Close encounters of the MLC kind

[hoosiermama]

okay--tired of lice talk. Probably y'all are, too!

So what plans does everyone have for a beautiful autumn weekend? As far as I know there are no hurricanes around.

As for D and I, we plan to hit the apple orchard. Last week we got rained out. It's an annual September (or sometimes October) tradition with us. Love those Jonagolds!

[hoosiermama]

Good thinG I'm not eatin' today. (((HURL!)))

Fasting?

[BeingMe]

Wow! It's hard to keep up with your thread sometimes, Hmama!

My weekend is going to be full of homework. We went to a festival down south of us last weekend. That was fun ... bought some fabulous, home-made bread, yummy cheese, and apricot flavoured vinegar.

Take care.

[hoosiermama]

Yeah, I'm just a barrel of laughs! If you like lice, that is.

[hoosiermama]

So...D is spending the night with H, none of my friends was available this evening, and I'm working on the same viral symptoms I've seen in my kids all week. I'm tired, I'm lonely, I'd love to just have a cup of coffee and chat with someone about nothing of any great importance at all.

Well, actually it's now 11:30 and about the only reasonable thing to do is go to bed and sleep until I wake up. Or until the dogs wake me up, which is a more likely scenario.

[sgctxok]

EEEEEEEEEEwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I would have freaked out! So far, knock on wood, we haven't had to deal with it; D has hair she can almost sit on, and lots of it, and is very tender-headed.

Saw some of these girls again this morning. Two still had 'em, all had nits. What is up with these parents??!!

knocking on wood...how hard is it to get rid of?

[sgctxok]

maybe they couldn't get to the store
or didn't have money to buy the stuff
and
had to work today

i mean
i would be po'ed if my son were in that school

but i worked lower income schools before
and
that happened a lot

Oh, I understand. But there are alternative methods, and I sent home that information with the children yesterday. There are reasons, and then there are excuses. I just know that if my child had lice I'd shave her head if necessary! But then, that's just me....

would your daughter be screaming and crying?

and if they never dealt iwth it before, maybe they really believed the shampoo would just do it alone

(and could it???)

good to be a boy

and what if you have tight curly hair? or a lot of kids ?

[hoosiermama]

EEEEEEEEEEwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I would have freaked out! So far, knock on wood, we haven't had to deal with it; D has hair she can almost sit on, and lots of it, and is very tender-headed.

Saw some of these girls again this morning. Two still had 'em, all had nits. What is up with these parents??!!

knocking on wood...how hard is it to get rid of?

It's kind of a pain--you have to use a sort of creme rinse and let it sit for awhile, as well as combing out the nits (eggs) with a nit comb--a very fine-toothed comb; they glue themselves to the hair shaft. By parting hair in about 1/4 inch parts and combing through each section. Then you have to wash all your linens and dry them in the dryer--that part's not a huge issue, except it can require a trip to the laundromat. And depending on the situation, spraying all upholstery with just about any insecticide.

[hoosiermama]

maybe they couldn't get to the store
or didn't have money to buy the stuff
and
had to work today

i mean
i would be po'ed if my son were in that school

but i worked lower income schools before
and
that happened a lot

Oh, I understand. But there are alternative methods, and I sent home that information with the children yesterday. There are reasons, and then there are excuses. I just know that if my child had lice I'd shave her head if necessary! But then, that's just me....

would your daughter be screaming and crying?

and if they never dealt iwth it before, maybe they really believed the shampoo would just do it alone

(and could it???)

good to be a boy

and what if you have tight curly hair? or a lot of kids ?

Yes, she definitely would be screaming and crying. And probably, me too.

I sent home very explicit instructions on how to treat their children and their homes--it's essentially a public health requirement to prevent it from spreading to other children, whose parents then call the school and yell and cuss because their child picked up lice in school.

Lice prefer caucasian hair, because of texture as well as oil-base styling products often used on tightly curled or kinked hair. Which is not to say that African-American kids don't get head lice, but it's much less frequent than their non-african american counterparts.

Yeah, if you have a lot of kids you're in a world of hurt.

I really don't mean to sound non-compassionate about this. I understand there are a variety of life factors going on at once. However, I tend to have a tad more compassion for the child who gets dissed at school for having repeated lice infestations than for their parents. I'm also responding from a place of getting cussed out by at least two sets of parents (because it's my fault?!) because their child missed the bus and they had to drive the 5 minutes to pick them up (that's how soon they got there!) or got lice at school (obviously they couldn't have gotten them anywhere else) and treatment is expensive and by god they're entitled to some assistance to purchase the products. This is after I sent home a free box of treatment but they didn't bother to check their child's backpack or read the note I sent home. I realize they're upset and overwhelmed and I'm just the convenient target--but ya know, I'm really tired of being that target for so many people!!! And what are they teaching their children who are listening to this exchange?

OK, rant over. I feel better now.

[BeingMe]

We do live in a world of entitlement, don't we? I have four children, and I have had to deal with lice on the odd occasion, especially my blonde kids. It is a drag, but ya gots to do what ya gots to do!

Hope your weekend perks up, Hmama!