Long hair on your kids?

[Road King]

When I was a kid back in the 70s I fought my parents tooth and nail about my hair. They finally gave in but it was after a valiant battle. Now my kids want thier hair long, and although I see that society my look down on it, I don't really care. As long as they keep it clean and not looking like a rat's nest. Like mine used to.

What about you guys. More like your younger selves or your parents?

[mge80]

My "kids" are girls. Who are now grown and make their own decisions. But, even when they were young, long hair was not an issue.:D

[MGT]

I have two daughters (15 & 16)....they can wear their hair as long or short as they like. Or whatever colour they like...of all the things in this world that are important, hair style is really low on my list. They'll have to be adults soon enough so they may as well enjoy it while they can. I had spiked hair, ear rings, etc when I was young (I'm 44 now so I went through the 80's) and my father made my life hell - I'd never do that to my kids.

[Luke]

Save you energy for bigger issues like good grades, alcohol, drugs, safe sex and permanent things like tattoos and criminal records.

I had a purple mohawk, the Robert Smith do, the Billy Idol do, etc....my parents hated them all but focused on the big issues.

So these looks:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2237/2278795716_c467343441.jpg?v=0

http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Billy-Idol-Photograph-C10102437.jpeg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1037/1141946722_14ad613db5.jpg?v=0

I also had both ears pierced, left 3x right 2x, back in 1985 LONG before it was accepted with 2" gold hoops.

[Road King]

Yea, when I took my oldest son to get his ear pierced my parents flipped. It was great. Like reliving my rebellious teenage years.:JAM

[Stike]

Yea, when I took my oldest son to get his ear pierced my parents flipped. It was great. Like reliving my rebellious teenage years.:JAM

I'm sure I'll feel the same way:roll.My 6 year old son wants an earring, it's hard to tell him he has to wait a few more years when I have one.

When he was in preschool a lot of the other kids had never seen a man with an earring. My favorite question was "Carter's Dad, how come you only have one earring?". One of them accused me of wearing a wig after I bleached my hair white and showed up looking like a chubby Brian Setzer.

As for long hair I don't really care but for boys under 10 or 11 it kind of bothers me, any one seen Celine Dion's or Cindy Crawford's boys?

At one time I had Zakk Wylde hair son if my son grows it out I don't care. If he winds up looking like one of these douchebags though............................................ .

http://www.officialdatingresource.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/joey-porsche-and-friends-1-499x375.jpg

[Seditious]

My son has long hair and I think it looks good. He's telling me he probably wants to cut it next summer because too many kids at school are growing theirs long as well. As long as he gets decent grades and tries hard, his hair is his hair. I won't let my kids get tatoos or body piercings though. They can do that when they're not living in my house anymore.

[Tuberoast]

I don't censor my son's creative expression. He's 17 now, but even when he was 12 I let him grow his hair however he pleased, not long after he wanted to pierce his ear, so be it. He's an excellent artist - his proportions are correct as opposed to my drawings were hands looked like a baseball glove - and has a good, congenial demeanor. Hair doesn't translate into bad grades or unhealthy behavior. Give your son some space!

[Road King]

Ah, you misunderstand. I do give the space. Both the boys have had long hair and pierced ears for a long time. I was just wondering how you guys felt about it. I agree, don't quench their creativiy or individuality in the least. Just guide them in love. Show them right from wrong. And model it.

BTW, I got my first piercing in 79. It just looks stupid now on a fat shorthaired dude. OMG, I look like my dad.:o

And those are indeed the most douchbagged looked idiots I have ever seen. Looks like the guys are trying for the Paul Stanley look from 77. Looked better with the makeup.

[dave r.]

I see ten year old boys with long hair and the styled "doo". Its just what's "in" now. In ten to fifteen years, sitcoms will make fun of it.

[gibsonman1006]

When I was a kid back in the 70s I fought my parents tooth and nail about my hair. They finally gave in but it was after a valiant battle. Now my kids want thier hair long, and although I see that society my look down on it, I don't really care. As long as they keep it clean and not looking like a rat's nest. Like mine used to.

What about you guys. More like your younger selves or your parents?

