Musings of a Mom

 It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and I’m sorry about that. First I had computer issues and then the holidays. In between all of that madness Jack got lice, so you can see that I’ve had my hands full.

Yes, Jack got lice. I had never dealt with lice before and I hope never to deal with them again. You’re probably already itching your head just thinking about it but read on. I did find humor in the situation and I’ve learned a lot. Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with lice but maybe our story will have you better prepared if you do.

I had always heard that lice looks like a grain of white rice so when Jack started itching, Hubby and I checked but saw nothing that looked like white rice. A few days later we checked again and found a brown bug that resembled a flea. Since Jack had been around a couple of dogs, we assumed he now had a flea. I even called my sister and told her she should check her dog because we found a flea on Jack.

  A few days later Jack was still itching his head, so again we checked and found another “flea.” This time I called the doctor and explained the situation. This is when I learned that lice are brown bugs once they hatch and that the nits (eggs) look like dandruff but don’t flake off like dandruff. The nurse, being kind, said, “You need to treat him for lice” and I naively/ stubbornly (you choose which one) said, “Are you sure? Maybe I should bring him in so you can see for sure.” Now I know that the nurse has either patiently dealt with many first-timers or when she hung up, she laughed her butt off.

Once receiving the news, I did what many parents do (at least I hope so). First I cursed a bit then I threw a fit and then I went into action. First thing to do: call mom. Yes, I called my mom. Next I went to the pharmacy to buy whatever product would rid us of these pests (the lice, not my children.)

I have since learned there are businesses which deal solely in treating lice. They are expensive but I’m sure they’re worth every dime. I, however, did everything at home.  I wanted to be sure we got rid of the bugs so we treated every family member’s head whether they had lice or not.

 As we started the treatments Jack threw a fit. He screamed and cried, not because the treatment hurt (it doesn’t) but because he wanted to keep his “friends” with him. What started as a discussion quickly escalated into an argument which ended with me saying, ”Lice are not your friends. They’re sucking the blood out of your head. Friends don’t suck the blood out of you! That’s a life lesson. Learn it now!”

 I read that vinegar helps loosen the “glue” that holds the nits to hair so over the next few days, when we washed our hair we would finish with a vinegar rinse. During one rinse Jack informed Hubby, “You know I have to scream, right?” Hubby told him to do whatever he needed to and Jack started screaming.  Yes, we were all a bit stressed and unhappy it seems.  My sister even called to find out if her dog could get lice from my kid.

There are websites that tell you to bag up anything that can’t be washed and other sites say don’t worry about doing a deep cleaning because lice don’t live long once they’re off a body. Now, I have never been accused of being a neat freak but my house went through a serious deep cleaning. My washer and dryer were running constantly for a week, we used Hubby’s Shop Vac to vacuum the carpets, couches, mattresses and anything we could think of. Stuffed animals and other items were bagged up and put outside since the temperature was supposed to get down to freezing that night and lice can’t survive the cold. We left everything bagged for about three weeks, and then Shop Vac’d everything that came out of the bags.

Did I go overboard in getting rid of the bugs? You bet I did! If I will scratch my head just because someone mentions those creatures then you can bet that I will freak out knowing they are in my home and on one of my kids. If I kill spiders for being unwelcome guests in my home then I certainly will not take mercy on lice.

So, again, I hope you never have to deal with lice but if you do, I hope you find some humor in the situation and at least enjoy how clean your home will be.

This is an exciting and hectic week. We’ve just launched our website and blog, sent the next newsletter off to the printers and my family is sick. Yes, in this very busy week both of my kids and my husband are ill. Luckily my husband is not a big baby when he’s sick - that role is mine. But my children are needy; well, more so than usual, and I am trying to avoid catching whatever it is they have. 

My husband is not a “germophobe” BUT he has trained our daughter well. Our son is another story. My husband has trained our daughter to take precautions such as avoiding touching door handles in public (they are experts at opening doors with their feet) and using a paper towel to open the door in a public bathroom (she’s a bit stumped when there’s only an air hand dryer available though). So my daughter has done well to avoid touching things around the house and gets mad when her little brother is sick and gets too close to her, but again, he’s another story.

My son does not care if he will get sick. He’s mad when he comes down with something but he doesn’t care enough to take precautions. He happily wanders through the store and touches door handles, drags his hand along the same wall that a thousand other kids have touched and continues to use his sleeve to wipe his nose.

A few months ago, my husband and I took the kids on a trip to Legoland and the San Diego Zoo. While it was a family vacation, we were also celebrating my son’s birthday.  He loves pandas so we knew we would be devoting some time at the panda exhibit. The day we went happened to be a slow day at the zoo so we were able to see the pandas twice without dealing with long lines. 

During our second visit, the pandas were eating and active so the line was a moving slowly. I was actually quite proud of my kids as they patiently waited to see the pandas.  Patience is especially important at this exhibit because noise disturbs pandas and apparently throws off their mating possibilities which only happen like once or twice a year. So you MUST be quiet around them. There are many signs posted to remind you to sshhhh.

We waited for our turn and just as we reached a prime area to get pictures of the kids with the pandas in the background my daughter starts shrieking, “EW! STOP! THAT’S GROSS! MAKE HIM STOP!” My first thought, of course, is the panda’s but they act as if nothing is happening. So the next place to look is naturally…my son. He is absentmindedly dragging his tongue along the handrail that thousands of dirty, germ-covered hands have touched. My dear, sweet son has tried to take in the panda experience the best way he can, by leaving the rest of us with a disturbing image seared into our brains. 

Amazingly, my son didn’t get sick after that although we watched him for weeks afterwards for signs of the plague or bubonic fever. The rest of us, however, still get queasy just thinking about it.