Q: I'm losing my hair. At what point does a balding man decide to throw in the towel and shave his head? When did you start? - Balding in Bensalem
A: Dude, I was born bald and it's mostly been an unhairy experience ever since. Some brothers look pretty good with hair, like a fade or a 'fro, and others look pretty ridiculous.
Growing up, my hair was fairly closely cropped, and a few years into my pro career I decided to go au naturel. For me it's a lot easier to take care of, even now. You have to look in the mirror and decide if the bald look is for you. Bald isn't always beautiful. But I'd rather cut my head off than comb over my hair from one ear to the other. That's just plain nasty.
Q: I want my kid to play sports, as much for the social aspect as anything - teamwork, adversity, all that - but the kid doesn't seem too into it. I don't care what the sport is, but I do feel like he should do something. How much should I do to encourage him to find a sport, or when should I just give up on it? - A Dad in Haddonfield
A: Don't push it. If kids want to play sports, they will. I don't understand parents who force their kids into playing sports when the interest or ability isn't there. Are they doing it for the kids or themselves? Kids can learn teamwork or adversity through school or community activities, like working on a school newspaper. That's filled with plenty of adversity. Just don't let your kid become a couch potato or a tweeting Twitter fanatic. There's too many of them already.
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Questions for Ask Sir Charles can be submitted via email at dnadvice@phillynews.com. For more information about Charles, his Hall-of-Fame NBA career, and his current exploits on television,go to charlesbarkley.com.