Any parents with dreads here?

I originally cut my dreads off because my parents had been going nuts at me for my dreads since I had my son. i cut them off when he was one year old, because my mother had been going on about how he'll suffer because of it, and beembarrassedand teased because of it, he will have to see the dirty looks i get and i will look like a bad mother or a hippie who doesn't let their child eat anything but grass etc..
I just re attached them because i feel wrong without them, i somehow have a white girl afro made of big kinky ringlets so nothing other than chemical treatments makes my hair sit nicely (except dreads of course!)..
I was just wondering, do you ever face social issues because you're a parent with locs? has there ever been an issue with you child being teased or embarassed by other kids over it? what do you do? I would love to hear from other dreaded parents and hopefully have my mind put at ease a bit! personally of course i think dreads are beautiful and a symbol of patience in a person but not a lot of others see that >__<

updated by @beckbeck: 01/13/15 09:47:50PM

Your last line says it all" I think dreads are beautiful & a symbol of patience in a person..."

You are a mother now, don't let your mother put thoughts into your head, you follow YOUR heart and YOUR soul and make your own decisions.

When you take your child to the playground, or later in years to school, just smile to the other parents or a nod hello. They will soon realize that you have a beautiful soul. Some of those parents will secretly wish they had dreads I bet.

Kids are mean to other kids & tease, no matter what, no reason why, they just are. They will tease about anything, it's just what they do. If your son is teased about your style of clothing, would you change the way you are, the way you express yourself and become a clone of the other mothers?

Your son will appreciate the mother he has, the gentle soul that she is, and he will learn a valuable lesson in life, and that is to be yourself and NEVER to give into peer pressure.

Yes, I am a mother to a 33 year old, 19 year old and 13 year old. I have 3 grandchildren. They have never felt embarrassed by me. Well, maybe when I farted when I shouldn't have. They love the fact that I embrace my freedom. Peace

oh boy is this discussion going to get alot of replies hahas ok well let me 1st say..bad mom! spanks! not o you..to your mom

you have tio face her remarks ..a hippie that eats grass? wtf

id tell her mom your the only 1 with the negativity and if i didnt think my child could handle a negative remark then well yoir the only 1 if have to keep her/him from

ok ill tell u a story..its a heartbreaker but my best freind (shes on here chevelle trant) her evil ex and his evil family took her kitds kidnapped them.. and shes been fighting for 4 long years maybe 6 to get them back

all they had against her was

shes not cristu=ian

she has dreads

knows black people and calls then freinds

and has a schoolbus (technicaly mine i paid for it its in her name at her house though)

the lawyers tried geting her to cut her dresads saying it woiuld help j=her case (it wouldnt and they lied it wsas the evil asshole who was still trying tio control her) she refused saying what kind of example to her kids would she be (they constantly shave thgese beautiful girls bald to humiliate them) (the 1 had grown her hair from birth)

because moms strong and si=uch a beautiful person the kids have sterayed strong through pure hell..having their pets shot in front of them (because mom will not hurt a bug..literaly) the kids were forced tio sleep in a bed with a loaded rifle dorced to go door to door handing out relifgios pamphlets etc they been really tortured all just to hget back at mom..for having dreads and esxaping slaverty (she was not alowed to leave the house and they burned everrything she owned)

anyways these kids stayed strong through it all they want to dread so badly the older 1 is back with mom finaly the younger ..might be by now i hiope (havent been able to reach them in months)

but these kids will need therapy for life after that but the piint im getting at is they admire and respect mom for not giving in not cuttomg her hair even under the worse pressure u can imagine.

shes been on the virge of breakdown for years over this crap

other stories

several members here and others i knew started dreads to comemerate the childs birth

1 woman i knew her dad had 46 year old dresds..probly 15-20 feet by now started when she was born

we have several families with parents with dreds kids with dreads even grandparents with dreasds

your moms the most toxic person youir kifs will be exposed to if you can raise them withoit her screwing them up but still being around then thats all the proof u need that yiur a great mom

so dread on and when yoir kuds want to dread explain to them that some ppl may act like grandmom and when ythey accept that let them dread too

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Found this pic on the web, no words need to be said

When my eldest son married in October, I was 8 months into my journey, Was he embarrassed by my dread journey? No way!

updated by @the-barrellady: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

thank you so much guys, It's so nice to hear that from you all <3

I started my third set last December and my son will be 4 this March. I don't get any remarks stating I'm a bad parent for having or wanting my locs again. YES PATIENCE is key to it all. I know a lot of people that don't have the patience that I have, but I also have some friends that thought it was weird for a country girl like myself doing dreads, as time went by they are loving them so far always touching or playing with my hair. lol

I say keep on dreading mama...

