Barber Shop Offers Old-Man Haircut as Discipline for Unruly Kids

A Gwinnett County, Ga., barbershop has come up with an unusual option to help parents keep their unruly boys in line — give them an old-man haircut.

It’s called the “Benjamin Button Special,” a free cut that takes a misbehaving boy’s full head of hair and turns it into something similar to a balding senior citizen’s.

The public teasing that comes with hair cut apparently leaves a strong impression, the shop owner said.

Russell Frederick, owner of A-1 Kutz, started offering the haircut after he did the same thing with his 12-year-old son last fall and saw immediate increases in his son’s sagging grades, the Washington Post reported.

• Read the Washington Post report here

Frederick, 34, offers the deal three days a week at his shop located at 2189 Scenic Highway in Snellville, Ga.

The father of three said his unique approach to punishment has been mostly well received by the community. Last week, he posted before and after photos from the barber’s chair of a 10-year-old whose mother brought him in because the boy was misbehaving in school, the Post wrote.

Those photos attracted a spike in social media shares on Facebook and Instagram, and subsequently more interest from parents.

Frederick told the Post, “There are a few people that are saying it’s emotional abuse; but on average, everyone is applauding the mother that brought the child in — and applauding me as well.”

Not everyone agrees. One psychotherapist told the Post that using shame for discipline can be counterproductive.