Children with dreadlocks, any opinions please?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

My friends children are 1/2 swedish 1/2 irish and they have washed but never brushed or shampooed their hair, so they have naturally formed curly dreadlocks.
My friends do the same, and their DC's hair looks really cute, but one is about to start school and I worry he may be picked on for it.
I also worry what they would do about nits (hot topic as we have them at the moment)
My friends seem very relaxed about it and aren't worried at all, but I know how mean children can be.

Would you judge a child/ his parents at your school if they were the same?

woohoo for spider and cory.

My opinion is, it's their hair.

I have yet to join the nit-haters but once we've been infested I might be induced to be more judgemental.

No opinions one way or another on dreadlocks, but I never shampoo DS3's hair, for various reasons, I just wash it with water, and his hair smells fine and looks okay.

I haven't read te whole thread, but I'd like to add a bit more from my huge fund of nit-facts!

The natural oils in un-shampooed hair does not stop you getting nits.

People with Afro-Caribbean hair are less prone to nits because their hair has a oval cross section rather than round and nits find it harder to get a grip. So black people with dreads may not get nits, but white people certain sure will - and I have no idea how you would get rid of them.

Oh, and I would be amazed if the social services anywhere in the country have the time to bother about how often children's hair is washed!

Parents' decision I suppose.. I wouldn't personally have it for my kids though..

Jesus, can I not have an opinion? Can I not say 'I think locks on European textured hair look horrible?'@cory. Um...I think I can. Infact, I think I just did.

For the record, I think a 'number one' on a small boy looks horrible and military, too. I also think it looks ridiculous when little girls with very thin, fine hair grow their hair down to their bums and half of it is just thin, ratty wisps of barbie hair. I think people who put bobbles and bows in their baby girls' hair when she clearly hasn't got much hair looks silly.
I think lots of things in my own head These are just my honest thoughts that I keep private in RL.

It's up to other people how they wear their hair. I couldn't give a rat's arse. I can have an anonymous opinion on MN about it, though, can't I?

p.s. @ cory I have a mixed raced child with European textured hair, and I would never put it in locks. It would look stupid, and that's quite apart from the fact that we aren't Rastafarians (or Crustifarians).

Dreads are manky full stop, they smell.

And they look especially revolting on european hair.

at how these threads ask for "any opinions?" but negative opinions get shot down for being judgemental.

OP actually asks "Would you judge a child/his parents..." and people have the right to answer "Yes".

Anybody who feels this is too harsh should consider defecting to Baby Centre or some such, where posts glitter and huns hug each other all day.

cory theres really no need to get defensive..shes only saying her opinion which i agree with to be honest also "Lots of Black Mums have white-looking children" they may look white to you but they are still mixed race and most black or mixed race people will be able to tell this no matter how light there complexion is even if you cant..anyway if you are white and want your hair in dread locks go tru..its your hair and you can do what you like with it..im just saying my opinion..

I can assure you social workers do. I work for an organisation that helps advise parents who have issues with social workers.

Maybe unwashed hair alone is not sufficient but, in combination with other factors, the social services would be interested.

MumofHelen - "In combination with other factors" is a bit different from "I've known parents hauled up before the social services for less"!

Gawd no wonder social workers are so over worked if not washing hair is one of the criteria they use

Being obviously/consistently unwashed and not having clean clothes or underwear is a signal of neglect and should be followed up on (according to the "what to do if you are worried a child may be being abused" guide on our noticeboard at work). But that's a bit different to a lifestyle choice of having dreadlocks.

All school kids get headlice.

You can't even find them normally without wet combing, and you can't wet comb dredlocks.

Therefore I think the headlice thing is a deal breaker.