@shrill
Can you unplait them? I'm assuming they are plaited.
Why did you decide to have dreadlocks?
Mine aren't plaited. They're just strands of hair glued on to each other by sheer natural force 😀 to form a stronger and bigger strand of hair. But some have combed theirs out when they didn'twant them anymore. It takes ages and a lot of conditioner. Others just cut the hair all off and grow them again in locs or another style.
I call ours locs/locks not dreadlocks 
because they literally lock but dreadlocks is the more known term due to the Rastafarian link.
Why did I decide to lock?
Short version - DD made me realise I'm tired of the process of manipulating our hair and decided to let it do what it wants to do.
Long version - Hair became a job. Everything revolved around doing our hair, maintaining it and due to it's afro texture, it was so tedious to constantly go against its natural tendencies. It shrinks to between 70% - 90% of its actual length so whatever you need to do to it will take some moisture, elbow grease and a bit of stretch to work with.
It's very delicate and can easily break if either over moisturised or too dry or if using the wrong product and ours broke each time I did anything to it besides leaving it free. It's like flipping science trying to find the right balance that may or may not work anylonger months later.
I got the hang of our specific hair needs after about 3 full hair cuts and start-over (big chop) in 6 years but developed back problems, wrist pains and some muscles - if my arms weren't up in the air doing mine, they were doing DD's. If they weren't being moisturised, they were being washed or styled or stretched for the next day and I was actually one of the low maintenance types.
What really got me to say "no more" was that DD became miserable each time I had to 'do her hair'. She's as tenderheaded as I am and probably more. When she began to sob quietly each time I touched her hair even when I was being as gentle as a feather, I started falling slowly into depression because it seemed there was no other way out and our hair HAD TO BE DONE, yet I couldn't continue like this. She was 8/9years old at the time. Up until then, she had managed well with being entertained (videos or games) while I did her hair but I suppose it started getting to her at some point.
Growing up, I was conditioned to think our hair didn't look nice until it was styled a certain way (braids, plaits, twists, straightened, relaxed, weaves or put a wig on if you can't do any of these). All required fussing about with hair.
Since I was raising DD differently (though I was still doing her hair without making it look like a big deal), she couldn't see the point in going through all that for hair. It wasn't that serious. Good old wash, fluff and go was fine by her. Having 'grown' alongside her, I too couldn't see the point anymore either.
We went the loose afro route and felt more free. But since our afro hair (wore it for 2 years) shrunk and tangled a whole lot when worn without keeping it stretched or straightened (In other words it still required a lot of arm workout to keep it detangled), the misery remained. I searched within myself and followed my heart. We had to be completely free. I decided to leave it alone and only wash it - if it wants to lock, so be it.
DD was happy with it. Anything to not tug at her hair anymore no matter how gentle. It was worse if anyone else touched it. She even considered cutting them but she loves her hair and didn't really want to cut them (I cut mine for the same reason when I was about that age. I still remember begging my parents and crying my heart out. They agreed and I was bald for a while till they grew back. It was worth the rest).