Man Cuts Daughter’s Hair Because He’s Tired of Brushing It, Mom Returns Home with Cops – Story of the Day

Yvonne was working as usual when she got a call from her daughter's school. What she heard wasn't anything she expected, so she called her brother and arrived home to get to the truth of what her husband, Oliver, had done.

Yvonne's fingers clicked the keyboard rapidly and didn't seem to stop for a long time, but she added a final formula to her spreadsheet and saved the document. Her hands wrapped around her neck as she stretched her sore muscles.

It had been a trying day, just like the last few days. The boss had asked her to come in a little earlier than average to finish some accounting for the end of the fiscal year. It was hard because Yvonne usually got her daughter, Gaia, ready for school and dropped her off.

Fortunately, her husband, Oliver, told her not to worry. He wasn't always great at the Dad stuff, and Yvonne had to let quite a few instances go to be with him. Lately, he had been working from home every single day and had more than enough time to get Gaia ready and drop her off at school himself. And he seemed to be doing alright so far. So, Yvonne left her house every morning, confident that everything was going well.

However, her phone started ringing at that moment. Her heart leaped a little because it was a call from Gaia's school, which was completely unexpected.

"Hello?" she answered, breathing deeply after her greeting to remain calm.

"Mrs. Markson?" a female voice questioned.

"Yes?"

"This is Alina. I'm your daughter Gaia's homeroom teacher. Do you remember me?" the woman introduced herself.

"Of course I do," Yvonne replied, trying to remain cheery. They had been introduced during a parent-teacher meeting a few months ago. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Well, this is a tricky situation, and you have to know that I shouldn't be calling you for this. Other teachers and my superior told me not to, but something was off," Alina started, confusing Yvonne.

"I don't understand," she said. "If it's about my daughter, you can tell me anything. You can call me at any time."

"Well, yes. The thing is that your information right now says to call your husband first, which we did," Alina continued. "But I don't think… I mean, I guess I want to know if you're aware of this."

"Aware of what?"

"Mrs. Markson, your daughter came to school today with all her beautiful blonde hair cut off. Completely. Almost military style," the teacher revealed, making Yvonne sit straighter on her chair.

"What? What happened? Did my husband say anything?"

"Well, we called your husband," Aline answered and seemed to speak carefully. "He said your daughter got gum on her hair, and he had no choice. But Mrs. Markson, Gaia's eyes were red when she arrived at school. She cried all day, especially when the other kids started bullying her."

"Oh my," Yvonne breathed into the phone.

"And when I talked to Mr. Markson, he didn't seem that concerned," the teacher explained. "He acted very blasé about it, which seemed too concerning to me. Were you aware of this situation?"

"No! Of course not. My God, I would've found another solution that didn't involve cutting off her hair," Yvonne said and stopped for a minute when a thought entered her mind. "Wait a second. When did this even happen? I left this morning, and Gaia's hair was intact."

"Well, I don't know," Alina continued. "But that's the thing. Your husband's gum story seemed odd because as long as I've known Gaia, I've seen her rejecting other kids' gum offers. I don't think she likes it. So…and please excuse my intrusion, I think your husband was lying."

"Jesus," Yvonne commented, putting her face in her hands. "Did you notice anything off the last couple of days?"

"What do you mean?" the teacher asked.

"My husband's been doing drop-offs because I'm working earlier and have to focus. That's why he changed Gaia's information to him as a priority for emergencies. I used to do the drop-offs before," Yvonne explained. "I was wondering if you've noticed anything strange with my girl."

"Oh, I understand now. Well, Gaia's hair has been really messy lately. That wouldn't be a problem, except she used to come to school impeccably groomed. That didn't raise any alarms so far," the teacher paused for a second. "Sometimes, parents get busy. But…"

"But?" Yvonne prompted.

"Looking back. Do you think…" the teacher trailed off, unable to say what both women were already thinking.

"Thank you for calling me Alina," Yvonne said tightly. "Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this."

She hung up the call and immediately dialed her brother's number. He was part of the local police department, and she needed to ask him something important.

"Allan, is there any law against cutting your child's hair without consent?"

Allan stammered, confused for a few seconds, but Yvonne detailed the situation further or what she suspected her husband had done.