I'm 48 and my hair is long, even longer than my wife's. And I don't care what society thinks about it. It doesn't make a bit of difference. I'm not a salesman or anything like that. I just run a shipping/receiving dept. in a factory. If they told me to cut my hair, I'd just laugh :roll.

[Flyin' Brian]

There are too many more important things to worry about.

[XKnight]

The length or style of hair does not bother me. I'd be more concerned about what group of kids they are hanging out with.

[kludge]

My son has long hair and that's fine... I have long hair too, and I wanted it long when I was his age but couldn't get it. But I wish to hell I could get him to shave off that pathetic little peachfuzz moustache!

[scottlr]

I went through the same thing with my parents from about 1965 until maybe 1970, when they finally gave up. I didn't cut my hair for years after that. If they'd have let me have that short Beatle cut in 1965, I might not have gone to that extreme. LOL Let them have their hair would be my feelings. Permanent things like tats and piercing is another thing. It's hard to convince a young person that something like that just might not be what you want to portray when you are 30 and looking for a good job.

[90wreck]

Both boys 12/15 have long hair.
Doesn't bother us a bit
My 12 yo is a red belt in Tae Kwon Do.
They are allowed to pull hair when they spar......Most of the opponets have short hair for that reason.

[donnyjaguar]

I have a friend who got his ear pierced when he was 15. His father looked at it, got his wallet out and gave him $20. When he asked what its for his dad said it was for a dress you f*gg*t. I think the earring lasted about a week as the homophonic rhetoric was just too much to take. I always equate body piercing and tattoos to graffiti. The likelihood of it offending the wrong person eventually is pretty high.

[fish78]

I say let it grow...as a matter of fact, I am growing mine back to appox 70's lenth, well maybe note quite that long, but long...have also recently added a full beard....its only hair...

[Flyin' Brian]

My parents gave me all sorts of crap back in the 60s, so I was determined not to do it to my kids. They grew it the way they wanted it.

[gkoelling]

I don't have kids but I'm 52 and still have longer hair than most. I'll wear it short for a few years, get sick of it and grow it out, then get sick of that after a few years and start all over again.

I feel there are more important issues than a young persons hair style and it also seems hair length isn't the social stigma it once was.

The things that are permanent seem to bother me more, tattoo's, etc. I've seen people with ear lobes so stretched they're hideous. Everything is a fad, what will those people do when ear lobes half way to a persons shoulders is out of style? :puh

[eBay]

Adolescence, that awkward time in between being a child and being an adult. I am always amazed that they manage to find some sort of style, haircut, clothes, etc. that totally turns my stomach. Kids will always find a way to annoy their parents at this age. There's no getting around it.

[Tonekat]

I remember watching some TV show in the 80's with my dad. The band "Haircut 100" was on, remember them? They looked like actors from "Brideshead Revisited". My dad made a fuss about the close cropped hair, and I had to say "Hey, you used to make a lot of noise about long hair, now you got what you wanted, so shut up!"

[Frankee]

My boy is turning 14. He's growing it out "Euro-footballer" style. Looks cool. Very rockstarish. My folks gave me the opposite. They hassled me for buzzing my hair down to a stubble. They said I looked like a neo-nazi or a convict. They were/are huge Elvis and Beatles fans. Different strokes and all that.

[soulohio]

are yous guys telling me i have to cut my hair?

all your long hairs are belongs to me.

[The Golden Boy]

A couple of years ago Junior was 13-15 or so- he and all his little friends had the same haircuts that me and my little friends would have had in 1983 or so...


Now he's got the David Beckham "faux hawk."

[Mr. Kite]

It depends on the kid. If he is trying to fit in with the dopers or gang bangers with his outward appearance in any way it's my job to stop it. I give my youngest son a hard time about his hair and how he wears his hat off to the side. Pull up your freakin pants.

[Tonefish]

I really get a kick out of this topic. I don't get into it with my kids over hair length. It's funny when I was young, my parents didn't care how long I grew my hair, but they would NOT let me get an electric guitar and amp. Classical training and acoustics only...yet my Dad flailed away on a full drumset in our den....go figure!:dunno

[Altanon]

I went through the same thing with my parents from about 1965 until maybe 1970, when they finally gave up. I didn't cut my hair for years after that. If they'd have let me have that short Beatle cut in 1965, I might not have gone to that extreme. LOL Let them have their hair would be my feelings. Permanent things like tats and piercing is another thing. It's hard to convince a young person that something like that just might not be what you want to portray when you are 30 and looking for a good job.

