This strikes a nerve with me. My older son had magnificent loose curls when he was little, which annoyed my very traditional husband and in-laws because 1) they thought it looked too " ethnic" and 2) people would often say "Oh, what beautiful hair she has!" So they cut it really short when he was about 2 years old, and the curls never came back. He's now 25, and his hair is basically straight, with a gentle wave that emerges when he lets it grow.
My younger son got the same hair, but this time I put my foot down. He wants to grow his hair long and donate it to Locks of Love, although he's beginning to realize that it takes forever for 3b hair to grow that long. His father is not happy, but I'm not making the same mistake twice.
I've included three pics: the first two are of my younger son, and the third has both. If I can find a photo of my older son with the curls, I'll post that too (his childhood preceded digital cameras).