Mom Cut Her Daughter's Hair Off Because She 'Didn't Want To Brush It' Anymore
She's hitting back at anyone who thinks her choice makes her a "horrible" parent.
TikTok It isn't uncommon for parents to sometimes take the reigns when it comes to their children's appearances, and will often make decisions that they feel will be most beneficial for their child's overall wellbeing.
In a video, TikTok user Gwenna Laithland revealed to her followers that when her daughter was two-years-old, she absolutely hated having anyone try and brush or groom her hair. Laithland was ultimately fed up with her daughter's constant aversion to getting her hair done and decided to fix the problem herself.
Laithland cut her daughter's hair off because she hated having it brushed.
In Laithland's video, she candidly spoke about the realities of being a mother and that there are sometimes parenting battles that just don't need to be fought right at that moment. "I cut my daughter's hair because I didn't want to brush it," she admitted.
To get ahead of the rude comments from strangers online about how she parents her daughter, Laithland encouraged viewers to actually listen to her story, saying, "I know some of you are already in the comments section writing a whole paragraph of how that's horrible parenting, it's traumatizing, and how could I even, but listen."
She explained that when her now four-year-old daughter was two, she absolutely disliked having the tangles in her hair brushed out. "I'm talking screaming, wailing, gnashing of teeth. WWE-worthy wrestling matches just to untangle her hair," Laithland said.
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After realizing that her daughter was not a fan of having her hair brushed, Laithland took her daughter to the hair salon and had a stylist cut her hair into a bob that fell right underneath her chin.
"Two-year-olds are a lot, they're just getting used to their own bodies, their world is expanding, they're beginning to form opinions of their own, and it didn't feel like to me, that was the right time to begin hygiene battle," Laitland pointed out.
Now, two years later, her daughter loves having her hair brushed and styled, which Laithland credits to her daughter getting older and having a higher tolerance for certain things, like sitting down and letting people groom her hair.
"That's partly because we didn't make it an issue," she continued. "We minimized the conflict by minimizing the amount of hair we had to brush. Some might say that's capitulating to a two-year-old, I say work smarter, not harder."
Laithland added that as a parent, her job is to teach her daughter many useful tools that can help her through life, but those lessons don't have to be taught all at once, or from that young of an age.
It's important for young children to have a say in aspects of their identity changing.
While Laithland cutting her daughter's hair was born out of her child not being comfortable with her hair being brushed and styled, it is important to consider the potential impact that cutting a child's hair without their consent or input may have on their self-esteem and sense of autonomy.
For some children, their hair may be an important aspect of their identity, and cutting it without their permission can be traumatic for them. Forcibly cutting a child's hair can be a form of emotional or psychological abuse, as it can be a way for a parent to exert control over their child's appearance.
In Laithland's case, she listened to her daughter's reaction and ultimate dislike for having long hair, and it seemed to pay off in the end. Other parents agreed, praising Laithland in the comments section and sharing similar stories they did with their own kids.
"I did the same. She was 3 and I told her that we could fight to brush her hair or we could cut it. She said cut it," one parent wrote.
Another added, "Yes! My daughter HATED letting me brush her hair and I said well we can cut it off and she was all for it, and it was so cute!"
Every parenting situation is different, but being able to listen and catch on to your child's cues while also understanding that they don't need to have it all figured out and be able to problem-solve at such a young age is definitely important.
"Sometimes waiting a bit to encourage skill mastery is okay. They don’t have to be good at all of it immediately," Laithland wrote in the caption of her video.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.