It’s no secret that families can make things difficult when raising kids. As much help as they can be, they also have a tendency to insert their opinions and beliefs where they aren’t needed or asked for. Sometimes, they even take things a bit too far by making decisions for your kids without consulting you first. One mom learned this the hard way after her mother-in-law shaved her daughter’s head (seriously!) without permission.
A pissed-off mom took to the parenting message boards on to share her story.
Toxic mother in law was a participant in shaving her baby’s hair. | Photo: Cafemom via BabyCenter
“My [boyfriend] and [mother-in-law] shaved my baby,” she wrote. The woman explained that her mother-in-law wanted to shave her daughter’s head for cultural reasons (she believed it would improve the quality of the baby’s hair). The mom revealed that she and her boyfriend had briefly discussed doing so, and while he was all for it, she made it clear that she didn’t care for the idea. But apparently that didn’t matter …
“I come home yesterday from an hour long grocery run to a bald baby,” the mom wrote in her post. “Whether it works or not I’m still upset he chose to do it without my consent and that his mom was a participant, since she’s already in the doghouse for coming over on Christmas Eve and smothering the baby with kisses after she had the flu.”
The woman’s admission was shocking to say the least.
Only a small number of those who commented seemed to think the mom was overreacting.
Photo: Cafemom via BabyCenter
“The hair grows back way thicker and way nicer,” one person wrote. “Chill out!”
Everyone else agreed that the mother-in-law and boyfriend were way out of line for shaving the baby’s head without her mom’s permission.
On comments about her toxic mother in law. | Photo: Cafemom via BabyCenter
“That’s not cool that they did that behind your back,” said one mom. “I would be furious.”
Many told her to lay down the law before her mother-in-law crossed yet another boundary.
Photo: Cafemom via BabyCenter
“This won’t be the last thing if you don’t draw the line now,” one commenter claimed. “MIL needs a nice, long time out. [Dumb husband] needs to wake up — counseling will help.”
Some even suggested that she ban her mother-in-law from spending time alone with the baby.
Photo: Cafemom via BabyCenter
“I would be sobbing,” one person wrote. “I agree that they get no more alone time if they’re going to use it to take advantage.”
The support the mom received was resounding. Even when people in the thread agreed that shaving a baby’s head was a good idea, they all acknowledged that doing so without the mother’s consent was a huge no-no. Hopefully this woman finds a way to express how unacceptable the situation was to both her mother-in-law and her boyfriend so that she never again comes home to more mother-in-law shenanigans.
Does Shaving Your Baby’s Head Make Hair Grow Faster?
Across many Asian cultures such as in Singapore, it’s a common belief passed from mum to mum: shaving your baby’s hair will make it grow longer and thicker. Is there any truth to this?
The bald answer: no.
The texture of your baby’s hair is genetically predetermined from birth,
according to Leonica Kei, director and senior trichologist at Singapore’s Philip Kingsley Trichological Centre. Babies are born already possessing all the hair follicles they will ever have.
In fact, experts advise that parents might want to delay shaving their babies’ heads, for fear of injury.
Lead image: Kostyakova Ekaterina/Shutterstock.
This article was first published CafeMom and was republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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