Once the toddlers are tucked up in bed, parents can finally relax. Right? Wrong.
Amanda Hawkins, 32, shared a now-viral moment with Newsweek when her daughter Juniper decided against going to sleep and chose to play hairdresser instead. The mom-of-eight initially thought Juniper, then 3, had fallen asleep as it was “quiet” in her room. But she went to check on her anyway.
“That’s when I discovered she had seriously hacked her hair,” Hawkins, from California, said.
Juniper had chopped off her golden-blonde locks—once past her shoulders—into a short bob at the front with uneven chunks missing from her fringe. The back was left longer with makeshift layers.
The grand reveal was recently posted on TikTok by Juniper’s aunt Holly (@hollymellissamae), who captioned it: “The one time my niece cut her hair in the most hilarious way.” The clip has since earned over 3 million views.
The footage shows Juniper wearing a brown dress and looking glum while her sisters giggle around her. One sibling suggests a wig, while her dad, Patrick Hawkins, 36, can be seen picking her up and lovingly saying, “She still looks beautiful.”
Amanda told Newsweek, “I was happy, though not surprised, by how gracious my husband was with her. He is always so sweet with our daughters and naturally responds so well when things happen.”
She added, “There may have been some minor incidents with scissors before, but this one by far takes the cake. I was mostly just sad because that same day I was admiring how long and beautiful her hair had gotten while she was spinning on our outdoor swing.”
### What to Do if Your Child Cuts Their Own Hair
Newsweek consulted parenting expert Ana Aznar for insight. She explained several reasons why toddlers might cut their own hair:
– **Experimentation:** “Preschoolers are little scientists, constantly investigating cause and effect—for example, ‘What happens if I cut my hair?’, ‘How would I look?’, or ‘How would my mom react?’”
– **Independence:** “This little girl could also have been asserting her independence.”
– **Pretend play:** “She may have been role-playing as a hairdresser until she realized it wasn’t actually pretend!”
London-based Aznar, founder of REC Parenting—an online platform supporting parents and caregivers—advised parents to avoid overreacting.
“Calmly explain that it is not OK for them to cut their hair. Then explain that scissors are to cut paper, string, cardboard, but not hair. It may also be a good idea to secure scissors for the time being!” she recommended.
### Lesson Learned
Now, two years on, Juniper’s hair still hasn’t grown as long as it used to be. Hawkins, a homemaker, shared, “She has definitely learned her lesson, and this has just become a funny memory captured on camera for our family.”
The moment has become a hysterical hit online too. Since it was posted on October 24, the clip has racked up over 325,000 likes, along with countless comments praising her dad’s response instead of focusing on the haircut.
One user wrote, “I have never understood parents getting SO upset about kids cutting their hair. It’s hair. They’re experimenting, and it will grow back. A hug and some nice affirmations, like Daddy did, are all that’s needed.”
Another commented, “Her father was so loving—he said the perfect words, exactly what she needed to hear.”
https://www.newsweek.com/how-dad-reacts-toddler-cutting-hair-10956536
