# A baby pulled off a wig. Now who owes an apology?

> A 14-month-old yanked off a great aunt's wig at a party, and the fallout landed on the mother.
- Title: A baby pulled off a wig. Now who owes an apology? | Shortify
- Summary: A 14-month-old yanked off a great aunt's wig at a party, and the fallout landed on the mother. Apologize when your kid hurts someone, even accidentally. It…
- Keywords: parenting, family conflict, apologies, advice, in-laws, baby, pulled, wig, owes, apology, Slate Magazine
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/advice/2026/09/parenting-advice-aunt-wig-disaster.html?via=rss
- Author: Jamilah Lemieux
- Published: 2026-09-11T17:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: parenting, family conflict, apologies, advice, in-laws
## The aunt and her secret
Matt's great aunt Judy is completely bald and deeply sensitive about it. She wears a wig and nobody in the family treats it as a topic.

> bald as a billiard ball and incredibly sensitive about it
## One grab, one party
During a visit with neighbors over, 14-month-old Mandy reached up and pulled Judy's wig clean off her head in front of everyone.

> our daughter grabbed a handful of Judy's "hair" and pulled the wig clean off her head
## Judy left immediately
No one made a scene, but Judy was beside herself and walked out. The room's politeness did not undo the exposure she felt.

> No one made a big deal of it, but Judy was beside herself and left immediately.
## The demand that followed
Judy wants an apology from the mother, saying she "hasn't been raising her right." The mother-in-law has been pushing for the same thing.

> demanding that I apologize for what Mandy did because I supposedly "haven't been raising her right"
## Why it stings this much
Jamilah had her own wig pulled off at a party in 2006, with real hair underneath, and still gets annoyed thinking about it. For Judy it was devastating.

> I had a full head of hair underneath and the wig was stupid…and I still get annoyed when I think about it!
## Just say sorry
Apologize when your child causes harm, accident or not. If Judy keeps pressing after that, the problem is hers to carry.

> Saying "sorry" is free!
## Key takeaway

Apologize when your kid hurts someone, even accidentally. It costs you nothing and it is not an admission of bad parenting.