Taking the kid to the barber can quite often be a traumatic experience
for both the parents and son. To help make the experience better for
both, these are five tips on how to make your son behave at the
barbershop.
1) Pick the right place. This is the most important thing, find a barber or stylist
who is kid friendly. Believe it our not, not all barbers and stylists
enjoy cutting kids’ hair and that certainly won’t make the experience
any easier. It takes a great deal of patience to cut a kids hair they
squirm, drool, and sometimes cry, so make sure the person doing the
cutting is patient and kind.
2) Skip the “everything’s going to be fine” routine.
Believe me, when you start saying things like, “it’s going to be
alright” or “it’s not going to hurt a bit,” you can bet your child will
not believe that. Kids tend to lump barbers into the same category as
doctors and dentists, strange people who poke at them with shiny
things. Instead, tell your son that you’re going to get a haircut and
ask them if they want to get one too. Kids often want to be like their
dad, so if you approach it that way, it sets the kids’ mind at ease.
3) Familiarize your son with the experience. Make sure
to comb their hair regularly and let them hold combs and become
comfortable with them. Talk to them about scissors and clippers. On
the morning of the haircut, make sure to wash and comb your kids’ hair
as this will make them comfortable with the experience and a clean,
combed head of hair is much easier on the barber (which will make it
easier on our son, too).
4) Go first. Get your haircut before you son does
so he can see just how fun and painless the experience is. Make sure to
laugh and look like you are having a good time. Don’t overdo it as
your kid will see through it, but if you enjoy it, your kid will want to
try it. You may also wish to take you kid with you and let them watch
you get a haircut a few times, so they can see how cool it is and become
familiar with the environment.
5) Let the barber do his job. Once you get your son seated and give instructions to the barber or stylist,
don’t hover. Hanging around and watching the barber like a hawk will
make your son think there is a reason you should be there to protect
him. Also, kids are much more likely, in my experience, to behave
better around strangers than they do around their own parents. Stay
close by in case you are needed, but don’t hover around the chair.
Following
these steps should make your son feel more comfortable and confident at
the barbershop and make them behave much better. Kids typically get
better as they get older, but following these steps will speed up the
process a great deal.
