What would you think if your son refused to get a haircut?

A teenage relative of mine (a 15 year old boy) refuses to get his hair cut. It is incredibly long and ratty looking. It is not styled long, it is just long. He has to move his head from right to left a thousand times a day to move the hair out of his eyes. Without that constant movement his bangs would go to his chin.





He rarely combs it and it tends to be dirty looking also. What would you do if you were his parents? How could you force him to cut his hair?What would you think if your son refused to get a haircut?
I think you should leave it alone. As you know from experience the teenage years are difficult. Its a time of experimentation, learning about ourselves and pushing limits. Its a total control issue for him. Everything in life is out of control now.....his body is changing.....his life is changing.....he is approaching adulthood and he can see it looming which presents him with a plethora of feelings. His hormones are raging now too and its causing him to grasp for a sense of identity and control. Pick and choose your battles. He is intentionally balking because it is a declaration of individuality and seperation. All kids do this from the 2 year old who refuses to eat...to the 7 year old who refuses to wear anything with buttons....to teens who grow long hair and wear ripped jeans. I grew up in the 80s and I can remember my father having a FIT over the styles then....my clothing choices....my wide range of hair colors.........even the boy I went to the prom with who wore 2 different colored shoes and honked his horn in the driveway for me to come out instead of coming in for the parental meet %26amp; greet. Its normal for parents to worry incessantly and wish for a little compliance. But as I sit here (a normal upstanding citizen and mom of teens myself now by the way!) I cant help but think that all those crazy moments of teen frustration and angst are a part of growing up as people. We all act out in our own way and some kid's expressions might be a little more pronounced than others according to their personalities. But at the end of the day as long as the specific act of defiance isnt hurting him or anyone else.....why make a battle out of it? The more attention you give to the hair, the more determined he will be to keep it that way. My 15 year old son just last month chopped off the shoulder length rats nest he had been sporting for nearly a year....all on his own! One day he got the clippers out and asked me to shave it off because he was about to go camping and was worried about ticks....go figure! Reserve your sword for more important battles I say. When in doubt just reminisce about when you were his age and the sorts of stuff YOU did and gauge whether or not it made a difference in the big picture........thats what I do. I think its a more modern approach than being a self appointed general.......I prefer to envision myself as a shepherd.....guiding my flock :))





........about the hygeine issue though....THATS a battle worth fighting......buy him his own toiletries and maybe some cologne since hes a man now and put them in a container in his room or the bathroom and have a private chat with him about dirty people being gross to behold and the bugs who adore chewing dity people flesh...and how girls will be revolted if he stinks like dirty hair. Be sure to use references to that grody boy that once sat in front of you in algebra class with the dirty greasy hair and unpopped zits...





....dont use a disapproving tone though or go too far just keep it light. otherwise you risk bruising his ego too much then he wont listen. just provide the tools and let him be...What would you think if your son refused to get a haircut?
First off if he was mine he wouldn't refuse...in fact there wouldn't be a discussion about it. If he cant take care of it it is gone. No ifs ands or buts about it. As the parent this is a dictatorship not a democracy. Just like when I was 17,18 I wanted my hair long and my parents said fine but if I didnt take care of it , it would get cut off and be short. Guess what I took care of it and at 37 I still have it and its almost down to my knees. Granted being that long I braid it every day but it looks nice and well kept. If you cant take care of it you dont need it.
Honestly? If it looks that bad, wait until he is a sleep and take the clippers to part of it. Yeah he will wake up, but if you do it in a good spot he will have to cut it or he will look like a fool.





He'll probably be mad, but it's up to you whether or not you care.





Good luck.
I guess it's his right, but k would, agaisnt everything I beielve, get my way, and cut it in the middle of the night, or bribe him. That's the good thing about 15 year olds, they have a price, and if you really want a clean-shaven 15 year old, you must pay up.
start taking privlages away, no more friends, parties, money, car, etc. eventually he will have to give in. plus it is your (the parents) house. its their rules and if he doesn't respect that they have a huge problem.
No. He is just a kid. I say let them do what they want with their hair, because its easily fixable.
payy him!!! It always does the trick!
My son does have long hair, long blond dreads to be specific. I would not force ANYONE to get their hair cut. Hair is 100% a matter of personal choice. And you shouldn't be on the parent's back about their son's hair; it's really none of your business. There are so many other important issues out there that I worry about as a parent, hair length seems almost of no consequence; not when there is drugs and alcohol and school... And if you were one of my relatives commenting about my kid's hair I would say: ';since you aren't his parent, and I am, keep your nose out of our business. I like my long haired artist son. He stays out of trouble, he has a good job, and he's a good person with a good heart. When he was in high school he got good marks, and now he's just graduated college and he's making over 20$ an hour. It's what's inside that counts, don't judge by the outside.'; It's really none of your business and you have no right to force him or his parents to do anything. Long hair doesn't automatically make a kid bad, the same way short hair doesn't automatically make a kid good.