"Gaia's teacher just called me, concerned because she went to school with all her hair chopped completely," she explained, scratching her forehead. "Allan, I think Oliver cut off her hair to avoid having to brush it every morning."

"Wait a minute," her brother finally recovered. "That's a little drastic and a big accusation, Yvonne."

"I know," she agreed. "But I need to know what to do if that's true."

Her brother sighed heavily. "Well, you could argue that it's assault. Although, I'm not about the legalities so much. Oliver could get into trouble if my niece didn't want her hair cut."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Talk to your husband," Allan encouraged. "There's no reason to rush into this."

"Of course, I'll get to the truth of this situation," Yvonne said. "But Allan, I'm asking what I should do if this is true. Suppose he did this to save himself some time in the mornings. The teacher said Gaia was so upset, especially when she got bullied. My daughter loved her long hair, and I did, too."

"I can't make this decision for you, Sis," her brother hesitated. "But I don't think I could forgive it so easily."

Yvonne nodded as her eyes watered a bit. "Is there any chance you can come to my house with some friends?"

"Are you afraid of him, Yvonne?" Allan asked, deepening his tone of voice. He had kicked into cop mode and was ready to do anything.

"Not exactly," she said, sniffing. "But I never imagined he could do this. I don't know what to expect or what he'll do or say if I ask him to leave, which I will. Or I'll leave. I'll go to Mom's house."

"OK, yeah. Wait for me," Allan said. "I'll stop by your work and will drive together."

"Thank you, Allan," Yvonne said and hung up. She rushed to the bathroom, cried a little harder, and hoped there was a real explanation for all this.

***

"Mommy!" Yvonne heard her daughter's cries as soon as she parked her car. Yvonne practically flew through the porch, and her heart sank at the image of her daughter's almost bald scalp. She grabbed the five-year-old in her arms and walked briskly into the house. "Dad did this!"

"I know, baby," she cooed.

"Yvonne, you're home," Oliver said from his spot on the couch. "Listen, there was an incident with her hair…"

"Gum?"

"Yeah."

Yvonne wasn't having it. She looked at her daughter. "Did you put gum in your hair?"

"Gum? No! Ew!" Gaia wailed.

"She's lying to get out of trouble, Yvonne," Oliver continued. "It was hell. I tried everything, but cutting it all off was simpler."

"Really?" Yvonne asked again, her sarcasm evident. "You couldn't have called me?"

"I didn't want to bother you."

"It seems to me, and to everyone, what you wanted was to avoid brushing her hair every morning," Yvonne said, just to test him.

His flinch confirmed what she thought. "Short hair is easier."

"Allan!" Yvonne yelled, and her brother walked into the house with three other officers.

"What's this?" Oliver demanded, frowning and placing his hands on his waist.

"Well, there aren't any laws against doing something like this, but you can't expect me to stay here and leave my daughter in your care," Yvonne said, grabbing Gaia's hand. "Let's go pack your things, sweetie."

"WHAT??" he bellowed. "IT'S JUST HAIR! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME OVER THAT! YOU CAN'T TAKE MY CHILD!"

"I can, and I will," Yvonne said defiantly. "That's why my brother is here. I'll be filing for divorce tomorrow! You're only lucky that I'm not filing assault charges!"

"Assault?"

"Yes, Oliver," Allan interjected while Yvonne took her daughter to the bedroom to start packing. "Cutting off someone's hair without consent is assault normally. But this situation is still a gray area. You lied about the reason."

"It just took too long in the morning to brush it! It would get all tangled up. And YOU....you were too busy focusing on your career. It's your job! Not mine!" Oliver shouted, following the girls to the bedroom. Allan and another cop were right behind him.

Yvonne raised her eyebrows, continuing to pack while her daughter wiped away some tears and hugged her leg tightly. She listened intently to his angry rant and hoped her brother and colleagues were too.

Anything he said right now could be used in the divorce. She hadn't been sure about following through, but her decision solidified when he confirmed the reason for ruining her daughter's hair.

"I didn't have a choice!" Oliver yelled at all of them, his agitation showing.

"Yes, you did," Allan continued. "Now, stay calm. Don't do anything stupid. We're here to escort them out, and you two will deal with the aftermath through lawyers."

