A barber's bad day in the office

A man having his beard shaved. (Courtesy/iStock)

I still don’t understand why most parents expect their young sons to have their hair shaved the way they want and not the other way around. You often see a young boy forced to cut his hair bald by his parents, against his wishes. Many times, a boy comes in, chooses his preferred hairstyle, and leaves happy and satisfied with the result.

Then, just a few minutes later, he’s brought back by a furious mother, and I’m instructed to shave off his hair completely.

As a barber, I feel for these kids, but I can’t do much. Some schools, especially public ones, also have unrealistic rules requiring students to shave, and I fail to understand how the length of hair or a hairstyle affects a student’s performance in class.

Why should a top-performing student be forced to shave like a prisoner? A parent once told me he took his kids to a private school, but they were not allowed in because they had dreadlocks. The headteacher cited uniformity as the reason.

The parent got mad and asked why his children were discriminated against, suggesting that other kids could wear dreadlocks too, to achieve uniformity.

The school didn’t agree, so he took his kids to another school. Some schools are more progressive, allowing students to have different hairstyles. These students tend to be happier and more confident.

I interact with many of them, and I can say they don’t suffer from self-esteem issues. One day, I was heartbroken when a young girl was brought to my shop by her dad.

She was in grade 4 and in boarding school. The dad had picked her up on closing day because she hadn’t performed well in her exams, and he suspected her long hair was the reason.

He brought her straight to the barber shop and ordered that she be shaved clean. She had no idea she was the one to be shaved; she thought her dad was getting his hair cut. She cried when her long hair was chopped off.

I felt sad. Did the father realize the psychological damage he caused? That was one of my worst experiences as a barber. I cried after they left.

Another parent once told me she insists on shaving her son’s head as clean as a billiard ball because his hair grows fast, and she doesn’t have enough money for frequent barbershop visits.

It’s understandable, but why bald? Some kids suffer ridicule and bullying at school for being bald. As barbers, it’s hard to know who the client is: the child or the parent.

The parent pays, but the child experiences the service. Most mothers support their sons getting nice hairstyles, while dads, especially those who shave bald, are strict.

They see themselves as their sons’ role models and want them to look and grow exactly like them, not realizing these kids belong to a different generation.

I’m neither a parent nor a teacher, just a service provider who wants his clients happy, whether young or old.