be taken either way. Neglect for leaving the child in a mess or removal of rights for cutting it. I suppose it depends on the situation. I suppose you could clip back their hair or tie it back to avoid mess or tangling or encourage them to sit out the combing with rewards for enduring it without moaning.


Posted By: anne6000
Date Posted: July 26 2006 at 12:29pm
Originally posted by Hellfrozeover Hellfrozeover wrote:

That's quite a tricky one. It could be taken either way. Neglect for leaving the child in a mess or removal of rights for cutting it. I suppose it depends on the situation. I suppose you could clip back their hair or tie it back to avoid mess or tangling or encourage them to sit out the combing with rewards for enduring it without moaning.
 
Do you really suggest tying back or using barrettes in a two-year-old boy's hair?  If so, I respectfully disagree.  My personal feeling is this:  when the child is old enough to take care of his own hair, then he gets the decision on how it should be worn.  I also think that active children at a very young age would probably be happier with relatively care-free hair than having to sit down night after night while someone combs out the tangles.  If the child really wants long hair and is prepared to take care of it, that's a completely different story.
 
I've seen little 4-5-year-old girls with very long hair who weren't allowed to play on the jungle gym or otherwise be active because it would mess up their hair.  Interfering with a child's natural inclination to be active (which is very healthy) because of a fashion in hairstyle is very, very poor parenting, in my opinion.
 
I love long hair!  But when a child is very young, and the long hair takes extraordinary care and interferes with simply being an active kid, then I'd rather it be shorter (which doesn't mean ultra short at all).    Children have little bodies, so the time it takes to grow their hair to mid-back or waist is much shorter than an adult's!



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