The Haircut No One Saw Coming

Toddler Gives Herself an Extreme Haircut. Then Her Dad Goes Viral for Having the Sweetest Reaction

The mom of eight says that the incident with her daughter using scissors “by far takes the cake” in their household

Courtesy of Amanda Hawkins

Amanda Hawkins’ daughter Juniper

NEED TO KNOW

A mom got a surprise from her daughter, Juniper, after she tucked her in early for bed

Amanda Hawkins, a 32-year-old mom, thought that her youngest was drifting off to sleep; however, Juniper had other plans for the evening

A now-viral video, which her sister Holly shared on TikTok, shows the aftermath of the big chop and Amanda’s husband’s sweet reaction to the situation

A California mom was in for a surprise from her daughter after she tucked her in early for bed.

Amanda Hawkins’ evening started just like any other, preparing her youngest daughter, Juniper, who was 3 years old at the time, for bed. After tucking her in, the 32-year-old mom continued her nightly routine, thinking that her youngest was drifting off to sleep. However, Juniper had other plans for the evening.

“Unbeknownst to us, she had snuck the homeschool safety scissors into her room with her,” Hawkins tells PEOPLE.

Courtesy of Amanda Hawkins

Amanda Hawkins and her family

Shortly after her mom put her to bed and wished her a good night, Juniper decided to take out the scissors and give herself an extreme haircut. She cut her hair, which once fell past her shoulders, into an uneven layered bob. Hawkins tells PEOPLE that it was the first time her daughter ever used scissors on her hair, sharing her initial reaction to seeing her daughter’s chopped tresses.

“I was initially just super sad because I was just admiring how long and golden her hair was earlier that day when she was swinging on our swing,” she says. “It was the first time she ever used scissors on her hair, and boy was it a doozy!”

Courtesy of Amanda Hawkins

Amanda Hawkins’ daughter Juniper

A now-viral video, which Hawkins’ sister Holly shared on TikTok, shows the aftermath of the big chop. The toddler can be seen with a sad expression on her face as Amanda’s husband, Patrick Hawkins, 36, examines the situation. Juniper’s siblings can be heard in the background giggling with one suggesting she get a wig to hide her new look.

Looking at his daughter’s sad expression, the proud dad takes the moment to pour some positivity into his daughter. He looks her in her eyes and says that she “still looks beautiful” as he takes her to get cleaned up.

In the caption of the post, Holly comments on her brother-in-law’s parenting skills. “My brother in law at the end! Don’t know if I’d have that much patience 🤣.”

Amanda tells PEOPLE that she loves how her husband reacted in the moment as he gave their daughter exactly what she needed.

“I love how my husband has a way of analyzing situations with our children and seeing that she was visibly upset with her own actions,” she says. “He made a point to tell her the truth, [which is] that she was still just as beautiful.”

Now, nearly two years later, Amanda tells PEOPLE that Juniper, 5, whose hair is still growing back to it’s original length, has definitely learned her lesson when it comes to scissors.

“It is still not quite as long as it used to be nearly two years later, but she has definitely learned her lesson and this has just become a funny memory captured on camera for our family.”