AIBU to not be devastated that my DS has red hair

[EvenFlo]

I have a beautiful, healthy 7 week old son who is smiley and basically gorgeous (biased of course).

But shock horror he has a mass of red hair!!

The response I am getting to this from some people is utterly ridiculous - 'oh don't worry it will change', 'oh I am sure it will go blonde', 'oh he is lovely regardless'. This is usually accompanied by slightly sympathetic head tilts.

WTAF - he has hair that might be red (or dare I say ginger) - he doesn't have a bloody life threatening illness or contagious disease. It's just hair!

Does anyone have any suggestions for suitably cutting responses to these comments. It maybe I have it wrong - maybe having red hair is far more terrible than I am realising.

Rant over.

I love red/ginger hair. There is a lot on my mum's side of the family. I've got natural red flecks in my hair and it looks really red in the sun or in photographs. I used to due my hair proper ginger and used to get so many compliments about it from strangers (I didn't always 'fess up that it was from a bottle).

My toddler is still a bit of a baldy and we can't tell yet if he is going to be blonde or red. I don't mind either way, but we have had a few of the comments you've had - "Oooh, it looks like it could be going red. Haha - he's a ginge"

On another note, I complimented a baby at a baby group on his gorgeous red curls. His mum said that it was rare to get a compliment and most people said derogatory comments about it. I don't understand it at all. A lot of these comments come from people who are normally so PC about any other personal attributes.

Evenflo - my 12 week DS looks like he is going to have red hair (he only has a tiny amount of hair at the moment bu it has a definite red tinge.) I also like the description 'kissed by fire' as DS has a fiery temperament (not such a good thing when he's screaming blue murder for milk within 3 seconds of waking up!)

Red hair is striking! I was a ginger baby until the age of two when it suddenly darkened, now I'm a brunette with some red strands running through. I believe I am what is known as a 'secret ginger'!

I am always suspicious about people who are ginger-ist, because it's unfortunately still a socially acceptable prejudice. It makes me wonder what other less socially acceptable prejudices they are hiding.

Even flo - congrats on your baby. Your baby has hair - that's great. Who cares what colour.

Hi Evenflo how could I not post?!? DH AND myself are both blessed with red hair.....so is ds. As he was arriving midwife said 'he's got lots of black hair' DH looked at me in horror....thankfully only birth gunk, his hair is a beautiful red. However lots of people seem weirdly unkind about this.....think THEY are strange.
My mum did say the hair was an indication of a temper and if people don't heed the warning then that's their problem many blessings on your little red man xx

Ignore them
I'm a lifetime ginger and my gorgeous DS is a ginger too. I love it. I think he's the most beautiful little soul I've ever known my DH says I'm not allowed to call DS 'Ginger' but I say, own the name, then if someone calls you the name it doesn't hurt. Plus its now our little club, so i can call DS my 'Ginger' and DH can't 'cos he ain't one
I've had people shout at me 'hey ginger' from across the road. I think it's hilarious and ignore them. Knobs

I love red hair and am very pleased that DS is a redhead. It is really beautiful.

I'm a redhead and have never had anything but positive comments.
Have noticed a huge increase in comments in the media over the last 10 years or so though, and think it is now 'fashionable' to do so. Rather like the 'dumb blonde' comments - a form of bullying too.

Frankly, any rude comments should be met with with an equally rude "what the fuck is wrong with being a redhead?" This kind of crap needs to be challenged.

Certainly wouldn't let them think I was hurt by their comments.

Congratulations on your beautiful baby by the way

OP, do you not realise how much this is going to cost you over a lifetime in high factor sun cream?

But seriously, OP, you have come into contact with some nutters.

I have a freind who was desperate for her DD to have red hair. Every time the sun shone she would ask me "Can you see the red, can you, can you?"

Me; "Um, no...your DD's hair is exactly the same colour as my DS's....brown..."

YANBU red rocks.

gosh what idiots ... my twins are red headed / ginger and are beautiful ! people are just ridiculous sometimes x

I have 2 redheads. Both grown up now.

Ds1 is 21 and has long wavy fiery red gold hair,its stunning. When he grows a beard its the same colour,we call him the ginger Jesus :o. He was bullied mercilessly in school,it was awful. It only stopped when he was around 15. School wasnt interested as its not really discrimination you know

Dd1 also has long red hair but a totally different shade of red,much deeper but not even close to brunette,its very very red also.Instead of flame coloured its like the hot embers you get,deep rich and warm. Her hair is straightened to death wavy too but not as much as Ds1.She did not get bullied at all.

Most of the comments I got when out and about with them were about Ds2. He has dark hair dark eyes and a darker skin tone ( their father is Italian ) Everyone wanted to know if he was mine too or adopted :o

Madness! I spent a sodding fortune on henna in my youth trying awaken my non-existent copper hi-lights and look like that woman out of Brave ...

As for the red-haters, try a sweet smile and " Don't be stupid, if it's good enough for Titian and the Pre-Rafs it's good enough for me ... "

Sometimes it's the very pale skin tone/pale eyelashes associated with red hair that puts people off. Well that is called prejudice, just as it would be prejudiced to be "put off" by dark skin.

I am always suspicious about people who are ginger-ist, because it's unfortunately still a socially acceptable prejudice. It makes me wonder what other less socially acceptable prejudices they are hiding. Agree with this.

How about ... " He can dye it if he fancies, but you'll always be a twat! "

'ginger jesus'!

Aww my son had red hair when he was born it was absolutely gorgeous and I was so thrilled one of my kids had red hair. I was absolutely gutted when a few months later it went blond! He's gorgeous regardless of his hair colour of course but I am so disappointed though
Love red hair and kids with red hair are so bloody cute

I am, or was, ginger/red. Along with both DGFs, DM, DB, DNeff, DNeice and DD has definite copper in her.

Oh, and we're all extraordinarily prone to violence.

It's not gingerist - or any other 'ist' - to have a preference re skin tone, hair colour etc. I was just pointing out that while of course ginger can be gorgeous, you can't expect it to be everyone's favourite colour. But that's different from prejudice.

Being "put off" by a particular skin colour, is a bit more than it just not being someone's favourite though.

"Yeah but at least he isn't an ugly fecker"

But GreyGardens (I love your username btw, my favourite documentary!) a new mother would never see someone trying to commiserate with her over the birth of a baby with blonde or dark hair, only red hair. Apparently even Charles had an 'ugh' reaction to Prince Harry when he first saw him. It is a prejudice.

I smiled this morning as I noticed in the sunlight that DD's hair has a strong red tone to it (11 weeks old and as bald a coot, but the little hair that is coming through- def red)

As mentioned up in the thread- we want a little Merida- so hoping she is red!