A mum-of-three, who got dreadlocks after struggling to style her thin hair, has let her three-year-old have the same hairstyle.
Kristin Miller from Maui, Hawaii, says she always admired dreadlocks and decided to lock her own hair two and a half years ago.
The 34-year-old, who works as a karaoke MC, lets her daughter Loretta have the same style.
Loretta hated having her hair brushed and found the experience painful. The youngster’s active outdoor lifestyle meant her hair was constantly in knots.
After seeing her mum’s dreads, Loretta asked Kristin if she could have the same look.
Since the mum and daughter have started sporting the same hairstyle, Kristin has started an Instagram page @dreadyloretty as she wants to ‘normalise’ children with dreads.
Kristen has also created a children’s Kindle book, Dready-Loretty: No Time to Brush about a little girl who loves adventures but can’t find the time to brush her hair.
Her Instagram account has amassed 11.8K followers and while she’s received a lot of support, Kristin has also been accused of neglect, abuse and cultural appropriation.
Ignoring the comments, Kristin wants to encourage other parents to listen to their children and to allow them to express their own individuality.
‘I always thought dreads were beautiful and my hair was very thin, hard to style and always worn up, so dreads seemed like a good idea,’ explained Kristin.
‘I was not surprised at Loretta’s interest in dreads. She was always touching mine and saying “deez your dweads?”.’
‘She would cry when I would suggest it was time to brush. I was trying to be gentle. I even used a detangler. She wasn’t having it. I gave her the choice and at two she vocalised, “I keep da dweads”.’
So Kristen sectioned Loretta’s hair and put in rubber bands to separate each naturally-forming dread. She documented the growth week by week on Instagram.
She added: ‘I knew there was some stigma attached and wanted to help normalise kids with dreads. I wanted to show it was just a part of her life and how she lived it.
‘The reaction is not always positive; some people have accused me of neglect, abuse, and cultural appropriation.
‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion I suppose and not everyone will be convinced one way or the other. It’s not about them. It’s about what Loretta wants.
‘Children should be forming and discovering their own identities as early as they desire.’
Kristin says she also lets Loretta choose what to wear which can sometimes include her older brother’s hand-me-downs.
She washes Loretta’s hair once or twice a week with a special eco-friendly dread shampoo.
Through sharing Loretta’s story, Kristin hopes to encourage parents to let their children form their own identities.
‘Let their natural desire to be an individual come out if they so choose, kids aren’t trying to stand out and be different, they are trying to be themselves.
‘I want other parents to see her decision was not a philosophical one but a practical one. I wanted to promote dread acceptance and understanding.
‘It’s important to remember people choose to have dreads for many reasons; religion, culture, or love of the style.
‘I think dreads are one of those things that help us practice respect, love, and understanding for things or people we don’t necessarily understand.
‘Always keep an open heart and mind for your earthly brothers and sisters. We are all in this together.’
If your children have an unconventional lifestyle, get in touch with metrolifestyleteam@metro.co.uk to tell us more.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/26/mum-who-let-three-year-old-have-dreadlocks-accused-of-neglect-and-appropriation-12124087/
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