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AIBU?

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Original poster

Son cut his hair in school

115 replies

Shmee1988 · 06/02/2025 09:54

Hi everyone. I'm just looking to gage some opinion on this one. My DS is 5 and in year 1. Yesterday when my DP collected him from school he had a HUGE chunk of hair missing, right at the front of his head. My DP asked the teacher what had happened and she said she didn't know as she hadn't even noticed the (astonishingly obvious) massive chunk of his hair missing. When asked, my DS said that him and his friend had both cut there hair with scissors while doing an arts and crafts lesson. Another child had also cut up a tennis ball behind the sink.... I was a bit upset that this was able to happen and annoyed at the lack of supervision but no harm done (this time).... so my attitude has been very much 'kids will be kids, it'll grow back' no need to make a fuss. However, upon relaying this funny anecdote to others, it seems that some people feel I'm not taking it seriously enough. I did speak to the teacher and she said she was distracted by another group of kids and I understand that she cannot have eyes in the back of her head, all kids need supervising and my DS is old enough to know it was a stupid thing to do. Apparently some others are of the opinion that I need to be raising my concerns with the head and be more concerned about the level of supervision. Dont get me wrong, I am concerned and I've made this known but it can't be undone and I don't see what good will come of making an already stressed out teacher feel bad about it. Equally, it could of been so much worse and someone could of got hurt. Am I being too relaxed?

YANBU - give the teacher a break, she's likely stressed enough as it is.

YABU- take it more seriously and complain about the lack of supervision of 5 year olds with scissors.

OP posts:
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JMSA · 10/02/2025 00:48

Don't listen to the others! I mean, those in real life who've been stirring it up a bit.
Your initial reaction was sensible and the right one! Definitely don't complain.

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/02/2025 23:43

ExpressCheckout · Yesterday 09:32
**
^ Exactly. Ignore those tiresome people who expect everything to be perfect all of the time and look for reasons to complain. This will be one of those funny stories to tell when he's older”

Quite. Apart from the big, family wedding, do take photos, OP, and take them out at appropriate times when he becomes a know it all teenager who never gets anything wrong 😁

Lokielo · 09/02/2025 22:27

Could be worse. I know a child who managed to cut their teacher’s hair!

TheTwinklyLemur · 09/02/2025 21:54

When I was aged seven in first year juniors and trying to grow my hair, my best friend was combing my hair while the teacher wasn't looking and got it stuck, so she cut my hair off to where the comb was with art scissors. It took months to grow it back.

ExpressCheckout · 08/02/2025 09:32

so my attitude has been very much 'kids will be kids, it'll grow back' no need to make a fuss.

^ Exactly. Ignore those tiresome people who expect everything to be perfect all of the time and look for reasons to complain. This will be one of those funny stories to tell when he's older!

CoffeeCakeAndALattePlease · 08/02/2025 09:28

Crikey, it happens often with lots of children!
Id laugh it off and move on… most kids regret it and won’t do it again.

WhateverEh · 08/02/2025 09:26

All kids cut their hair at some point. Pointless getting cross

mrsnjw · 08/02/2025 09:23

@Philandbill no not actual pritt sticks, silly!! Some moody knock off brand that don't stick and dry out in about thirty seconds. But hey ho they are cheap.

Philandbill · 07/02/2025 18:55

Well, it might have been worse. When DD1 was in a science lesson in year 7 (set 1 in a large comp, no SEND needs) one of the kids stuck scissors into one of the plug sockets on the lab bench.... DD2 a couple of years later reported that in her science safety talk at the start of the year it included the instruction "do not stick scissors in the plug sockets". I'm sure the poor teacher was probably imagining rolling their eyes.....

stayathomer · 07/02/2025 14:26

crankytoes

that’s true but all I’m thinking is it’s a scissors, it’s possibly the only time there could be an issue

crankytoes · 07/02/2025 13:18

stayathomer · 06/02/2025 10:08

My sons friend cut off her hair at home and had to get a pixie cut. I’m torn op, A class of five year olds- you wonder who could stop something like that happening but then they are there to watch them … very split but yes would be afraid the teacher would get in trouble

So I guess your friend should get in trouble with social services then as they were looking after what? One? Two? Maybe three dc when her son cut his hair?

Dc will always do things when no one is looking. One person can not watch every dc every minute

crankytoes · 07/02/2025 13:17

So all the parents whose dc have done this at home are negligent?
Your friends are bonkers.

MrsCarson · 07/02/2025 10:20

Two out of three of my kids did this in school. Both were the reason their teacher put all the scissors on a high shelf that year.
It happens often. Kids need to learn what they can and can't do the teacher isn't watching toddlers, they should learn not to cut their hair.
I hope you weren't blaming the teacher in front of your child.

luckylavender · 07/02/2025 09:46

@Gogogo12345 - thank you

Gogogo12345 · 07/02/2025 09:32

luckylavender · 07/02/2025 08:52

Shoreditch?

