I must say I'm excited to have found this website! I am a newbie here but not to Alopecia. My son is 6 and was diagnosed at age 2 with just patchy hair loss. From there, it grew back, only to fall out more severely. To get it to try to look somewhat normal instead of just a really bad hair cut, I decided to shave his entire head about a year and a half ago. He is still completely bald and quiet adorable I might add lol Since, his eyebrows and eyelashes have came out too. This was the kicker for me. He had such long beautiful lashes.....now, they're gone. It's harder on me to cope with this than it is for him. He is a resilliant little guy and seems to take life in stride. In the tender age of 6, he seems to adapt well and is able to cope. I am ok with it, I guess, it's just the stares, the questions, the whispers is what gets me. I've had people to ask me what type of cancer does your son have? I replied, he doesn't! He has Alopcia Areata and then began explaining what it was. I really get tired of explaining all the time lol I'm glad my son is healthy in all other ways, and this condition is just cosmetic but people can be butt holes! I live in a small town in South Eastern Kentucky "the coal hills" and I have not seen one other child that is bald, so that leaves a lot of questions for people I guess. I'm just not sure as to why people automatically assume that since your bald, your sick. They don't see past the baldness. Anyone can tell my son is healthy if they sit and watch him bounce around like a super ball!! lol I took him to the park one day and he said to me he had to go potty. So I said ok, run along I'll catch up. I waited on him outside the porta potties they have there and this woman that was sitting in her car drove around to us and said, what's wrong with that kid? I was like what kid? She said that boy in there. I was like what in the world? I said he had to use the restroom....she said no he's bald! I said it's summer and he wanted his hair cut short and left it at that. Why are people so insensitive and cruel? Why do they stare, point, and whisper? My fiance said he was gonna get a shirt made that said "I'm not sick, I'm just bald!" lol lol I think if the world was a more friendlier place, people with Alopecia would have a easier time dealing with their hair loss. I can handle the hair loss, it's the people I can't handle!! lol I really want to just smack them, of course I don't. I answer in a nice tone the best I know how. Wasn't always like that. At first, I was really angry and would spout off. I learned they were just curious and had no idea really. So now, I am more calmer lol Anyone else dealing with stupid people and questions, stares, and whispers?? How do you cope and answer them??