If you have boys, you can get away with shaving their heads. Yes, this sounds gruesome but you’ll be forever grateful I gave you permission to goof up your son’s hair if he does manage to bring holocaust into your home. If you have daughters, I’m sorry. My heart goes out to you. You can’t really shave a girl’s head in this day and age, although a family friend who is a doctor from Italy recommended we do just that. I giggled, thinking he was sooo from old school ... I giggle no more! But we didn’t shave our daughters’ heads. We suffered untold hell instead.

Apparently, lice have become immune to various pediculicide treatments on market. There are quite a few brands of pediculicide shampoo, conditioner and room spray, all with weakening power against bolstered immune system lice have developed. I’ve heard that tea tree oil, olive oil and rosemary oil are helpful in nixing little buggers. Hairspray and hair coloring are also good deterrents. Unless you’re ready to dye and spray your kid’s heads, this isn’t an option but you could schedule a dye job early if you color your own hair. Ya know what? I’d color my daughter’s hair. What’s worse? Bathing their little heads in surefire poison? How bad could a bottle of hair dye be compared to insecticide? If it works, count your blessing and wait for it to grow out.

One recommendation from my children’s school is to wash their hair vigorously as soon as they come home if there is an outbreak of lice in their classroom. Sounds reasonable. If they did manage to bring home an unwelcome guest, washing their hair and scalp immediately might remove louse before it has a chance to lay eggs.

By all means, be informed. If you never have this massive nightmare visit your home, you’re ten steps ahead in life of a parent. If you’ve lived it, you’re probably shuddering at thought of another go-around. If you have head lice breeding in your home as you read this, my heart goes out to you. Know that you have millions of understanding parents who pity you, however parents of your child’s classmates will positively hate you if you knowingly send your kid to school with head lice. Don’t even think about it ...

Last night, my girls and I were in a department store. There was a toddler carrying on and screaming for more than 15 minutes when my younger daughter said:

"Now his mommy is going to tell him to stop because there are other people in here that don't want to hear it!"

Unfortunately, his mommy did not tell him any such thing. She let him wail and scream and cry, much to chagrin and annoyance of everyone else in store. You know what? As much as I love kids and cannot bear to see or hear them suffering, I disliked this kid immensely!

My reasoning is this: if our kids learn that they are free to trample on peace, space or rose gardens of others, they will develop into spoiled and inconsiderate brats. And then who will like them? Who will want to spend time with them? Who, besides their forgiving parents, will be able to tolerate their lack of social graces and good manners? No one … except maybe another ill-mannered person who feels at home with a similarly clueless individual. Do we really want our children reduced to such horrible options? I think not. We teach our children not to steal, lie or punch their brother in nose. Shouldn't we teach them respect for others at same time? That their whining and out-of-control behavior is something no one really wants to hear or witness, especially strangers who have no vested interest in their developing minds or self-esteem? A simple reminder of rules, consistently, works wonders ... eventually. ;-)

Good luck. Kids need to learn manners and social graces. They will go farther in life if we teach them well.