So my friend sent her son (13) to the el cheapo hair salon (within walking distance) with $20 to get his hair cut. He came back with a kewl Beckham-style cut, and with blond streaks (his hair’s light brown).
Friend: :dubious: “How much extra did that cost?”
Son: “I made up the difference with my own money.”
Friend: “…Well, it looks good.”
Grandma: “She didn’t know you were going to do that?”
Son: “I didn’t think of it until I got there. They did highlights on this other guy, and I thought it looked cool, so I asked how much extra, and they did it.”
Grandma: “Well, they should have called and made sure it was okay with your mother! You’re a minor; they can’t do that without a parent’s permission!”
Son: “They didn’t ask.”
Grandma: “Well, YOU should have asked! [to Friend] You would have said no, wouldn’t you?”
Friend: “…I don’t know. Anyway, it’s okay; no harm done.”
Grandma: “No harm done?! That’s going to have to grow out! They shouldn’t have done that without permission! YOU shouldn’t have done that without permission! You couldn’t get a piercing or a tattoo without permission; hair is the same thing! I’m never going to that salon again! I can’t believe you disrespected your mother like that…”
I dunno. Personally, I think Grandma is stuck in the '70s. Blond streaks are pretty low on the scale of outrageous appearance changes. Piercings and tattoos are age-restricted because of the liability issues, but I’ve never heard of an infected highlighting.
Still, it is a change. Not as drastic or politically fraught as getting his head shaved (I think I’d want to know about that, and the motivation behind it), but a change that he made on a whim. So, would you have wanted your kid to call and ask for permission to get blond streaks? Or any other change?