"This is…" he had no words. "INSANE! YVONNE! YOU THINK DIVORCE IS THE ANSWER? YOU THINK IT'S BETTER TO BREAK UP OUR DAUGHTER'S FAMILY JUST BECAUSE OF A HAIRCUT?"

Allan grabbed Oliver's arm when Yvonne was done packing Gaia's essentials, so they were able to pass by him to the living room. Still, she had a few words to say to her husband.

"All I know is that I need to get my daughter to safety," she began, trying to remain calm. "You heard my brother. It's assault."

"YVONNE, YOU CAN'T DO THIS OVER HAIR!" he shouted, hurting everyone's ears.

"IT'S NOT JUST HAIR!!!" she finally yelled back but lowered her voice when Gaia started trembling. "It's our daughter's entire well-being—her autonomy."

"Autonomy! She's a child!" Oliver retorted.

"It doesn't matter how old she is. She has the right to consent or not. You lied and hurt her because it was inconvenient! FOR YOU!" Yvonne continued, the tears surfacing rapidly. But she wasn't sad. She was horrified. "It's always about what's convenient for you!"

"What does that mean? I work for this family!" Oliver spat.

"Really? You refused the offer from the other company without talking to me about it. It would've paid you enough so I could finally quit my job and dedicate it to Gaia and to the other child you've been demanding for months!" Yvonne exclaimed, shaking her head.

Allan's eyebrows rose in surprise. He had no idea they had been planning another kid.

"And this isn't the first time you've done something or made Gaia sacrifice something because it was a little bothersome. You convinced her to quit piano and swimming lessons because you couldn't handle dropping her off or picking her up. It was all just too much for you, wasn't it?" she continued, her shoulders shrugging and her hands raised in defeat.

"That's not true!" he tried to deny her accusations, but his eyes looked down.

"It didn't matter that you broke our girl's confidence! You squashed her love for learning! And now this? This is just the last straw! I don't want you around her until you understand what you've done!" she finished, lifting her daughter as Allan grabbed their bags.

"I'm sorry!" he said as the cops walked with Yvonne to her car. "No, you can't leave. Allan, talk some sense into your sister!"

Yvonne rushed out of the house without a second glance, but Allan stopped for a second. "Oliver, calm down. Let them go tonight. When things settle, you two can talk and revisit this situation," he suggested as the other cops went around Oliver to the squad.

"This is not fair, Allan," Oliver said, wringing his hands. "The courts will give her full custody, and I'll barely get anything."

"Oliver, I really hope this doesn't go to court," Allan said. "I would much prefer that you stay together. But you lost her trust. You have to earn it back."

"How?"

"That's on you," Allan said, finally turning to put the bags in Yvonne's car.

"Where are you going?" Oliver tried to get closer to the car, but Allan raised one hand in warning.

"Mom's house," Yvonne sighed. "Please, don't come. I'm tired. Gaia is tired. We need to rest and think."

"I'm so sorry, Yvonne," he added, desperation dripping from his pores.

"I am, too," she told him after strapping the girl in her car seat. "Goodbye, Oliver."

"Please," he begged, but Yvonne wouldn't change her mind. Her daughter couldn't stay in the same house as someone who had done something so horrible for such a stupid reason. She had to advocate for her.

The engine revved, and Yvonne exited the driveway swiftly, noting that her brother was still next to Oliver. She had no idea if they could work things out or if Oliver could make amends. But her daughter was her first priority, and something like this couldn't happen again, even if that meant becoming a single mother.

***

Yvonne's mother, Cherise, was pleased to have the girls in her house and treated them like queens. Allan had volunteered to take Gaia to and from school because his patrol route was nearby.

Meanwhile, Yvonne had asked for the day off from work, and her boss had agreed because of her hard work lately. It was good to talk to her mother, who had some sage advice for her, despite being married to her late father for 35 years and never even considering divorce during their relationship.

"I'm not going to lie, darling," the older woman sat with her on the breakfast bar once Allan took Gaia. "I don't know what I would've done if Jerry had done that to you."

"Dad would've never," Yvonne shook her head. "He loved my long hair and yours. It was his thing. 'My pretty blondes,' he said often."

"Yes," Cherise nodded, smiling at the memory. "But it's tricky. It's not a decision you take lightly, particularly because I think Oliver won't be the best ex-husband in the world to have."

"That's still not enough reason for me to stay," Yvonne countered.

