Dear Urban Diplomat: am I evil for banning my kid’s friends, just because they might have lice?
Dear Urban Diplomat,
I recently helped screen for lice at my daughter’s school, a process that involved an army of moms donning latex gloves and checking for tell-tale signs on every scalp. Two of her best friends turned out to have nits and were sent home with a note to their parents. Since then, I’ve put a moratorium on play dates with them. My daughter now thinks I’m evil incarnate, and I’m running out of excuses to give the other moms. Should I come clean with them? Move to another city? Help—I’m freaking out about lice.
—Nitpicker, THE ANNEX
If your daughter thinks you’re evil now, just try moving her to another city. Besides, lice are everywhere; unless you snap up some prime real estate in Antarctica, you’re probably going to face the problem sooner or later. Yes, they’re annoying little buggers, but they don’t pose a serious health risk. So lift the play date ban, cross your fingers and be thankful it’s not bedbugs. Meanwhile, it’s probably best not to tell the other moms about your moment of temporary insanity, but you might want to ask them about how they handled the home delousing. You’ll need to know that stuff when the wee menaces inevitably come to nest at your place.
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Dear Urban Diplomat,
I recently helped screen for lice at my daughter’s school, a process that involved an army of moms donning latex gloves and checking for tell-tale signs on every scalp. Two of her best friends turned out to have nits and were sent home with a note to their parents. Since then, I’ve put a moratorium on play dates with them. My daughter now thinks I’m evil incarnate, and I’m running out of excuses to give the other moms. Should I come clean with them? Move to another city? Help—I’m freaking out about lice.
—Nitpicker, THE ANNEX
If your daughter thinks you’re evil now, just try moving her to another city. Besides, lice are everywhere; unless you snap up some prime real estate in Antarctica, you’re probably going to face the problem sooner or later. Yes, they’re annoying little buggers, but they don’t pose a serious health risk. So lift the play date ban, cross your fingers and be thankful it’s not bedbugs. Meanwhile, it’s probably best not to tell the other moms about your moment of temporary insanity, but you might want to ask them about how they handled the home delousing. You’ll need to know that stuff when the wee menaces inevitably come to nest at your place.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
That is a real stupid advice in my opinion. You know these girls have lice for a fact, so why in the world would you want to knowingly affect your family.
As for your daughter, what is the lesson you are going to teach by giving in? You must be aware of the work that comes with delousing your house. She should be made to understand that, too. Afterward, if she stills insisting, then that is just plain selfishness. Would she think of you as less evil when you have to shave her head?
Although, lice is not a serious health risk, it is still a health issue, and a huge annoyance. It’s something that you do want to get rid off, not learn to live with. I cannot believe that you are being advised to bring it to your home.
My kids variously came home with head lice and I was mortified, the first time. After I got the kids lice free the first time I realized that lice are just a fact of life. Nitpicker from the Annex should let the other parents know that their kids have lice (no fault of their own)and tell them to get the kids treated. Its no big deal. Mission accomplished and all kids can play together again. There is no shame in having lice – it just seems so in some people’s minds. Explain this to the kids too. Use the shampoo. Use the comb. It’s a simple fix. Get on with it.
I can’t believe that a school requested and accepted the help of mothers of enrolled students to check other children for lice. This should be done by medical professionals who have no association with the school or its students. This is a breach of privacy and has resulted in one mother knowing who has cooties resulting in the above situation. She shouldn’t know that because I guarantee that information is already spreading faster than the cooties through her social network.