Dear Mom of the child who just cut her own hair,
Right now you’re super upset.
I know you’re seeing your baby with that jagged homemade haircut cut with scissors that she’s not even supposed to be touching, and you’re reacting one of two ways.
Either you’re resigned to what’s done is done, or you are seething and trying your hardest not to throttle her little bitty throat.
Go with that.
See, mom, this haircut thing – as frustrating as it is – is a good thing. Not that you want your child cutting her own hair all the time, but this is (believe it or not) a sign of autonomy.
That means your child is starting to see herself separate from you.
This might have been just an experiment, or maybe she was bored, but think about this: up until this moment, every single decision about your child’s body has been up to you.
From teaching her to hold a spoon, how to walk, how to potty, even (most likely) whether or not she can suck her own thumb.
This one, though, is all her.
What’s the worst that’s happened after all? It’s hair…it’ll grow back. And yes, it looks awful. I mean, Awful.
It’s like Edward Scissorhands came alive in your child and took your sweet baby’s hair from cute to freakishly terrifying in a few small snips, but it’ll be okay.
In a few years, your child will have done way worse things than cutting their own hair:
They’ll be driving.
Dating.
Kissing.
Breaking up.
The talking back will drive you insane.
The new styles of haircuts will drive you insane.
Don’t even get me started on the music…
Right now that little baby just took their first steps toward all of that and I think perhaps that’s what you’re truly terrified of.
I mean, it really is just hair…
So sit back, mom, and take as many pictures of this awful ‘do’ as possible. Take a video.
Remember this moment…because once the teenage years hit you’re going to WISH you could come back here!
Punishment for Child Cutting Hair: Is It Really Necessary?
Wednesday 23rd of August 2023
[…] blogger and writer Jamie Harrington of Totally the Bomb notes that hair-cutting is a sign of autonomy in your child: “Your child is […]
Melissa Frye
Thursday 25th of November 2021
When I was about 6 yrs old my mother put my hair in a bun. I was very tender headed, it was tooooo tight. I told her it was to tight and she told me it was fine. I got the scissors and went outside. Hid around the side of the house and cut the bun off! I loved it!!! To short for mom to "fix" it and I didn't care that everyone called me a boy. LOL But my parents were very upset and I still hear about it!
Chris
Friday 21st of May 2021
When I was around 6, I did this. Now, as a boy, I had longer than average hair, so it was easy. My brother and I were upstairs. Our mother was downstairs. We snuck in her room and grabbed a pair of scissors, and that's when my curiosity began. The first scissors was too dull - I grabbed the second scissors which was much sharper. The first time I inadvertently cut my hair without knowing since I didn't use my hands to hold it up. The second time I used two fingers to hold a chunk of my hair and successfully cut it. My brother laughed and thought it was cool, then asked me to cut his hair. I did so and then stopped after a few cuts, threw all of our hair in the bathroom trashcan, and my brother and I ran downstairs without knowing how much our hair got messed up. An hour or two later, my mother saw the hair in the trashcan. Needless to say, she was not pleased and sent us to timeout. Neither my brother or I cut our own or each other's hair again after that.
To be clear, my brother is younger than me, so he didn't know better (he was around 4-5 and the time).
amanda
Sunday 21st of March 2021
So i’m not actually a mom, i’m 16 and an older sister. My newly 4 y/o younger sister told me she cut her hair AND her younger cousins hair. i calmly asked where, and she led me to her room. i was mortified. ALL over the floor was curls from her hair, and bits of her cousins. initially when i saw her hair, i thought it was just messy, but when we entered the room and the fact that she cut her hair was confirmed, i could now see every piece of hair that she had cut. she starts preschool tomorrow! she said she wanted to be like rapunzel! she seems really sad and she made me pinky promise to not tell our mom. i’m so stressed. my aunt is going to freak when she sees her sons hair, and my mom is also going to freak is she notices my sisters hair. i literally don’t know what to do. i want to keep the trust between my sister and i, but i feel like i should tell my mom.
Annie A.
Friday 21st of January 2022
@amanda, a pinky promise is a pinky promise. It is good to build trust with a sibling, but you also need to teach them right from wrong. I suggest talking to her calmly and tell her you will keep it a secret until an adult notices it. Then encourage your sister to tell them what happened. This will strengthe your bond, while also teaching your sister to take responsibility for her actions. In my opinion, this is the best approach. I hope this helps you.
Home Plix
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Hi buddy, Now this is so a critical problem to cutting hair. I just read your blog. You have just given a nice example. Great work, thanks for sharing your amazing blog.
https://homeplix.com/how-to-cut-your-own-hair/