I Guess the "Your Kid Looks Like a Girl" Tactic Didn't Work

There's been quite the to-do in a Texas town lately, where a boy is serving a suspension because of his unruly hairstyle.

The boy is 4.

According to the dress code in the school district of Mesquite, a town that I'm guessing must have decent barbecue, "boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt." The boy's mother, who has a different last name than her son (not judging, just sayin'), has been ordered to put the his hair in upbraids.

The mom claims that in trying to braid the kid's hair, "the scalp will actually bleed," so the best she could do is tie it up into one big ponytail atop the center of his head.

As someone who's had a number of struggles during the process of styling his daughter's hair — an easier task would be putting tube socks on a small boar that's under the influence of PCP — I can't imagine what this mother is doing that is making the scalp bleed. Unless that kid has a very delicate scalp, I can only image what kind of tools the mom is using to twist her son's hair (an outboard motor propeller?).

The poor little fellow, who likely doesn't quite understand what the hell is going on, has been serving "n-school suspension — assigned to a teacher's aide in the library, far from his classmates." This is obviously an excellent use of that teacher aide's time, who has to answer questions from the boy such as, "Why can't I sit with my classmates?" If I were the teacher's aide, I'd take my chances and just braid the kid's hair myself.

That being said, and understanding freedom of expression or whatever Bill of Rights thing can be cited here, let's be honest. It's a boy. Just cut his hair. With Jackson, we have him buzzed down almost to the skull when the weather gets warm, which in this case is any temperature above 60 degrees. The hair (what little exists) is easy to wash, dries before he even steps out of the tub, and requires no styling. Plus, he seems to act more civilized when his hair is shorter.

I've been wanting to shave Sasha's head ever since her hair grew out as an infant: it's difficult to wash it, let alone get all the shampoo out; if you don't spray it with detangler and brush it immediately it becomes a knotted mess; and the next morning she refuses to let us put it up, and she arrives at daycare looking like she was raised by polecats.

So, lady, just cut the kid's hair. Based on your defiance this early in your son's life, you'll probably have plenty of other battles with the school district to worry about before he enters junior high.
Read more...