It's likely that most people with curly hair will admit that they have specific preferences for their hair. They are picky when it comes to hairdressers and know exactly how they want their hair to look. Moreover, certain cultures place a great deal of value on a person's hair; it shapes their identity. So cutting their or their kids' hair without permission is really a bad idea.
One Reddit user recently shared her story online, furious after finding out that her mother-in-law decided it was a good idea to cut her son’s hair. And spoiler alert - it was, in fact, a terrible idea.
More info: Reddit
Cutting a child's hair without a parent's permission is never a good idea, but when that parent feels strongly about hair, it's far worse
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual photo)
This woman shares that one time, her MIL decided to cut her daughter’s hair, which made her furious, but because her daughter adores her grandma, she let it slide
Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)
She notes that she’s Hispanic, thus hair means a lot in her culture
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
However, after this followed MIL’s decision to cut the woman’s son’s hair without permission
Image credits: u/_Wrongdoer69
She added that she’s furious and hasn’t spoken to her MIL since, while her son’s father can’t understand why it’s such a big deal
Recently, a Reddit user shared her story with one of the communities dedicated to posts about MILs, where users can vent, ask for advice or come for support. The woman stated that her mother-in-law cut all of her son’s hair off without permission and she is furious. The post caught a lot of attention and collected over 1.4K upvotes and 168 comments.
The original poster (OP) pointed out that she’s Hispanic, thus hair means a lot to her, to say the least. To begin with, she noted that her MIL once cut her daughter’s bangs and she lost her mind. However, because her daughter adores her grandma, she let it slide to a certain degree. However, she completely lost it when MIL cut her son’s hair off.
She noted that MIL had permission one time to bring him to the hairdresser, but that was it. OP added that she’s livid and hasn't spoken with her MIL since then. She added that her son’s father doesn't understand why it’s such a big deal. OP emphasized that she has made her boundaries clear and if somebody can’t respect them, they don’t deserve to have her in their life.
Community members backed the woman up in this situation, agreed that her MIL was acting inappropriately and shared their personal situations. “My mom cut my niece's hair. There was hell from my sister for a long time. The whole family was mad,” one user shared. “As a Hispanic myself I made it clear no one will be touching my son’s head under any circumstances,” another shared.
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
“In my Hispanic culture (Dominican and Puerto Rican) we believe our history lives through our hair. Our story begins with our hair,” shared the author of the story with Bored Panda. “We firmly believe that hair holds onto things, so when someone admires your hair while hiding their envy, we believe the feeling of envy will permeate our hair and it won't grow out properly,” OP emphasized.
She added that because her mother in-law cut all of her son’s hair, she is a firm believer that his curl pattern is officially ruined due to how short she had it cut. “Now it's a waiting game to see how his hair grows out.”
We have asked OP what steps she plans to take to address this situation and prevent something similar from happening in the future, and she says she will ensure that MIL is no longer allowed to be alone with her children, as she has betrayed her trust twice now. “I am trying my best to believe it wasn't done maliciously but done because it was getting long and she thought it'd be easier to manage…”
She noted that she has explained to her 8-year-old why she is upset and why what her grandmother did was unacceptable. “She understands and knows to speak up so something like this never happens again.”
Finally, speaking about comments, the OP shared that her reaction was mixed and some of the community members were very judgmental, which she paid no attention to. “Anonymous profiles don't scare me, if they're hiding their identity, why would I be afraid of someone who's afraid to be themselves? The empathetic comments were very comforting and upsetting because why does the generation before us think ‘I know better because I'm older’?” she emphasized.
But what do you guys think about this situation? Did MIL cross the line, or was the woman overreacting? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Redditors stood with her and shared their personal similar incidents
