High school is hard. Being different in high school is even harder. So imagine how happy one dad was when he thought he finally nailed the solution to his 16-year-old son’s alopecia problem — micropigmentation treatments. There’s only one problem: a substitute teacher at school wasn’t too pleased when she heard about the boy’s “head tattoo” and let the dad know it. But was he wrong for trying to get her fired as payback?
Since elementary school, the son has been “bullied mercilessly” for his condition, which causes his hair to fall out.
Things like stress can make his alopecia worse, the dad explained in his Reddit post. And there aren’t many ways they can treat it.
“The only real treatment was these injections into his scalp, which as I'm sure you can imagine, are super painful,” the dad explained.
At some point, his son started getting anxious before his doctor appointments, which prompted the dad to look elsewhere for a solution.
“I came across micropigmentation, and suggested it to my son,” he explained.
According to Scalp Micro USA, micropigmentation is a “non-invasive treatment that uses detailed micro-needles to deposit pigment into the scalp.”
“The result creates the appearance of tiny hair follicles that help thicken and restore the look of fuller hair. If you are starting to thin, recede, or if you are completely bald, we can give you the look of a short buzz cut,” the website stated.
Obviously, this seemed like a great option for his son “and so for his birthday, I managed to get an appointment set up under his doctor's recommendation, which made it totally legal,” the dad explained.
The two even spent a weekend away in a bigger city so they could have the procedure done.
The results were beyond what they could’ve expected.
“Even if it's buzzed, this stuff looks so real, and his confidence is just through the roof,” the dad wrote. “He's no longer hiding under hats. He feels so confident with his new ‘hair,’ and it's just really great to see.
“I'm honestly so glad that we made the decision, because now we can just move on from all of this,” he continued. “It's a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders every day.”
However, not everyone seems to think it was the right decision.
The dad’s son goes to a “pretty strict Catholic school” and even though he already looked in the school handbook before the procedure to make sure it was fine, one person seemed to have a problem with it.
“I got an angry email on Monday evening from a substitute teacher,” he wrote. “She overheard my son explaining his procedure and felt compelled to tell me how this ‘mutilation’ is illegal and unacceptable.”
The dad tried to explain the whole situation to the sub, but she wouldn’t hear it.
She even went as far as to call him an “‘irresponsible father’ for allowing my son to get a ‘head tattoo,’” he wrote.
“She called him a bad example, and said that in no way is this acceptable under school rules,” he added.
The phone call didn’t sit right with the dad.
As a result, he decided to let the school know what happened.
“I contacted not just the principal, but also a friend of mine whose on the board and the head of school, and forwarded them the conversation (with highlights), along with my own very strongly worded letter, and other emails documenting the times that my son experienced bullying at that school, with minimum (if any) repercussion to those involved,” he recalled.
To top things off, he threatened to sue the school for discrimination.
Perhaps it was the threat of a lawsuit that opened up a whole can of worms.
First, the school board panicked and immediately fired the substitute teacher. That might have put the situation to bed, but then words started to spread to other parents.
“A few parents have called me the A–hole, saying that I took the threats too far, as this substitute was not a normal part of the school, and I shouldn't have taken such an aggressive approach,” he explained.
Their reaction has him second guessing his approach. Was he really in the wrong?
So many people thought the dad had done the right thing.
“She was way out of line and the tattoo in question was a quality of life issue done with a doctor's approval,” one person commented. “I would have done the same as you.”
“[Not the A–hole]she should have just minded her own business, shouldn't she? It's not like he has a tribal on his arm," someone else added.
A third person put it this way:
“Your son was bullied for a medical condition and they didn’t do nothing. Then he gets something done and feels better about himself and that’s bad? WTF, I would even say it was a great thing you got them fired lMAO, it’s THEIR job to keep the kids safe, if they cannot do what they shouldn’t be in that place."
The dad later wrote that part of the issue is many of the other parents at the school had the substitute as their teacher when they were kids, so they think this is “just how she is.”
“She was known for calling parents up at night when students were ‘out of line,’ and it wasn't my first encounter with her,” he explained. “The previous ones were borderline (son came to class with a hood or hat on), so those I'd say she was more or less valid with, but this was way different.”
In the end, perhaps it’s better if the dad walks away from this whole mess.
“We are looking for him to switch schools,” he wrote.
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