Ask Amy: Sex offender lives in the neighborhood
She denies doing this and is very upset.
Her bangs were cut all the way up to her hairline, and one whole side was cut short, while the other was left longer.
I am worried that she would do this. It seems really dangerous and self-harming. And she denied doing it, when she obviously did. So she’s lying.
My husband and I are not sure what to do about this. We don’t know how worried we should be.
– Worried Parents
Dear Worried: Congratulations – you have just passed a near-universal rite of passage for parents of four-year-olds.
Children this age seem compelled to cut their hair. And most of them lie about it. (I remember blaming my sister for cutting mine while I was asleep.)
This is not self-harming. This is beautifying. And curiosity. And a growing awareness of how scissors work. (It’s quite remarkable that kids who do this don’t seem to injure themselves.)
Stay calm and good-humored. Tell your daughter that hair takes a long time to grow and now that it is cut, she will have to be patient while it grows back. Tell her that scissors are very sharp and that she needs to ask you if she wants to use them.
Take her to a salon or barbershop to have a professional even things out. (Correcting these self-haircuts is probably why the “pixie cut” was invented.)
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