A TikTok user was left distraught and emotional after her family shaved her baby’s hair without first seeking permission. The decision to cut a child’s hair stemmed from a belief that the TikTok user did not accept.
Tawana, a TikTok user and mother to a toddler, previously went on the social media platform to share what her family did to her child while babysitting. According to Tawana, going to her mother’s house on weekends was nearly routine for her and her child.
One particular weekend, she dropped off her daughter, River, as she had to stay at a hotel and join an event. The young mom began her video by sharing her daughter’s healthy, full head of hair as an infant. River’s hair grew somewhat fast, and to keep the hair soft, Tawana would sometimes use coconut oil.
She went on to explain an old belief that newborns were believed to have dirty or unclean hair. “They believe […] that if you shave the child’s hair, that it’s gonna come back thicker,” she noted.
The same was done to her as a child, but when her hair grew back, it only worsened. Because of her experience, she did not want to do the same to River and let the baby’s hair grow naturally.
However, on the weekend she left her daughter to attend an event, her mother cut River’s hair. Amidst her enjoyment, drinking, and listening to music at the event, she received a message in a group chat that she hadn’t put much thought into.
“They sent me like a video, and I’m seeing this child that looks like my child, bald,” Tawana said. Upon seeing a part of the clip, she felt confused. The cell reception in the establishment she was at wasn’t good, making the video challenging to load. Instead, she carried on with her evening.
When the woman finally left the event, she went to her hotel room, buzzed, and did not attend to the video. It wasn’t until the following day that she was able to see the video that wouldn’t load.
As she was on her way to pick her daughter up, Tawana looked through her messages again and saw the video of her daughter’s head being shaved. The clip showed her little girl with her thick, healthy hair being razored off. River barely kept still in the video until her hair was eventually gone.
Tawana began crying on the way to her mom’s and couldn’t believe that her mother had touched her baby’s hair. To make matters worse, the grandmother trusted the woman’s younger brother to carry out the task.
When Tawana got to her mother’s place and saw her bald daughter, she was speechless and in disbelief. She remained emotional even if her daughter was happy. However, Tawana knew there wasn’t anything she could do anymore. Even if she got mad, River’s hair wouldn’t grow back.
@tawanatr This is the video they sent me #relatable #fyp #fp*> #youngmom #dayinmylife #relatable #tawanatr #stayathomemom #blackgirltiktok #blackmumsoftiktok #blackmumsoftiktok #zimbabweantiktok ♬ original sound – TAWANA T.R
Many who saw the video shared their thoughts and reactions in the comments section, including one TikTok user who wrote, “She would never see my child again,” referring to the grandmother.
“They do not respect your boundaries,” one comment read. “Their belief is not an excuse to act as they will.” Another added, “Please say granny at least got a stern talking to.”
@tawanatr This is the video they sent me #relatable #fyp #fp*> #youngmom #dayinmylife #relatable #tawanatr #stayathomemom #blackgirltiktok #blackmumsoftiktok #blackmumsoftiktok #zimbabweantiktok ♬ original sound – TAWANA T.R
Others asked follow-up questions regarding what the woman had told her mom. “Did u at least tell your mom how you felt? And like was she remorseful? [sic]” one asked. “Did your mother acknowledge that she did not have the right without permission to cut your daughters hair?” a second inquired.
Some TikTok users shared their own stories in the comments section. One parent revealed that her mom did the same to her toddler simply because the grandma didn’t like the length. Another parent claimed it took over a year for her mom to babysit her daughter after giving the little one water at six weeks old.