"I know," her mother nodded. "I'm just bouncing some thoughts around. Tell me, what's your main concern right now?"

"That he'll do it again," she replied. "Mom, when I yelled at him last night, it was like a floodgate opening. I had consciously forgotten everything he had done, like making Gaia quit her lessons. But I must have resented it still because of all that came out. This is not an isolated incident."

"I didn't see it that way before, but you're right."

"Exactly! I didn't see it either, or I was too scared or making excuses for him," Yvonne agreed, gesturing with her hands. "I don't know what I was doing. But Gaia is old enough to take in these matters. Her personality is forming, and our choices, what we tell her, and how we treat her will all shape that. I can't just let this pass, too."

Cherise sighed heavily and snapped her lips. "Well, I would only recommend trying to talk to him one last time. See what you can do. Perhaps, have some family therapy. Give him a chance to earn your trust back. If he doesn't, bye-bye!"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to do or something like that," she agreed somewhat. "But we'll be separated for now, and I won't allow him to take Gaia alone. Not until we fix what's wrong and work through it. If he wants, I'm not sure he truly understood what I was telling him."

Her mother lifted a finger while nodding. "Yeah, some men take time to understand the point you want to make. But the good ones get there and fix it," she stated firmly. "I just hope my son-in-law gets it. But… the good news is I get my babies in my house for a while! Yay!"

"Mom!" Yvonne whined as her mother hugged her tightly. The older woman treated her like a child very often. But she knew she was going to be the same way as Gaia for the rest of their lives. This was just motherhood.

That afternoon, Yvonne and Cherise decided to tend to the garden. It was perfect. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot, and they drank lemonade. Yvonne talked about her job while her hands were dirty, and Cherise listened intently. She had always been a housewife, so she admired all career women nowadays.

But the house phone rang, and the older woman rose quickly to get it. Yvonne hummed a little while removing some weeds and felt much chipper about the future. But her mother's cry broke the peaceful afternoon.

"YVONNE!"

She jumped from the ground, twisting her ankle a bit, but she didn't care. Only one thing would make her mother scream like that. Cherise was not an overlying, expressive, or dramatic woman.

"Mom," Yvonne said, breathless, when she entered the house. Cherise held the phone to her ear, and all the blood had drained from her face. "What's going on?"

"It's Allan," Cherise said, holding the phone speaker away from her mouth but still listening intently. She spoke to the phone again. "OK, I'll tell her that."

"What?" Yvonne demanded with trembling hands.

"Oliver took Gaia from school even though Allan told her homeroom teacher he was picking her up," Cherise said, her eyes filling with water. "Allan has the entire force trying to locate her now!"

"Jesus Christ," Yvonne breathed, her eyes widening as her heart beat rapidly. "He kidnapped her? How could he? What is he thinking? What do I do?"

Her voice started breaking with her questions, and Cherise tried to hold her, but she didn't need a hug right now. Just then, she heard the vibrations on her phone, which she had left on the coffee table.

"Mrs. Markson!" Alina yelled when Yvonne answered. "I've been calling like crazy! Have you heard?"

"Yes!" Yvonne replied, trying to contain her cracking voice. "Please, Alina. What happened? Allan said he told you he was picking Gaia up. After last night, I left my house and told my husband I needed some time. So, I didn't want him near her."

"I know!" Alina said, and her voice broke, too. "Your brother explained that, too. But one mom talked to me about the bake sale during pick-up time, and another teacher let Oliver take her because she had seen him before. I can't believe this! I called your brother immediately!"

"Oh, my God," Yvonne nodded, breathing deeply again. "I have to go."

She hung up and checked all the missed calls and messages since she and her mother started gardening. Obviously, Allan and the school had called, but none were from Oliver. Yvonne uttered a huge, impassioned scream to express her frustrations and dialed her husband's number.

She expected him to ignore the call, but he answered on the second ring. "Calm down," were his first words.

Those two words broke something intense inside her body. She knew that all the love she had felt for Oliver at one point was gone for good. He couldn't be a good father to their daughter, not the way her father had been. She thought the haircutting was the last straw. No. This was.

"Where are you?" Yvonne asked calmly because her body had turned to stone. Her mother's eyes widened, but she mouthed "record." Yvonne nodded, pressing the record button on her cellphone.

