Dad Shaves His Daughter’s Hair for Bullying a Girl With Cancer and Pulling off Her Wig

Bullying is a serious issue that can have a profound effect on individuals. Unfortunately, it’s something that occurs in many places, from schools to online platforms. Many who have suffered from bullying understand the deep impact it has. Among teenagers, bullying seems particularly prevalent, with reports showing that one in five students experience it according to Pacer. The question many parents face is how to prevent their child from becoming a bully, and more crucially, how to address the situation if they do. While bullying should never be tolerated, the actions taken by one father in response to his daughter’s behavior have sparked debate. This father decided to shave his daughter’s head after she bullied a peer with cancer, pulling off the girl’s wig—a drastic action that has people questioning whether or not it was appropriate.

Dad finds out his child is a bully

A father recently discovered his daughter was aggressively targeting a fellow student who had cancer and wore a wig due to hair loss from treatment. In December 2019, he recounted the incident on Reddit, where he laid out the sequence of events:

“My ex-wife and I share custody of our 16-year-old daughter. I recently learned that she was involved in an incident at school where she bullied a student undergoing cancer treatment. This included pulling off the student’s wig. It’s been a challenging situation as my daughter is also involved in a relationship rivalry with the bullied student. Even after confronting her, she showed little remorse, claiming the other student deserved the treatment she received. I insisted this was unacceptable behavior and proposed two potential punishments: either she loses all her electronics indefinitely, or she shaves her head. AITA?”

So…he shaves his daughter’s hair as punishment

The father’s decision brought widespread controversy. Faced with the choice of losing her electronic devices or cutting her hair, the daughter chose the latter. Her mother objected, fearing that this action would make their daughter vulnerable to bullying herself.

Did he go too far?

Many respondents on the Reddit thread were critical, suggesting the punishment crossed a line. One comment was:

“Your daughter is a bully because you are a bully. This is likely not the first instance of using intimidation and humiliation as ‘discipline.’”

Another pointed out that the father’s actions amounted to abuse:

“There’s term for what you did. It’s called child abuse. Taking away her electronics or grounding would have been proper punishments. Disrespecting her bodily autonomy and humiliating her wasn’t appropriate. This isn’t likely to result in any lasting lesson and might simply continue a bullying cycle.”

What are your thoughts on this approach? Was the father justified, or did he take it too far? How would you handle the situation if your own child was bullying others? Share your opinions in the comments!