Unoriginal, attention-starved kids wanting to do what their friends are doing. The spineless, indulgent parents relent, of course.

Tell me, if their friends were reading "Treasure Island" this summer, would little Caleb and Jake be clamoring for books of their own to read? Doubtful.

It would be more interesting if Gen X-ers (now in their 30s and 40s, folks) were sporting mohawks. That would be something to write about!

It's good fun. I'm 28 years old, and jealous of these kids. I wish I could wear a mohawk to work...and a mustache. But alas, i would look foolish in either.

Wow. Welcome back, 1986.

BTW, pre-tween? Ugh. Didn't know they got a classification.

Jeez RJD.. a little uptight there? You never messed around and had fun in the summer as a kid? They are kids for crying out loud. I say if your parents are cool with it.. have at it boys. I might have to change up my buzz cut a little. :)

No, Brian, not uptight. It's just a little tiring seeing kids succumbing to the herd mentality of "doing what their friends do", which usually involves some type of rebellion or low-culture fashion statement. That's why I made my point about reading. Certainly some kids still do that, right? How come that doesn't catch on?

Apologies to the boys if they're actual Mohawk indians, which I doubt.

Hairstyle trends among 10 year old boys does not an interesting story make. Maladjusted gen-Xers? Honestly, that's just in poor taste.

Hey "enjoy" and "RJD" - maybe you'd rather see a story about miserable, scrooge-like adults who cannot appreciate the whimsy of childhood. You two must be loads of fun to be around for your families. However, I truly appreciate your reminding me that life is short and I can find joy in every corner of my day, if I simply open my eyes.

After school was out I have seen sooo many mohawks its not even funny. When every kid tries to be an individual they become the norm. Dont worry when the kids look back they will laugh and ask their mom why she let them out of the house like that. Now about some of the teenagers hanging out at Mcdonalds and Giant look the best. I thought the stoner/angry teen look went out in the early 90's. Please come on long pants jean jackets in 90+ temps. If they are not stoned then they have the intell of a dead dog.

Just another reason not to live out in the 'burbs...would not be surprised to still seeing guys and gals sporting mullets.

Wow:

Sounds like you get your life's philosophy by watching "Oprah".

Wow, anonymous poster at 11:07, the hairstyles of little kids determines where you live? How sad is that?

hey RJD, did your mom refuse to buy you parachute pants 20 years ago or what? in general, books will never be a "popular" item among this age group. that's why i am "indulgent" enough to buy my daughter fake crocs but not "spineless" enough to allow her to read fewer than 500 minutes this summer.

hey RJD, did your mom refuse to buy you parachute pants 20 years ago or what? in general, books will never be a "popular" item among this age group. that's why i am "indulgent" enough to buy my daughter fake crocs but not "spineless" enough to allow her to read fewer than 500 minutes this summer.

Wow, anonymous poster at 11:07, the hairstyles of little kids determines where you live? How sad is that?

Posted by: South Loudounian | July 12, 2007 11:48 AM

I live in Old Town Alexandria and I believe most of the parents here would take their kids out back and shoot them before they let them parade around looking like inbred trailer trash.
Just my 2 cents//

The way I look at it, you pick your battles. I'm letting my son grow his hair long - I'd rather he have a buzz cut, but there is something to be said for letting him have some choice. That's a harmless one. To dictate something as simple as a hairstyle will make it so they can't make their own decisions, which is scary.

For the record, just because a child has a mohawk or long hair does not mean they don't spend time reading as well. One really doesn't have anything to do with another. Interestingly, reading can and does catch on. Let's see how many kids are walking around with the new Harry Potter book after July 21.

is that the best you can do? bring out oprah? let me guess, you're an individual (or as diblert calls them inDUHviduals) who doesn't dress or go with the crowd? human beings are, for the most part, social animals and following the crowd is part of that.
perhaps we use the philosophy of "chose your battles"? while that would not be the haircut i would chose for my son, if he wants it why not let him have it? oh, wait, that's because it's spineless. that's right. allowing my son to indulge in something harmless like a mohawk is symptomatic of his future descent into further sheep like behavior that will lead to drug use or worse. i, as a parent, must show that i am in charge of every aspect of his life or i will be rediculed by people like you. (snort) my brother looks at pictures of himself at 15 and cringes that he dressed like that. my son will probably do the same.

