We expect that adolescents and teenagers will want to have a say about their hair. Young children, on the other hand, are often expected to have no say in how their hair is cut and/or styled. Many of us get in a “groove” and once we have found a style that works well with our child’s hair we just keep cutting the same month after month. Your child might have a preference, or it might be time to make a change—even young children might like a new hairstyle now and again.
Think of what a saucy new hairstyle does for you—it improves self-esteem and can give you an overall boost in mood. Sometimes, it just feels physically better and looks healthier. I know there are those who have had the same hairstyle for twenty or thirty years and are perfectly, practically happy with that—but there are those who would argue that an update might be in order. For a young child, they may need something practical, but a little change can be good too.
Remember that hair grows back. We get so uptight about doing anything “drastic” with our child’s hair and we may be partial to a certain look, but hair does grow back so even if trying a new hairstyle for a child turns out to be less-than-ideal, it will grow back and you can try something new. Allowing your child to have a say and enjoy trying new looks may help him or her to feel more confident and less uptight about such things, and it might be a way that you can allow for some independence so that it does not have to become a big issue as the child gets older. Why NOT have fun with it? Let the child pick something out of a book or try the latest trend? As mentioned earlier (a time or two)—it will grow back.