I Let My Mom Watch My Daughter and Was Left Shocked When Coming to Pick Her Up – 'She Would Never See My Child Again'
A TikTok user, Tawana, experienced deep distress when she discovered her family had shaved her toddler daughter's hair without her consent. This act was rooted in a belief Tawana did not share, leading to significant emotional turmoil for the young mother.
Tawana, a TikTok user and mother to a toddler, took to the social media platform to share what her family did to her child while babysitting. According to Tawana, going to her mother's house on weekends was nearly routine for her and her child.
However, one particular weekend, she dropped off her daughter, River, as she had to stay at a hotel to attend an event. The young mom began her video by sharing her daughter's healthy, full head of hair as an infant. River's hair grew somewhat fast, and to keep the hair soft, Tawana would sometimes use coconut oil.
Tawana's daughter, River, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
She went on to explain an old belief that newborns' hair was dirty or unclean. "They believe [...] that if you shave the child's hair, that it's gonna come back thicker," she noted.
Tawana's daughter, River, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
The same was done to her as a child, but when her hair grew back, it wasn't nearly as full and thick. Because of her experience, she did not want to do the same to River and let the baby's hair grow naturally.
Tawana talking in her TikTok video, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
However, on the weekend she left her daughter to attend an event, her mother cut River's hair. Amidst her enjoyment, drinking, and listening to music at the event, she received a message in a group chat that she hadn't put much thought into.
Tawana talking in her TikTok video, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
"They sent me like a video, and I'm seeing this child that looks like my child, bald," Tawana said. Upon seeing a part of the clip, she felt confused. The cell reception in the establishment she was at wasn't good, making the video challenging to load. Instead, she carried on with her evening.
Tawana's daughter, River, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
When the woman finally left the event, she went to her hotel room, buzzed, and did not attend to the video. It wasn't until the following day that she was able to see the video that wouldn't load.
Tawana's daughter, River, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
As she was on her way to pick her daughter up, Tawana looked through her messages again and saw the video of her daughter's head being shaved. The clip showed her little girl with her thick, healthy hair being razored off. River barely kept still in the video until her hair was eventually gone.
Tawana's daughter, River, dated January 2024 | Source: TikTok/Tawanatr
Tawana began crying on the way to her mom's and couldn't believe that her mother had touched her baby's hair. To make matters worse, the grandmother trusted the woman's younger brother to carry out the task.
When Tawana got to her mother's place and saw her bald daughter, she was speechless and in disbelief. She remained emotional even if her daughter was happy. However, Tawana knew there wasn't anything she could do anymore. Even if she got mad, River's hair wouldn't grow back.
Many who saw the video shared their thoughts and reactions in the comments section, including one TikTok user who wrote, "She would never see my child again," referring to the grandmother.
"They do not respect your boundaries," one comment read. "Their belief is not an excuse to act as they will." Another added, "Please say granny at least got a stern talking to."
Others asked follow-up questions regarding what the woman had told her mom. "Did u at least tell your mom how you felt? And like was she remorseful? [sic]" one asked. "Did your mother acknowledge that she did not have the right without permission to cut your daughters hair?" a second inquired.
Some TikTok users shared their own stories in the comments section. One parent revealed that her mom did the same to her toddler simply because the grandma didn't like the length. Another parent claimed it took over a year for her mom to babysit her daughter after giving the little one water at six weeks old.
In a follow-up video, Tawana revealed that her daughter was more cheerful and really seemed to like being bald. Meanwhile, she was still getting used to it.
In a similar story, a woman caught her mother trying to sleeptrain her newborn even after explicitly saying she did not want to. The mother even locked her granddaughter in the room as part of the training.