RJD is right. I don't want my 5 year old son to be a follower and do what everyone else does. He's getting a tattoo.

Much ado about a rather (to me) unattractive 'do. It's only hair; it grows.

First.. Parachute pants were 20 years ago? Crap. I am getting old. Second, Quoting Dilbert? How clever. If you were really as sophisticated and " Outside the Norm" as you would like us to believe, you can be like Dennis Miller and start quoting obscure literary reference's and really impress us.. but alas, why would you want to impress us poor, trailer trash, Mohawk lovin, childhood loving sheep.

The pettiness of some of the posts on here is somewhat depressing. When we have so much time to argue over the "Mohawks" of little boys and the deeper meaning therein, I realise how rich I really am. One hundred years ago these kids would have been working in a field or a factory, not swimming in a neighborhood pool.

Please take your teet out of your teenagers mouth and let them experience life. We can be in charge of every little bit of our kids life and let them grow up to resent everything about us, or let them make choices and see what comes of it. Yes I am talking hair styles what they wear and so on.. not life or death choices. For the other mom who lets her kid grow their hair long, unless he is a music major (NOT IN A BAND)... he is most likely smoking the happy weed.

So RJD, do you prevent your son from drinking water because all of the other "sheep" do it? What about food? Eating seems so utterly common.
Seriously, unclench a little; following the crowd is part of the process of becoming an individual, and I can't see how you, or anyone else, is harmed by some like-minded kids getting mohawks. So what if they feel silly years later?

Jon,

You've made a false comparison. Drinking water and eating food are essential to life. Sporting a ridiculous haircut isn't.

LOL. Thanks for the warning, Please RJD. As the mom of the kid growing his hair long, I doubt he's into weed though. He's 8 years old and pretty much a normal kid who just wants his hair over his ears... which to me is long. My point is simply that the length or style of hair is an easy thing to give on to give them a sense of independence.

To anonymous mom, sorry I did not know your child was 8. Growing hair or cutting hair is fine and really nothing to worry about. Let the kids have mohawks!!! Wait, I am part Indian I think I find this at least part offensive! Is there a good lawyer out there? Does anyone know the number for the judge who wanted 54 million for lost pants? Whats next the next big thing scalping? Your with me right RJD? We need to save our children from the liberal media before they all trun into mohawk wearing, tree hugging, econo-car driving gays!!!! Bill O'Riley please come and save us!!!

isn't it being a dreaded helicopter parent if we control every aspect of our child's behavior? isn't part of allowing our children to grow up letting them make their own choices and paying the price of the consequences of those choices? you can talk to your child about the consequences of following the crowd.
seriously, as a parent, is that the hill you're ready to die on or are you going to wait for more important hills?

How did the poster from Old Town Alexandria get away with what he/she wrote: Taking your kids out and shooting them?! I moved to Loudoun from Alexandria. In Loudoun, they get haircuts that make them look like everybody else. Big deal. In Alexandria, they get mugged. You pick.

What the heck is the BIG DEAL! It's HAIR! It will GROW BACK!

Look, I see LOT's of 40 year olds walking around with reverse mohawks EVERYDAY! No one says ONE WORD about them!

Oh wait...that's pattern baldness.

Nevermind!

I think we should allow our kids to embed machine parts under their skin. That would be our next big trend!

Someone needs to protect these kids ... from looking UGLY! I mean, seriously, long hair, short hair, gray hair, green hair, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that no matter the style, it ought to look hip. I've seen kids with these mohawks, and they just look dumb.

You want to protect your kids from looking UGLY!?

Let them pick their parents! HA!

Hair grows back...UGLY lasts for EVER!

You don't want your kids to be UGLY?

Let them pick different parents!

Hair grows back, UGLY lasts forever!

Break all the mirrors in your house! RIGHT NOW!

"I live in Old Town Alexandria and I believe most of the parents here would take their kids out back and shoot them before they let them parade around looking like inbred trailer trash.
Just my 2 cents//"

How sad for you and most of the parents in Old Town Alexandria.

