Question
My 6.5yo daughter wants to dye her hair purple! All because she’s been watching this show, the Descendants, and the main character has purple hair. They put the movie on at school, which I would have preferred that she not watch until she was older, but that’s another story.
I guess I personally don’t mind her having purple hair, but maybe I’m too relaxed with it because my parents were so strict growing up that I’m pretty cool with my kids dressing and looking however they want. From my experience, I know it’s just experimenting and a phase. But, is it OK for a 6-year-old to have such freedom or should I wait till she’s a little older to experiment?
I actually asked the lady at the children’s hair salon a few days ago about the process and she told me she first has to bleach the hair and that it wouldn’t touch the scalp (so it wouldn’t irritate it) and that then the purple hair dye would go in. I asked her, “What if she regrets it and wants to get it off? Or if someone at school makes fun of her and she decides she doesn’t want it anymore.” She told me it would be hard to get the color off. So, that’s also a concern of mine — that she’ll change her mind and want her old hair back. So, if I let her, she’s pretty much going to be stuck with it for a while. Should I let her go for it? Thanks so much!
Answer
Yup the Descendants have definitely been influencing school age kids for a while, including mine.
You named the big issue with having children under 10 do any type of big change like this one. They change their mind very quickly and forget about what was "the most important idea...." as quickly as they come.
A wig, a Descendants costume, or a clip on is definitely my recommendation. Bleaching, coloring and committing to a look that states who they are is the realm of the teenager.
Wanting to play out and pretend to be the Descendants' character is more the realm of the school age child. Her wish is to pretend to be this character rather than an expression of self. So get her ways to play out the show.