Absolutely! Society's molds are made to be broken. Looking at some of the people who are responsible for creating those molds... eh. Another discussion.

I'm a 33 year old mom with 13yo and 11yo boys. They love my hair and yes, like many others, love to play with it and decorate certain locks. My husband hates them and his only incessant complaint is: "But I can't run my fingers through your hair!" Buddy, you couldn't run your fingers through my too-curly hair before because I'd cry my scalp is so tender and my hair knots so easily!! So, yeah, that's where the marriage is on that topic. The boys love my hair and my husband hates it. He'll get over it eventually.

My own family well... They tolerate it. Don't say much. They know I've already run to the beat of my own drum. Run, not walk. We homeschool, too, much to their horror. ROFL! The kids are healthy(we stopped doing vaccines a few years ago), very social, are at the top of their class and are all workin2-4 grades above what 'society' says they should. My thirteen year old is taking college classes right now. My eleven year old did two years worth of work in one AND did an additional four credits on top of that so he'll be taking 8th grade and 9th grade classes next year! Ok, so.... tell me I'm a bad mom and I should hack my hair off.

Not saying I live vicariously or anything but.... I think that my kids are pretty good indicators of just what kind of lazy parenting skills I use every single days. I'm so laissez faire that they're getting better grades now than they were in public school.

I'm a wonderful parent and wife. My kids go to bat for me every day, even when hubby is giving my hair 'grrr' looks. The other day my youngest saw his dad touching a lock and knew he was about to say something bad and John(youngest son) runs over and starts touching my hair saying, "They're part of her and we love her and when is Valentine's Day again?" I haven't been that shocked in quite a while. My jaw dropped, hubby's dropped, and I could only stutter and tell him that Mother's Day is coming up.

You'd have to take a razor to my head to get me dreadless. End of story. I love em. They're curly and cute and fuck everyone else who doesn't like them. And no, my kids have never had anyone say anything unkind to them concerning my hair. I'm pretty outspoken, too, so maybe they figured they'd end up with an earful if they did say anything. Other parents haven't said squat. Some have touched my hair, though, and smiled. It helps, though, to look people in the eye and stand firm no matter what the situation. Whether your in a room full of teenage kids or a room full of adults who are in suits. Keep your chin up and look everyone in the eye.

Definitely, keep on dreading, beckbeck. It's your hair. Keeping your hair will teach your children a firsthand lesson in tolerance.

I have an 8 year old son... He says he loves my "crazy" hair because it makes me easier to find at the park Be yourself, I teach my son if you are being true to yourself it is the most important thing.

He did hear someone say a negitive comment the other day about my dreads, he heard someone say they were disgusting....We had a talk about how that was her opinion and that she wasallowed tohave it...It became a lesson, but I would rather him hear that than me conform because others think I should....

Good Luck and do what is right for your and your immediate family

I have 5 kids, 14 month old girl, 8 year old girl, 11 year old boy with Autism, 13 year old girl and a 15 yr old girl with RAD ... I have to go to meetings all the time with the school boards, therapists, counselors etc. I also have a bachelors degree in human services and will be entering the professional workforce soon and my husband and I own a business and both have tattoos...everywhere. I am only 2 months in my dready journey and they are a mess but I love them and they are extension of who I am. I refuse to follow stereotypes and I have been breaking peoples expectations of me all my life. Nobody has had the balls to say anything negative to me, they will state they don't like them but nothing towards me personally. My kids all love them and now my teenagers are growing their hair out so they can dread too. Like everyone else says, it's your life.

i say fuck that shit. i say, your mom must be super uncomfortable with herself and feels the need to spread it to you. people do give me wierd looks but my familys smiles usually override that. i believe if you have convictions, as a parent, it is your job to teach your children those convictions. if you let the opinions of others rule you, your child will follow suit. and if you teachyour kid manners and have manners, then people will change their opinion about you. someone who might think one way about you because of appearance, might change their mind when you or you child open their mouth and speak intelligently and politely. you might change their perspective. i get some looks at church (but i was asked to do the nursury) but i see it like i get to challenge their faith and i hope that if they look down on me because of my hair, they get convicted for having their hearts in the wrongplace. you have got to try to walk out what you believe. if you believe that "dreads arebeautiful and a symbol fo patience", thenbe that and beproud. also, a childcan makes friends easily. children arent concerned with societal expectations unless they are taught to. your mom is just trying to control you. i want to let my childs hair dread,but it gets brushed at grandmas house and im pretty sure they havetried to convince her thats what she needs to do (shes 2). complete disrespect for parental wishes. but thats ok...what goes around comes around. just feel and be the strong mom you are.