Let me start this post off by saying I think my son is beautiful and I would never change anything about him, even if I had the chance. I adore him as he is.

My son is six months old now. His dad and I split just before he turned four months. I’ll be the first to admit it, he doesn’t look a ton like me. He has all my features (eyes, nose, curly hair, lips, even hands) but the first things you physically notice about him are his red hair and light skin. His dad is Irish, that’s where he gets it from, and I’m Filipino and Italian. I’ve literally had people not believe that he was my baby. They’ve looked around as if to find the red headed woman who actually birthed him and whose baby I must be stealing.

The comments about his red hair are killing me. Literally every time we step foot out of the house, at least one person feels they need to say something. They’re always nice comments and never rude, but it’s so damn hard to constantly be reminded about the hair when I already have to look at it every day. I feel like I’m doing a good job at getting over my ex and I don’t miss him or want him back. Having strangers remind me about my son’s hair really just pokes a nerve in that we don’t have a nuclear family anymore and that has been the hardest thing to accept because that’s what I wanted most for him. Not a dad that lives two states away and who we Skype with on Sundays. Not a mom who’s more stressed than she needs to be because there’s no second parent to help take some of the burden off of her. Not a mom who cringes every time Mrs. Johnson bumps into us at the store because all she talks about is his hair. Not not having a parent around that he actually looks like.

I don’t want him to grow up hating his red hair because of this reaction I’ve began to have when people comment on it. It really is beautiful and striking, especially with his light skin. He is a gorgeous baby and I’m so proud to be his mom. I’ve even talked to his dad about all the comments and that I’m having a difficult time brushing them off. He wasn’t a big help, he mostly just seemed proud that he passed on the hair.

Have any of you ever had to deal with your baby looking more like your ex and getting a lot of comments on it?