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Hipsters

Gogogo12345 · 07/02/2025 09:31

vodkaredbullgirl · 06/02/2025 10:17

Both my dds have done it, not to each other though 😆

Mine did cut each other's hair once while I was cooking dinner

SparklesGlitter · 07/02/2025 09:25

Macaroni46 · 07/02/2025 07:26

When I was still teaching, we used to trade in pritt sticks 😂

Show quote history

I was the one with a stash no one knew about. Half a box left in July. Then September I got another box. Taught reception at the time too. When I left I dug them out of the cupboard and said to the new teacher to not tell anyone where they were hidden 😆 Don’t get me wrong if anyone asked I always gave a glue stick (it’s about the children at the end of the day), but I always went to get them without being watched. Sounds so weird, but particularly in reception people from further up the school would assume endless resources so help themselves after I’d gone home. But not to glue stick though 🤭

luckylavender · 07/02/2025 08:52

Kuretake · 06/02/2025 10:01

This happened in my son's class in year one - a little girl cut a massive chunk of hair off at the front and looked like she worked in Shoreditch for months afterwards. Her mum found it quite funny. My DS was absolutely enthralled by the idea you could just cut your own hair. He was clearly very impressed and went on about it for ages so I had to keep an eye on him around scissors for a while!

I don't think it's the teacher's fault, just one of those things

Shoreditch?

MugsyBalonz · 07/02/2025 08:39

Macaroni46 · 07/02/2025 07:26

When I was still teaching, we used to trade in pritt sticks 😂

Show quote history

We still do! Towards the end of summer term I traded three big rolls of sellotape for half a dozen glue sticks, I got the sellotape by trading the last four red exercise books for it, later that week I traded two blue exercise books for a box of pencils and an unopened pack of blu-tac for a roll of backing paper.

OP, at least he cut his own hair and not someone else's. Silver linings and all that.

queenvelux · 07/02/2025 08:26

This has made me laugh, it's such a rite of passage at that age! I cut myself a dreadful, really short fringe when about 4 years old. Apparently I hid under my bed as I didn't like the result! And my reception aged child stopped one of his pals from trimming someone's eyelashes 😂😂I know it's not safe, but honestly, the poor teachers....

Shootingstar11 · 07/02/2025 07:54

I was that teacher! First time giving a new class safety scissors, had explained the safety rules, and literally the minute this little boy got them in his hand he snipped the front of his hair off!! I couldn’t have prevented it. It was like he couldn’t help himself 🙈 I was so nervous about telling his parents but they were fine. So yeah I’d say give the teacher a break, she’s probably stressed out about it anyway.

ShiftySquirrel · 07/02/2025 07:49

My DD did it at school too, though a little older.

I didn't notice for a few days I think so I'm not surprised the teacher didn't. She or a friend (never cleared that bit up) cut a snip almost to her scalp right on top of her head.
DD had dark hair so you couldn't notice it too much... Until it grew a bit and stood straight up... High pony tails for a while after that!

She also gave herself a small fringe that summer. Then grew out of the fascination.

You sound sensible OP. Ignore your friend.

itsgettingweird · 07/02/2025 07:40

This is entirely common nationally and probabaly internationally in early years settings.

5yo can use scissors safely. However they are 5. They are impulsive and experimental.

Often the 2 combined lead to some interesting haircuts or unique upholstery.

Ignore the others, your response were perfectly rational and sensible.

It's your ds who needs to be told how to behave sensibly. The teacher has 1 pairs of eyes!

Macaroni46 · 07/02/2025 07:30

SherryPort18 · 07/02/2025 07:13

I haven't read the full thread so sorry if this has already been said. I think you should clarify if there was a TA in the class. If not, I would take it to the head. You will sound like 'that parent' but it might help the case for the class getting a TA.
This is from a Y1 teacher and because of budget, we are losing our TAs in the afternoons. Things like this (or worse) happen when 1 adult is supervising 30 five year olds.

Add to this the increasing number of children who need help with toileting. When I taught year 1, I had no TA in the afternoons, a child with a developmental age of 18 months and at least 5 other children with SEND and a couple who needed help in the toilet. Luckily I had supportive parents but I still couldn't sustain that level of stress and burned out.
In OP's case it's just one of those things that most children do at some stage.

1AngelicFruitCake · 07/02/2025 07:28

My daughter did this at home at that age and I was cross with her for being so silly! They are old enough to know better! Glad you're understanding not the teachers fault, they can't be expected to watch 30 children with scissors. Hopefully your son will realise what a silly thing he did and not do it again.