And Just Like That, It Happened...

The first lice notice at my daughters school this year. F-Me.

Lice is a HUGE paranoia for moi. Yeah, I know it is for everyone but some people can handle bugs better than others. These particular bugs really bug me (sorry, had to).

I hope this doesn’t jinx me, but I have had two *known* close calls when one of my daughter’s friends had it – same kid both times. And both times she managed to avoid it. I want to briefly share what we have done to (so far successfully) AVOID this thing. It certainly doesn’t mean my daughter will never get it but it sure as hell is worth trying since homeschooling isn’t a fantastic option. (Even though it had been seriously considered).

Ok, you need to start with a conversation about NOT SHARING CLOTHING ITEMS and not putting heads together with others when playing or working in school. I straight out told my daughter why she should avoid it – in a ‘less scary’ way than my brain understands it. Then, I make a concoction of a blend of essential oils and spray the shit out of her hair (tied back in a braid or ponytail), backpacks, jackets and sweaters. I realize that she may ‘smell fresh’ when she goes to school, but that is OK with me! (You can always buy some random ‘lice deterrent’ which I have seen at Shoppers Drug Mart (for example) or Beaners). 

I think it’s important to check your child every week anyway. A good friend of mine had a very unfortunate experience at her child’s dayhome where her daughter picked up the damn lice 3 times because the kid’s parents (the kid with the lice) didn’t deal with it properly. Come on people – you need to deal with this properly!!!

Because of my anxiety around this, I literally made a list of how I would deal with lice if it ever happened. I have everything at home and I wrote down names of friends, family and random people I could call to come and check to see I had done a proper treatment of it. I even found a lady with LiceSquad who comes to your house to check for the bugs (and if necessary) do a treatment. I had her come twice in one week after one of the close calls mentioned above. Each visit was about $120. Well worth it my friends. Well worth it. And all she did was confirm none of us had it. 

I just pray that it's one thing we never EVER have to actually deal with, and that I don't pass my own anxiety about it onto my daughter (although I may already have). After all, one can't start day drinking every time she see's her daughter itch a scratch near her head. Or can "one"?