To not cut my sons hair?

[Jeleste]

DS is 6 and he wants to grow his hair.
He usually gets quite sweaty on his head, so we compromised and i am allowed to cut his hair short on the sides and the back. He wants to keep it long on the top. His goal is to eventually have hair like Rapunzel

At the moment his long hair at the top reaches down to his chin. The problem is that its wavy and quite wild and its always hanging in his face. It doesnt seem to bother him at all, but it bothers everyone else, because it looks very untidy. Everyone keeps telling me to cut it already (DH, grandparents etc.)
The thing is, i think it really suits him, i just wish he would let me tie it back for school at least, so he doesnt look untidy. He looks really cute when its tied back and he lets me do it at home. It doesnt really bother me that he looks unkept at school when i dont have to look at him But DH thinks it doesnt reflect well on us to have him walk around looking like he's homeless.
DS let me tie it back for school once. He said most classmates were really excited about his new look, but his 2 best friends didnt like the attention he got and started telling him he looks like a girl, so now he refuses to tie it up again.

AIBU to let him get on with it, since it doesnt bother him and he really doesnt want it cut?

DS 8, nearly 9 is growing his hair. The deal is he can have it long IF he takes care of it, otherwise he has to have it cut.

He has luscious thick hair, it's just lovely!

He changed schools at the end of year 3 which had helped. At his old school all the boys had very short hair, lots of them obviously using hair products and looking very footballery. At his new school there's quite a few boys with longer hair, they just have to tie it back if it's past their shoulders.

Loads of footballers have longer hair and have it back in those thin headbands, show him a few pics of them, not too girly and a bit more practical maybe?

You're very welcome. David Beckham wore one back in the day but I doubt whether your son would care. Sergio Ramos wears one too. Perhaps you can Google footballers with headbands and find someone he admires.

I have tried showing him pictures. DH and i have been watching vikings and i even googled pictures of those actors to show him extremely non girly men with buns and braids. To no avail. His friends calling him a girl took all his confidence.