A mum of five has defended her decision to let her boys have waist-length hair.
Seems a bit of a strange thing to have to defend, but here we are.
Rachael Cresswell, a mum from Devon, says that she has been accused of being disappointed that she hasn’t got a girl, and letting her sons grow their hair because of that.
Again, a deeply weird thing to say to someone, but this is 2023, and this is the internet, so we probably shouldn’t be too surprised.
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The 42-year-old is a stay-at-home mum to nine-year-old Jaxon, seven-year-old Noah, six-year-old Cole, three-year-old Bodhi, and one-year-old Leif.
She often shares the adventures that she and her beloved kids go on through Instagram and TikTok, but an unusual facet of the boys’ appearance has become something of a lightning rod for online weirdos.
It’s that they’ve got long hair.
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Jaxon and Bodhi in particular have decided that they don’t want to cut their hair, meaning that they’ve both got flowing blond locks, which some people clearly think is a bit unusual.
The kids have never had any stick from other children, but adults on the internet are a strange bunch - as we’ve repeatedly mentioned - and some have come to the kids’ mum with their unwanted opinions.
Rachael said: “I’m told to cut their hair.
"Strangers say they look like girls and that I’m suffering from gender disappointment, which I have never had.
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“I find it crazy that people are so bothered by the length of a child’s hair, the judgement from grown adults about a child they don’t know is ridiculous.”
In Jaxon’s case, he was actually born with loads of hair, as his mum explained: “I was overdue with Jaxon.
"He was born with so much fluffy blonde hair and it grew really quickly.
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“He looked so much older than bald babies, but it just really suited him.
"By age two, it was to his shoulders.
"When he was younger, he was sometimes mistaken for a girl, but now he can correct people himself and he’s not bothered at all.
“He has never experienced any negativity from other children, but adults have often asked when he is going to get his hair cut.
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“Older generations seem to have an issue with the length of his hair, simply because he is a boy.”
What’s more, Rachael says that the long hair is a part of what makes him himself.
“Given where we live, he has a real surfer dude persona," she continued.
“When Jaxon was old enough, we told him it’s his choice if he wanted it cut, but he wanted to keep it long and we are fine with that.
“I believe it’s really important to raise them to follow their own choices and allowing their own personality to develop.”
Also, she’d be sad if he did cut it off, although he has said he’d donate it and grow it again, which is nice of him.
On the negativity she’s experienced online, Rachael concluded: “TikTok can be brutal, but I am happy to be a boy mum, despite some ridiculous online comments claiming I must be desperate for a girl, or wish one of the boys was a girl.
“Their hair is part of their body, and it suits them perfectly.
“The boys like it and want to keep it long - and that’s all that matters.”
Tom Wood