Sugar and Spice and Everything Lice

treating Fable's lice, 2012

This week on mom.me, I'm talking about lice, because in the last two weeks since school began, everyone and their mother has either found my blog by searching "FUCK! My kid has lice!" and/or emailed me about lice prevention for back-to-school.

And so! Without further ado:

"LICE LICE BABY, TOO COLD, TOO COLD."

When Fable first came home from Preschool with her/our first case of lice, back in 2012, I lost my mind. I was one of the parents in a mass email that went out notifying of a lice breakout at school and when one of the parents casually reply-alled saying, "Not to worry! My older daughter gets lice all the time. It's no big deal," I lost my mind, wrote a scathing email in response and promptly had a panic attack. I blamed absolutely everyone for the lice Fable, the twins, Archer and I HAD, assuming someone was out to get us.

Fable with Cetaphil hair, circa 2012

I took it personally.

Which was ridiculous, of course, but I was overwhelmed and upset and trying to find something/someone to blame. SOMEONE gave it to us, after all.

And yet, that is precisely the kind of logic that keeps a community from talking, helping and ridding their classrooms and children of head lice. Because, while SOMEONE gave lice to my kids. MY KIDS gave for sure gave it someone else. I mean, they had to of. THEY WERE INFESTED.

And I had no idea! I didn't even think to check until I read the email. just figured we all had dry scalps or something. Luckily, we were with my mother when the email came through and my mom knew what to look for and taught me how to remove nits and when the kids went back to school, I offered the knowledge my mom had passed down to me to fellow parents and teacher, volunteering my lice-searching services in the kids' classes to check for lice every now and then. (Our school nurse doesn't do that/we don't really have a school nurse/LAUSD ahem.) I also talked about lice prevention whenever possible. Even when nobody wanted to talk about it back.

Because here's the thing. Lice has become an epidemic that nobody wants to touch even though it touches ALL OF US. Repeatedly. Everywhere. Even in rich and famous circles, you guys. No one is safe.

NOT EVEN JENNIFER GARNER IS SAFE!

And so. Today I have three lists of things that may be helpful for those of you who have never had lice, are currently dealing with lice, would like to focus on an offensive strategy to combat lice... And you can find all of those lists (and more) right over here. AKA, Let me take you on a licecapade. (Let's go!) 

GGC.