Relatives reactions to shaving it off

[Lullaby]

Every year my parents host a large Super Bowl party including around 75+ family and friends. However, with the Bears playing (I live in Illinois) there were far more people attending. I decided to make my first appearance as a slightly shaved guy (trimmer on 0).

As I entered I slowly took off my beanie (got the velcro effect still heh) and approached my direct family first. The first thing I heard was my father say "why the hell did you do that?" in a very condescending tone. I felt extremely awkward until I walked to my Uncle (an Army Sergeant Major) and my Grandfather who has always frowned on my piercings/tattoos/clothing/ect. They both looked at me like I was Mr. John f'n America. I'd finally gained their respect, WOW (thats an amazing feat)

My mother later told me that my father (very hard-headed) had said that it made shaving more real to him and that scared him and that is why he acted so awkward towards my new look (he has very thin hair and a balding head). I felt proud in a way.

How did your family react to you shaving your head? Any funny/horror/crazy,ect stories out there to share?

[PBurke]

My family was pretty cool with it. some of them thought that if they picked enogh that i would grow it back. HA fooled them. my dad's family is used to baldness. my mom's family is laid back and doesn't care. all in all it was very positive.

[PigPen]

The only negative reaction I can remember was from my grandma back in 1998 when I first shaved my head. She was afraid people would think I was a skinhead. I told it was their problem if they wanted to think it. My kids have a varied reaction depending on the day. My daughter has asked me to grow it back. My son hasn't said anything either way. I'm pretty sure he likes it though. One Saturday morning, we had both kids, two cats myself and the wife in our queen size bed. I decided if I wanted to get comfortable I would have to move, so I went to the kids room. At about 7 AM my daughter came in and woke me up to tell me that my son wanted to watch cartoons with me (I'm just a big kid at heart) I said OK, and he came in to the room and crawled in bed with me. I was laying on my side with my back to the wall and him behind me. When he got up there he said "Morning Daddy" and gave me a kiss on my bald head. I responded with "Morning Bubba". He laid there for a while with one hand on my head just watching cartoons and not saying a word.

By far, the best experience I have had with anyone since shaving my head.

[PBurke]

damn right pig pen. isn't that the coolest type of headrub. my son was sitting on my lap watching cartoon one day and had one hand on top of my head rubbing it. i asked him what he was doing and he said "It just feels cool daddy." this is the same kid that said he would not love me if i didn't grow it back. ( when i first shaved )

[BaldRob]

I never got any negative reactions from the family when I shaved... Mom, Dad, and sisters were all cool with it!

[Professor Melon]

  PigPen, you brought a tear to my eye. Never had a son [wife had severe problems with blocked fallopian tuble, etc.] but, if I had had one he would, in my heart, have expressed the same love your boy did for you. Professor Melon

[spaceape48]

PigPen, you brought a tear to my eye. Never had a son [wife had severe problems with blocked fallopian tuble, etc.] but, if I had had one he would, in my heart, have expressed the same love your boy did for you. Professor Melon

Sorry to hear professor. Did you ever consider a hysterosalpinogram? I've heard they work wonders for peoplewith falopian tube problems.

My dad keeps telling me to grow it back because it makes me look scarey. He keeps telling me I'm going to scare the woman away,lol. My mom insists I look like a skinhead nazi mofo, and my sister doesn't like it either. Fortunitely for them they don't have to like it. Besides, I think looking scary can be seen as an advantage. My avatar does me no justice by the way.

[happyharry]

Great post, Lullaby.

As far as my own share of experience on that is concerned, I didn't tell my parents or relatives
about my intention to shave my head. I just did it one day. I live at a beach house about 80km
from my parent's place and they come over for visits once every couple of weeks.
When they came over after I shaved for the first time, they were quite shocked. I didn't get
any hurtful remarks, but they were definitely shocked, especially my mother - I guess in her eyes
I'll always be her baby boy. LOL
My father took it with humour - he was the first person to give me a head rub. He said I looked like
Yul Brunner.

In time they've come to accept it. I still get the occasional "why don't you let it grow back?", but other
than that nobody's giving me a hard time...

I'm glad you shaved it. The look suits you...

[Christian]

I just remember that my Mom didn't like it at all and told me how I could make myself that ugly!
Many other ppl thought that I really look good with the bald look. My former chef wasn't glad about about my shaved head at first but after a few weeks without shaving she asked if I wouldn't shave again because it looks much better on me.

Now I am bald again and meeting my Mom in about 1 month again. I know that she is not gonna like it but I guess she has to get through it because I won't let it grow back for a long long time.

[flattop peterbilt]

well between my daughter and my soon to be wife they fight over rubbing my head witch is really funny to me ...daughter gives up after awhile and starts to play with my goatee...worst reactions was my sister..but hey can't please everyone..so just please yourself...

[PigPen]

PigPen, you brought a tear to my eye. Never had a son [wife had severe problems with blocked fallopian tuble, etc.] but, if I had had one he would, in my heart, have expressed the same love your boy did for you. Professor Melon

Sorry to hear that Prof, it brought a tear to my eye when I was typing it because there was always a possibility that he may not have even been there to do it. Speaking of pregnancy complications, wife went into pre-term labor at 27 weeks with both kids. My son was born 8 weeks premature and then was diagnosed with his cancer at 18 months. Along with many other complications along the way that had to do with his being premature. I cherish the times we have, because I know I'm lucky to get them.


Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread

[David]

1)  My mother and father didn't/don't like it.     They wouldn't admit it ever looked better than hair even if they knew it did.    But like I have mentioned before, they have had the same look for years, so they are fairly resistant to change on the appearance front.

For example I showed them my new drivers license pic(which was actually a good drivers license picture and way better than the old one) and my dad laughs hysterically.   

2)  Most of my other relatives didn't/don't say much about it.   I think my aunt joked about it(she would have found anything to rag me about), one of my cousins did too, and my grandma didn't say much but was like grow back hair.

3)   I've had more people come up to me and say I like it than the other way around.    Like we had a super bowl party and one of our family friends came over and she said something to the affect I didn't recognize you and/but I really like it.   One of the parents of my sunday school class a few weeks ago said "I like the new look."   

4)  I just finally put my foot down.   I don't tell my parents how to dress or what hairstyle/facial hair they can have.   I should get the same courtesy esp at the age of 23.

5)  I have gotten the "grow it back for job interviews" response from my parents/a couple people at our church but I just politely say nope.    There is nothing wrong with a shaved head/glasses/neatly trimmed beard for a job interview, and i'm not going to change who I am for the interview process only to go back to that style as soon as i'm employed.

[Professor Melon]

  Great, moving, sensitive thread. Spaceape, your self-determination in the face of family disapproval is admirable. Thanks also for the advice RE blocked fallopian tubes (too late: wife is well past childbearing years). Although I have not seen your before pic, the after pic shows you looking good sly. It makes you look more mature; with hair, I think you'd look somewhat adolescent--so stick with it. In case no one has admitted it, the discussions and banter on SBGs played a sigificant role in helping me decide to take it off. Had I found the site years ago, I would not have wasted time/money trying to cover and restore the dome. Staying slick and hoping to make the convention. Professor Melon

[dieseldan04]

My wife and kids love it but my parents still aren't fans of it.  I did attend a family funeral last week and all of my balding cousins said it was a good look for me and they are considering doing the same.

[Robmeister]

My wife and kids love it but my parents still aren't fans of it. 

Same here!

I have noticed that I'm the "maverick" among some buddies at church who have wanted to give it a try, but whose wives WON'T LET THEM.

To whom I say...."Here's yer sign"