DS needs to tie back hair

[mumwithchums]

DS (10) hair has always been moderately long but recently has come down to his shoulders due to lockdowns (will attach photo tomorrow when account is able to) but due to his hair being so long the school has emailed about his hair having to be tied back when they return to school.He's never had to tie it back before and is mortified about the fact of having to put it in a ponytail even though he is sure he doesn't want it cut.Anyone else had the same issue and if so how did you tie it back?

Simple ponytail at neck. He hates it but is equally adamant he wants it long. He doesn't care that it's a "girl" thing but he doesn't like the hairs catching when I put it back. Most girls with long hair probably learn to put up with hairstyle discomfort from a young age - slightly sobering thought! Used to do "man bun" but I couldn't take the complaining every single morning.

My DS has his hair in braids. Apparently they're not girl braids, they're viking braids.

I do hope the school apply their tying up long hair policy to the girls as well!

@BrassicaRabbit

Simple ponytail at neck. He hates it but is equally adamant he wants it long. He doesn't care that it's a "girl" thing but he doesn't like the hairs catching when I put it back. Most girls with long hair probably learn to put up with hairstyle discomfort from a young age - slightly sobering thought! Used to do "man bun" but I couldn't take the complaining every single morning.

Thankyou! I think I'll start with a simple ponytail while he adjusts to having it back.Does your DS do swimming by any chance as I'm not looking forward to getting all that hair under a cap and need some suggestions.

@bluet1t

I do hope the school apply their tying up long hair policy to the girls as well!

I will be keeping an eye on that when DS returns to school!

@FatCatThinCat I'll show DS some Viking pictures and he might let me french braid it

@BrassicaRabbit

Simple ponytail at neck. He hates it but is equally adamant he wants it long. He doesn't care that it's a "girl" thing but he doesn't like the hairs catching when I put it back. Most girls with long hair probably learn to put up with hairstyle discomfort from a young age - slightly sobering thought! Used to do "man bun" but I couldn't take the complaining every single morning.

Yes, true and yes, quite sobering really. When my dd was little she cut off huge chunks of her own hair so we had to get it fixed at the hairdresser. 'Fixed' meant cutting it really short and even then she needed a comb over thing. Anyway dd was happy as Larry. Did not care at all about her hair. It was only later, after she'd gone back to nursery and children had told her she looked like a boy blah blah that she started to not like it . Really annoyed me. A grown woman even said to her at a party that girls should have long hair and I'm still fuming about it now, years later.

Anyway, to the op, I'm sure he will get used to it. A loose ponytail at the nape of his neck probably won't be too uncomfortable. Or else he can cut it I guess.

Surely all kids have to have their hair tied back at school? My dd has always had to, although it's also in the handbook that boys have to have short hair.

All children have to have hair tied back in my school. Not just the boys. Also no fancy bows or ribbons or big scrunchies, just a normal bobble

This is currently a non problem though. Schools aren't returning til at the earliest, 8th March. So you've got at least 5 weeks before even having to think about this.

Dd also has to tie her hair back at school. Anything longer than shoulder length has to be tied back. She normally opts for an above the shoulder bob for this reason, so the "girls have to have mermaid hair" brigade didn't destroy her spirit entirely

@treeeeemendous

Surely all kids have to have their hair tied back at school? My dd has always had to, although it's also in the handbook that boys have to have short hair.

DS is the only boy with long hair in his class so his teachers never had to enforce the rule on a boy until now...

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

This is currently a non problem though. Schools aren't returning til at the earliest, 8th March. So you've got at least 5 weeks before even having to think about this.

Very true.Although would like to get DS able to put it back on his own before then so we don't loose hair elastics every other day.

Anyone with hair that touches shoulders or is one length and gets in eyes has to have it tied back at the school i work in .

@Lulu1919

Anyone with hair that touches shoulders or is one length and gets in eyes has to have it tied back at the school i work in .

Does this apply to any boys at the school? Do they just put it in a ponytail?

totally normal, long enough to tie, then it goes in a ponytail, boys and girls.

Although that is technically 2 schools, boys school and girls school side by side, they have the same hair rule.

To be fair, the rule is thatit must be tied back in art, DT, pe, and science, so all the girls have hairbands on their wrists and just pull it bakc into messy ponytail in class.

At my children's primary school they expect girls with long hair to tie their hair back when it gets to shoulder length.

So I'd expect exactly the same rule applied to the boys (I haven't actually checked the rules on this).

There is only one with longer hair and he does have a ponytail

Pre COVID ours (secondary) only have to tie hair back for science or PE. Applies equally to girls and boys. They are supposed to bring their own bobbles but I'm a soft touch so have a bag of communal scrunchies in various colours. Whether or not the scrunchies are sought after or death by fashion crime depends on the year group and the prevailing fashion of the season.

Have a look at Theo Walcott and Gareth Bales (footballers). Very fashionable and easy to do at home with a shaver.

My son has long hair and he likes what he calls a ‘high pony’ so we put the front of his hair up in a ponytail and the back is loose. Or maybe a man bun? We did that for a while but his hair is much longer and thicker now so it looks a bit silly!

"DS is the only boy with long hair in his class so his teachers never had to enforce the rule on a boy until now..."

Presumably your DS isn't the first ever kid the school has encountered they will have implemented this rule before.

It's very normal for both boys and girls to have to tie hair back.

Ha yes OP my son does do swimming. All I can say is that the regulation swim school hat looks a little silly and perched, it's nigh on impossible to fit over all his very thick hair, and is another flash point for complaining. But still he insists the hair stays long!

DH has very long hair and twists it up in a bun for work, it looks good, he uses one of those spiral twist pins to hold it (he's been doing it long before it was called a man-bun!) I went to school with a boy with very well groomed long hair that when the school insisted it was tied back he used a black velvet ribbon. Looked very 17th century nobleman, I always admire his style looking back. Why not look at men's long hairstyles online and let your son choose a style he likes, there's plenty to choose from. Nothing 'girls only' about a pony tail anyway, it's practical; plenty of male pirates, warriors and footballers have worn a ponytail!

My 7 year has hair half way down his back. He is a fan of the half pony tail, but instead of just pulled back, I have to put it into several braids and then tie them all off together.

When I was at upper school all the lads had 'rave ponytails'. Hair was tied back in a ponytail at the nape of the neck with a plain hair band.
No big deal really. It suited a lot of them.