Kids are so accepting of differences in appearance

I last used this website in 2008 and I can't believe it is now 2013 and I am back. I have had Alopecia since 2007 and coped in a variety of different ways and been through every treatment imaginable! I am now back to having no hair after six months of a very cool pixie cut. It went as quick as it came and of course it never gets any easier losing it. Before that I wore a wig for a couple years and my first year of Alopecia was spent without a wig. So I have gone full circle! Anyway I am a teacher and I decided to go back to work with no hair - after I lost my hair the last time, shaved (what was left) and go with it. I don't like wearing wigs day to day and it doesn't suit my active and sport filled lifestyle. I do like the option of wearing a wig on the weekend and it still gives me confidence boost when and where necessary! The point of my post here is to say how awesome kids are.. how accepting they are and loving if the real person without worrying about individual differences in looks or appearance. The kids I teach just embraced the new me and helped me to feel empowered by my decision and pretty much helped me continue in this journey. Yes a few comments and questions but all sensible and honest ones! I don't mind answering them at all - then it is out there and I have found it has not been mentioned since. I had a beautiful moment when a parent of a kid in my class told me that her little girl wanted to shave her head to be like her teacher.. tears in my eyes and realisation that you really do make a difference each and every day with your attitude and interactions - even if you don't always feel it at the time. I am inspired by the kids I teach and their honestly. Just wanted to share a happy story of support and love.

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Permalink Reply by Anth on March 25, 2013 at 2:15pm

that is sooooooooo coooool!!! good for you to be so brave and set an example for kids! i volunteer with kids, and when they saw me loving myself for how i looked, they thought it was really cool. i taught them the phrase "punk rock" hahaha. anyway i think you're awesome.

Permalink Reply by Natasha Gehrke on March 30, 2013 at 8:59am

I am so happy that the kids in your class are so accepting! My nephew is three and he doesn't realize that their is anything odd about the way my hair looks. When I met him (My brother adopted him at 1 so he has grown up knowing we are his family) I didn't have any hair. I finally decided to let my hair grow out about a year and a half ago. When he gets a haircut he always has to come show me that his hair is short like mine. It is the cutest thing! My little sister Samantha wanted to cut her hair off when she was younger because she wanted to look like me. I always tell people that I don't like kids, which is far from the truth, because I get attached to them so easy and as their parents lives move on I lose touch with the kids and it breaks my heart. They are so much more accepting than adults are.

I work in a restaurant and kids are constantly asking their parents if I am a boy or a girl and why my hair is so unusual. The parents always seem embarrassed when their kids ask question, especially if they know that I heard the children. I always try to make it a point to tell the parents that it is okay that their children asked the question. I explain to the kids why my hair is so odd. I love that the kids are willing to ask questions instead of assuming something that isn't true. My grandmother taught me when I was young that some people are different and instead of assuming it is better to ask questions about why they are different than assuming that there is something wrong.

When I was working at Walmart I met several people who had Alopecia or had family with Alopecia. The one that stood out the most was a mom that was talking to me while I was cleaning the Easter isle. She asked what kind of Alopecia I had. In all my years no one assumed I has Alopecia over anything else. When she found out her daughter has Alopecia she wanted to make sure the kids in the school were informed so she started doing assembly's with the surrounding schools to explain Alopecia to the students. Her daughter seemed uncomfortable that her mom was talking so openly about it but I wanted to hug her mom for being so accepting. If I was a teacher I would want to do a day with the class where everyong explains what makes them unique and why being different is so important.

Permalink Reply by Erin Leach on March 30, 2013 at 12:00pm

This is amazing! Thanks for sharing! I am also a teacher and have been considering telling my students (all boys/Grade 4) as well. This definitely helps to push me in that direction!
:)

Permalink Reply by Jules on April 7, 2013 at 5:22am
Go for it leachynut!

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