"I won't tell you that until you've calmed down," Oliver replied.

"I'm very calm, Oliver," Yvonne continued. "I just want to know where Gaia is. Can I talk to her?"

"Gaia is fine. She's my daughter, and I have as much right to her as you. You can't take her away," Oliver said instead of granting her request. He was getting agitated.

"So, you kidnapped her from school? Why? You knew Allan was picking her up," Yvonne stated. "You knew this would cause problems for you, Oliver. So, bring her back to my mom's house, and everything will be fine."

"NO!" he yelled. "I won't bring her back. I'm taking her with me."

"Oliver," Yvonne cautioned, remaining deathly. "You won't be able to leave town. Taking your child from school is one thing, but kidnapping her from her mother is another. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"This is not kidnapping! She's mine!"

"It is kidnapping because you don't have my consent to take her away. You're planning on going to your parents, right? I know you well, Oliver," Yvonne started, her voice rising slightly. "That would mean crossing state lines. I believe that's a federal crime. Come back. Bring my girl."

Oliver stayed quiet for several seconds, making Yvonne close her eyes in pure panic.

"Is that Mommy?" she heard in the background. "Are we going to Grandma's house after the zoo? Dad, let's see the giraffes."

Giraffes? Yvonne thought and widened her eyes at her mother, mouthing "the zoo." The older woman rushed to her phone and called Allan. There was only one zoo in their town.

"No, not right now," Oliver told Gaia before his voice was back on the phone. "Yvonne, please. I won't leave if you come back home. If you can't promise that, I'm going, and my parents will hire a lawyer, and I'll sue for full custody, so she stays with me."

Yvonne closed her eyes. When she opened, she saw Cherise mouthing that Allan and the cops were on their way to the zoo. So, she tried a different tactic.

"Oliver, did you understand what I told you last night?"

"Yes. I did wrong," Oliver admitted, seeming pleased by Yvonne's new tone of voice. "I know that. I just needed a chance. You didn't give me a chance. We can talk and work all this out."

"That sounds good."

"Really? Oh, God! Yvonne, I knew you would see sense," Oliver breathed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. It almost made her gag. "I mean, it's just hair anyway."

And with that, she knew all his words didn't matter. He didn't understand. He would never understand.

Finally, the sounds of sirens echoed through the phone line.

"Oh, Sh —"

The phone call ended, and Yvonne fell to the floor, shaking violently as the adrenaline left her body. Cherise wrapped her arms tightly around her as they waited for Allan to call.

Fortunately, other cops were close to the zoo and managed to grab Oliver, who could run fast with a young girl in his arms. He was officially arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping. The recording showed that he intended to take her across state lines, so the judge granted them a temporary restraining order against them. Gaia was brought home safely.

Yvonne and Cherise hired an attorney to start the divorce process and sue Oliver for full custody. With the recording, the police visit, the arrest, the statement from Alina, and messages between Yvonne and Oliver over past disagreements over Gaia, her attorney was sure the judge would grant her everything she wanted.

Oliver was granted bail, and his parents came down from Missouri. Fortunately, they understood what their son had done wrong. They apologized profusely and told Yvonne they would get him to sign anything quickly so the divorce and everything would go faster as long as she didn't cut them off from Gaia and dropped the kidnapping charges.

Yvonne agreed because she didn't want to cut them off or send Oliver to jail. She didn't want Gaia to grow up without a father in the first place, but he couldn't be too close to her when his selfishness and thoughtlessness ruled over everything. Allan wasn't happy with that decision, but it was her choice.

After almost a year, the divorce was finalized, and she was unsurprisingly given full custody. Oliver had limited supervised visitation and court-ordered therapy due to his past. But he moved away after two years and called only occasionally.

Yvonne enrolled Gaia in everything she used to love and encouraged self-esteem, ambition, and love in her household. Nothing was an inconvenience. Nothing was too much work. Cherise helped out often, and happiness reigned in their house.

Gaia was 12 years old when Allan married her former homeroom teacher, Alina, and was a bridesmaid for the ceremony. Her long blonde hair was styled with braids and fake white daisies, and Yvonne took a million pictures because it wasn't just about the hair. It was about her daughter, who had a bright smile full of confidence, delight, humor, and hope for the future.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who sold his long hair to get money for a friend's sick mom and got more than expected.

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