Our 4 year old got a mohawk last night for a one day silliness at his daycare's "Crazy Hair Day" and we colored it blue and green today to match his shirt and favorite colors. Someone saw him at Broadlands Live and told us about this blog and all the comments. JEEZ Lighten up, people! It was supposed to be a one day thing, but after reading this I might let him keep it for spite! They're kids. Its silly fun. And to RJD--yes, he reads books. In fact, we used this as an opportunity to tell him a brief version of "The Last of the Mohicans" last night. Everthing is not a cultural bellweather, Magua.

Ahhhh, the issue of conformity. I can understand questioning someone with a mohawk in the 20's and older, unless they are in a rock band, but to worry about kids sporting a silly/trendy haircut is ridiculous! Let them have fun and enjoy the novelty!
As for you South Loudounian, you just need to get a REAL perspective of life and not worry so much about "labels" in life.

So what? The kids get mohawks. At least I don't have a trampoline in my back yard with WMZQ on the radio.

Heywood,

Yeah, RIGHT! Bet you don't have a brain tumor either! "It's not a too mah! It's not a too mah!"

I bet you lay around on the seat of your motorcycle, dressed in a frilly pink tutu which barely covers your proactive tattoos.

Hey! Isn't the pileated woodpecker protected under law in Virginia?

Just sayin';)

Heywood

When jumping on the trampoline, do you wear a helmet? I think VA has a trampoline helmet law.

I saw a young kid this weekend with an honest-to-God MULLET this past weekend. I was very afraid. "Mohawk" or no "Mohawk" doesn't really matter in light of such developments. I was tempted to decapitate the kid for fear of the insipid disease of the MULLET spreading like a virus.

No helmet. I do wear protection though, when I'm on the TRAMPoline. Giggity, giggity, giggity. Allllll riiiight.

Man I wish I still had hair to shave into a Mohawk.... Dang kids have all of the luck.

My son is 9 and he has a Mohawk. We let him get it and everyone likes it. He didn't get it becuase he was following his friends. In fact his friends love it. We even colored it "Outrageous Cherry" for the July 4th party we hosted. I guess now I am spineless too...and by the way RJD...my son reads every night and has I am sure by reading your post a better outlook on life and can still be a kid!!!

I actually found this blog while looking for pictures of kids mohawks so I can cut my sons hair correctly. My son is 5 and starting Kindergarten this year. Not one person in his daycare has a mohawk but he has decided he wants one. At 5 we as parents should proof there decisions but we should let them make their own decisions and let them grow up to be individuals not us. I am the type of parent that will let them choose their own clothes but at a certain point I do step in. I want my children to grow up and be what THEY want to be, I step in when it is something that may effect them in the long run not today, if a kid makes fun of his hair, he will get over it and when it starts to grow again he wont ask for silly hairsuts or he may even ask to have it shaved completly, but his hair style is something I think he will be able to make decisions on and think that it is crazy for the rude parents that control their childrens lifes 100 percent, children grow with some type of freedom even if it is as small as the choice of hairstyles.

I'm 31 yrs old and can see no problem with kids wearing mohawks because for the last 6 months I have had one myself.I really like it and I get mixed reactions some people say it looks really good and suits me some say it looks stupid.I'm often mistaken for 25.And at the moment I have no intention of getting rid of it happy Mohawks

I'm 31 yrs old and can see no problem with kids wearing mohawks because for the last 6 months I have had one myself.I really like it and I get mixed reactions some people say it looks really good and suits me some say it looks stupid.I'm often mistaken for 25.And at the moment I have no intention of getting rid of it happy Mohawks

My 2 year old has a mohawk, but it was not done intentionally. He cut a huge piece out of his head and his straight edge Attorney Aunt created the mohowk. When I saw him, it was sooo adorable, that we kept it. My duaghter goes to a very well respected Private school, and for the most part everyone is cool with his mohawk. Of course, you get the close-minded rich people, who look down on us, but those people really need to get a clue about what life is really about. My son loves it and will not let us get close to him with a razor to cut it off. I think it is great, that at such a young age, he is expressing himself!!

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