Mom’s haircut moment turns preschool disaster into pure love

A preschool Valentine’s Day party. A pair of craft scissors. And one very emotional “first haircut” that didn’t go as planned.

What happened next? A mom’s decision that turned heartbreak into healing—and inspired millions through a viral TikTok.

Alexis Salerno (@lexfsal) shared the now-viral moment after her 4-year-old daughter had her hair cut by preschool friends during a playdate. It was her daughter’s first-ever haircut—and it wasn’t by choice.

“The girls got a hold of a pair of craft scissors from the craft station and cut my daughter’s hair. My daughter is a bit shy and the youngest in the group. She shared with us that while she didn’t tell them to stop in the moment, she didn’t want her hair to be cut. This was my daughter’s first haircut, her hair was down to her lower back, I was distraught looking at her soft baby curls on the floor,” Salerno told Newsweek.

Related: “Is that standard?”: What one viral TikTok haircut revealed about parenting in 2025

A preschool mishap, a first haircut, and a viral TikTok moment

After calling her husband home from work, Salerno took their daughter to a local salon. The stylists tried to reshape what was left of her long curls, but emotionally, the loss lingered.

“Many evenings she cried and asked her daddy to draw hair on her back, asked if he could make it grow back, and would cry in the evenings before be,d saying ‘I don’t feel like myself, I miss myself. I don’t like my little hair. Mommy, how do you spell Please don’t ever cut my hair agai,n friends?’” she shared.

It was a haircut that carried the weight of personal reinvention. So Salerno made a bold, love-filled decision.

“Now she says we both have ‘little hair’.”

Salerno, who had worn her hair waist-length her entire life, chopped it all off into a chin-length bob—and documented it in a viral TikTok that has since earned more than 2.9 million views.

“When I picked her up from school with my bob, her face lit up. She was SO excited. She ran over and gave me a big hug. Now she says we both have ‘little hair’ and she matches mommy,” Salerno told Newsweek.

To help her daughter see the beauty in her new look, Salerno and her husband went all in: a pixie-cut Barbie, playing music by Pink, and pointing out strong, short-haired role models from athletes to actors.

“My husband and I did everything we could to celebrate her new ‘do… and continued to tell her how special she was, no matter the length of her hair and that being different is cool,” she said.

@lexfsal When pre-schoolers cut off all your 4 year old baby’s hair off, you chop yours too so she feels less alone & you can grow it out together 🫶🏼 #fyp #foryourpage #chop #haircut #haircuttransformation #preschool #toddlersoftiktok #shorthair #bobhaircut ♬ Long Cool Woman – MOONLGHT

Viral TikTok love—and one powerful message

The TikTok video sparked a wave of support and admiration across the platform.

“The social media reaction has been wild! I’m new to TikTok and honestly still learning how to use the platform. People are generally being so kind and supportive,” she said.

She also clarified that the incident didn’t happen at school, despite what some commenters assumed.

“Other people are assuming this happened in school and are blaming the teacher they think is responsible for allowing this to happen. I’ve commented to clarify this happened outside of school,” she explained.

Salerno is clear: while the moment was upsetting, it became an opportunity to model something deeper.

“I fully understand these are young kids and mistakes happen, I think everyone has learned from it. We have been able to teach our girl about resilience at a young age and that we’ve got her no matter what life throws at her,” she said.

And for herself?

“I’m actually really liking the shorter locks, it feels freeing and it’s nice to have a change after 30+ years of the same style,” she added.

Related: When mom leaves for a hair appointment: The viral TikTok breaking hearts and sparking laughter