As a parent, society expects you to bring up your children in the right way, rewarding them when they do something commendable and punishing them when they do something inappropriate. You are supposed to be the role model they can look up to in all ways. Sometimes, however, personal feelings get in the way of some parents, especially when fuelled by influence from outside and they end up mistreating their children. This is the typical case with most step-parents, and it never ends well for the children. It forces other people to intervene to save the child.

Such was the case for one Kelsea Johnson, a teenager who had just turned sixteen. The young girl was looking to enjoy her teens just like her friends, and she thought that some highlights in her hair would be cool. Her mother, Christin Johnson, took her to a salon and paid for the whole process as a gift for her birthday. Kelsea was thrilled and could not wait to show them to her dad who was living with her stepmom in another area. Little did the poor teenager know that she was about to get the shock of her life.

When Kelsea was brought back home, she was in tears. All her beautiful hair was gone! She barely mustered the words to explain to her mom what had happened to her hair. It was cut so short that she looked like a boy. One look at her and Christin knew that it had not been her daughter’s choice to have her hair cut. She was shocked and angry at her daughter’s father and step-mom. What was the big deal with having highlights in her hair? She was a teenager trying to enjoy her birthday!

The furious mom took to Facebook to express her frustration. She posted two pictures, one that showed a happy Kelsea with her highlighted hair and the other that showed her in tears after being brought back home with what looked like a bad haircut. Christin just couldn’t understand why her father and his new wife had to cut her hair. They could have had the highlights removed or even sent her back if they were that unbearable. It was even made worse by the fact that Kelsea wanted them for her birthday, and that her mum had approved it and even paid for them.

As the news spread in the town, Kelsea’s father and his wife were relieved from duty at the Middleton Town Fire Department and would not resume until the police concluded their investigations on possible child abuse. Christin and her daughter decided not to press charges against the couple, but it was doubtful whether the girl would be seeing them any time soon.

Meanwhile, Kelsea’s godmother and some employees at a local salon helped her choose a nice wig. She would grow back her hair soon enough, they all hoped.
This is a perfect case of inappropriate punishment. It does not seem logical to cut off anyone’s hair because of adding highlights. There were many lines of action they could have taken such as warning her not to do it again. Punishment is meant to teach a lesson gently and not to frustrate or embarrass. It is possible that the couple’s motives were fueled by a lot more than a sheer dislike for the highlights.