Same here. In fact, I think dad's exact quote was, "Your hair will NEVER be that long!" As a result (possibly) I've had long hair all my life (I'm 50 now.)

[jcoggins7]

I'm sure I'll feel the same way:roll.My 6 year old son wants an earring, it's hard to tell him he has to wait a few more years when I have one.

When he was in preschool a lot of the other kids had never seen a man with an earring. My favorite question was "Carter's Dad, how come you only have one earring?". One of them accused me of wearing a wig after I bleached my hair white and showed up looking like a chubby Brian Setzer.

As for long hair I don't really care but for boys under 10 or 11 it kind of bothers me, any one seen Celine Dion's or Cindy Crawford's boys?

At one time I had Zakk Wylde hair son if my son grows it out I don't care. If he winds up looking like one of these douchebags though............................................ .

http://www.officialdatingresource.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/joey-porsche-and-friends-1-499x375.jpg

Call me a douchebag, but I'll get my hair cut if I can hang out with a girl like that all the time lol

But seriously, I think I'd be pretty lenient with my kids on the hair topic (I'm only 20...not interested in kids now of course). Idk about some dos though, like that purple mohawk above. I don't think I'll have to worry about that, 'cause my kids will go to public school, where they currently don't allow unnatural colors like that.

[devnulljp]

People really still give a crap about hair length? Wow!

[aps]

I'm 17 and I keep my hair on the long side, but every few month my mom starts with "when are you getting a haircut?".

My dad doesn't care but he makes me get it cut eventually to make my mom shut up. haha


APS

[stratzrus]

I don't really care. As long as they keep it clean and not looking like a rat's nest.
:agree

But I told my 16 year old boys that when it's time to apply to college that they need to get it cut. It isn't about being such a slave to fashion that you put it ahead of your career, and they get that.

[Road King]

GEEZ, you would never believe this, but I came home this afternoon and both my boys had cut thier hair off short. I liked it better long now. Talk about weird timing.:dunno

[Motorhed]

I usually kept mine pretty normal when I was younger, I did have a rat's tail when I was in the 2nd grade but didn't braid it so it looked more like a mullet lol. Apart from that, it wasn't until after I was out of high school that I did anything wild and that's when I grew it out to a little passed shoulder legnth. I've cut it since, got tired of it and it started to get really ratty lookin(I kept it clean just didn't take good enough care of it). My mom didn't care and my dad said he didn't but I know it bothered him to see me with long hair lol, he never hassled me about it but he'd let out little comments here and there. I know he was glad when I got it cut off, but actually by that point so was I so it was alright.

I don't have kids but if I did, I can't imagine I'd be hard on them about thier hair. I figure as long as they're not doing it to be cool to druggies or other trouble makers that there shouldn't be a problem. Hair isn't anything permantent, I wouldn't want them getting tattoos in high school because I think thats too young to make that kind of decision though.

[devilrob1979]

The best time to have long hair is when you're a kid. You don't have to worry about employers, dress codes, looking professional, nothing. Kids with crazy hair are cool. It's when they wanna look all emoey that I take issue.

[morlll]

I fought my father about hair through the late sixties. When I won the battle it lasted for 2 years.
Long hair is a pain in the ass. Wash it everyday and all that. Now I'm getting bald and it's very short.

My daughter can have any kind of hair she wants. She'll be 17 in Feb.

I do go along with no tats or stupid piercings as this would will make you look unemployable.

[mcknigs]

I'm 50. My parents were somewhat counterculture and didn't say anything about my brother and I having long hair in the late '60s and early '70s. My mom went to battle against teachers once or twice when they made a stink about it. Given that history, I've gotten perturbed when public school has made rules concerning personal appearance as it applies to my daughter. I think sometimes some of the folks in charge at schools have a need to wield authority for authority's sake and they mix that with their own personal fashion tastes to come up with unnecessary rules about appearance. I find it a little strange though, in this day and age, after long hair and short hair and all kinds of hair styles have come and largely stuck around, that anyone in schools would have much to say about long hair being unaccceptable.

-Scott