dgs long hair

My ds had beautiful long, curly blonde hair until he was 3.5 and then we had it cut for starting nursery. I was heartbroken but there was less tolerance of anything different then. DH also had long hair in the 70's which I loved but he got a proper job and the hair went. He does still tend to keep it ever so slightly longer than the norm though. My brother also had a mass of long curly hair in his 20's and is still affectionately known in the family as Dandelion!

Thank you everyone for your comments.

DGS is 2 years old and has no opinion whatsoever on his hair length. And has about 3 or 4 years before he starts school.

Luckygirl ""Why would my DH think dgs should have a haircut"" ??..... Because dh thinks it looks too girlie.

I think dgs hair is beautiful, it's almost to his waist.

Here in UK, When my ds himself was in Upper 6 at Grammar School his own really thick copper hair was at chin level, it was a shaved undercut so looked sort of normal, and at the weekend the top longer length pulled up into a pony tail on top. Then ds went on to uni where his hair ended up half way down his back, a beautiful straight copper curtain.

Now my ds is still 'his own person' with a normal haircut. My dil who is in the music / arts business is also very much her own person... and 'alternative' to us means nothing to them,

As long as my dgs is not teased then I'd be delighted for him to have it as long as his parents want let it grow to. And as previous posters have indicated dgs will of course eventually have his own opinions.

I am delighted to hear all shades of opinion

Can't see any problem. Why would your DH think it's "time he got it cut"? I can't make any sense of that at all. For what reason should he have it cut?
We rattle on on Gransnet about gender stereotyping and how toys should be gender neutral, and yet there is this strange idea that boys cannot have long hair.

My DGS had lovely long blond hair till he was 12 and then decided himself that he wanted to cut it. He was fine with it long and is now fine with it short. No problem.

My DS2 story is very much like Rubysong's, in that when he went away to Uni, he started to grow his hair. Eventually it reached half way down his back. For work he kept it tied back, and looked gorgeous when suited and booted. His sister kept asking when he would get it cut, and I kept saying that he would when he felt it was right. Time came when he made the decision and he had it styled in a conventional cut. He was sponsored for the cut, then donated his hair, lots of it, to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer. Felt very proud of him

I should add that in his 20s, DS1 shaved his head. As a chef, it was cooler in the kitchen. The hair came and went but as he became progressively thinner on top, he preferred to be completely bald. The last time I saw him with hair was at his wedding 15 years ago!

The men in my family have lovely hair - most unfair to the girls. There is nothing wrong with long hair on a man, so long as it is well cared for.

My son had a pony tail well into his twenties. He came back from a holiday with it cut short, and I hardly recognised him.

Two sons-in-law with short back'n sides, as was OH's.

One grandson has a pony tail (musical aspirations), the other tried his hair long for a while in his early teens but changed his mind and now wears it longer and fuller than average, but not very long.

I don't think a boy would be teased these daysfor going to school with long hair. Put an elastic band on it to keep it back from his face.

DS1 stood out proudly at secondary school (when he was 15) by virtue of his shoulder length hair, very nicely cut and with burgundy highlights. Some schools would have sent him home, I'm sure. To do them credit, his school tolerated his hairstyle.

My GS at 9 still wears his blond, wavy hair long. He had it trimmed a touch for school but not much. His school is quite laid back about this. There are several Sikh (?) boys at his school who have long hair sort of scrunched into a top knot under a black stretchy hat thing so I think all the other pupils just accept these differenced as normal

From about the age of 15 to 30 my son had long curly hair similar to Brian May. He usually had it in a pony tail.
I think with regard to that with younger boys any level of teasing might depend on what sort of area your children's primary school is in.

Neighbours where my DD used to live had twin boys - identical, but because of their twin-to-twin syndrome in the womb, there was a noticeable difference in size. The smaller twin always had beautiful, long, wavy hair, while the larger one had a traditional boy's haircut. The long haired boy was, because of his slighter build, often mistaken for a girl, but even as they grew older it didn't bother him. They had lots of friends. Their father had very long dark hair, often just left loose. 'Stereotype' was not a watchword in that family

I wouldn't worry about your DGS. I doubt 4/5 year olds at school will take much notice beyond the occasional curious look or comment, and by the time he's old enough for it to be serious, targeted teasing, they will all be used to him. Or he may have short hair by then!

When DS2 was about seven he had a crew cut and rat's tail. It was what he wanted and the school didn't object so we let him have it as we thought he would get it out of his system. He stayed like that for about a year and I think I still have the rat's tail in an envelope somewhere.
In his twenties he let his very curly hair grow out like a dandelion clock, then had it shaved off for charity. No reason why boys shouldn't have fun with hair. He is now 35 in a proper job with short, neat hair.

I love to see little boys with long hair. My DGS has just started school with a little friend from nursery who still has long blond hair. DGS commented last week that he would like his hair long like his friend. I think young children accept what they see.

DS had very long hair as a teenager and after several years of conventional hairstyles, at 32 now has a topknot - not everyone's taste but it suits him. I agree with bags that there is no reason why boys and men shouldn't have interesting hairstyles.

My DGS is nearly three and has a halo of very curly blond hair. He has been referred to as she in playgrounds despite being obviously in boys clothes.
I would not worry at this stage but I would not send a boy to school with long golden ringlets because they would probably be badly teased.

Ha, ha, that was a message to DS, the fluffy one is his dog who is a permanent lodger here, in case it appeared a bit too graphic.

What I meant to say on here was that the little boy across the road, long flowing blonde locks, has been shorn to within an an inch of his life ready to start nursery tomorrow. Maybe that will be when your DGS looses his hair Coolgran the brush was never his friend so his hair had 'interesting* days too.

My little gs was two and had gorgeous long blond hair and then his mum had it cut. I was really sorry as I loved it. I suppose at 2 it was just " cutesy" but I think I feel that by 5 it would need to be shorter. Im sure his parents don't plan to keep it long, they are just enjoying it for now. And as someone said, he will soon complain if he goes to school with it still long and gets teased. Don't worry at all for now, I'm sure he attracts quite a log of ( nice) attention.

Oooo, shall look forward to that as will the fluffy one xxxxx

I don't like it but there is nothing you can do- I wouldn't comment.

Only last evening I was chatting to a neighbour and we discovered that our GSs were in the same class , I asked his name and he said "M but as there are two Ms he is known as curly M as he has very long curly hair".
I wouldn't be concerned, he will tell them soon enough when older if he doesn't like it.

He may get a few comments from his peers when he starts school along the lines of only girls have long hair.... Children do like to categorise. But if he's a confident, self assured young man he'll be fine. It's up to him. Equality and all that. Does he want his hair cut?

Boys can wear pony tails. I know a few men who wear their hair in a pony tail. One of them has hair down to his waist. It's very neat as he has several ties around its length, an alternative to plaiting, I suppose. Chinese men and American First Nation men traditionally had long hair in plaits or other arrangements. Then there are older fashions from the UK too. Think Charles I and II. No real reason why boys can't have long hair.