Head Lice

Written by Rexanne Mancini


I laugh Irepparttar face of chaos … better to laugh about it than fall to your knees, weeping from sheer panic and horror if and when your child brings head lice, this dreaded but very common liability of childhood, into your home.

Yes, my kids have had head lice. No, they are not dirty or poorly groomed, nor do they hang out with dirty kids. How these perfectly awful little stinkers found their way into our home was on my older daughter’s head, courtesy of one of her classmates. As soon as we managed to eradicaterepparttar 110720 first offense, my younger daughter started scratching her bean, thank you. This went on for six gruesome weeks, passing from one kid torepparttar 110721 other. I ran more than 90 loads of laundry, destroying most of our better linens, clothes and comforters by boiling them inrepparttar 110722 hottest waterrepparttar 110723 washing machine could muster. We sprayed every inch of our home with pediculicide. We washed our hair daily with lice-killing shampoo until we had blisters fromrepparttar 110724 strong poisons needed to try to killrepparttar 110725 vermin and their precious eggs. We pulled nits from our daughter’s long hair for hours at a time, quarantined every stuffed animal and doll with hair for weeks ... all to no avail.

My children were traumatized, I was reduced to a crying, hysterical bug-fearing heap and our 19-year-old cat was tortured by twice-weekly flea baths that he appreciated about as much as a bowl of steamed rice.

I’m sorry ... I wish I had an answer, a cure ... some hope to offer. I don’t.

After week six of lice-induced panic, we finally set off flea bombs in every room ofrepparttar 110726 house, then fled to my mother’s for two hours whilerepparttar 110727 canisters sprayed poison over every inch of our furniture and belongings. Warily, we stepped back into our home where we were greeted by a coat of greasy goop to wipe off every square inch of exposed possessions. I then called my daughter’s school, making it very clear that she would not be returning until I was guaranteedrepparttar 110728 outbreak was completely eliminated from her classroom. She was home for two more weeks beforerepparttar 110729 school nurse assured me she had sent every child with nits home to liverepparttar 110730 torture we had. We had finally managed to eradicaterepparttar 110731 plague. This was more than three years ago ... can you tell it’s still as fresh a trauma in my heart and soul as it was then? Believe it. It is.

I have scouredrepparttar 110732 Internet and read every article I could find about head lice. I want to be armed and prepared for battle if this horror ever cloaks our lives again. No such luck ... everyone out there is as resigned torepparttar 110733 meek inheriting our heads as I am not prepared to be. There are a few ideas floating around that I would have tried had I known about them.

Teaching Children Good Manners

Written by Rexanne Mancini


Last week in my newsletter, I mentioned that my children knew how to behave in nice restaurants because they had been exposed torepparttar atmosphere at an early age. My idea of well behaved might be different from yours, however, I think there are certain basics that are important and universal.

When my daughters were babies, we would take them wherever we went. If they began to fuss or cry, one of us would promptly remove them fromrepparttar 110719 room/restaurant/market/wherever. Not because we felt their crying or fussing was a bad thing. No, it's a perfectly normal occurrence for infants and toddlers. We removed them as a courtesy to others who we felt did not need to be as tolerant as we were with our children's noise. In consequence, my daughters know that other people are not as wildly in love with their racket or with them as we are. Nor should they be expected to be.

As our children grew older, they were always toldrepparttar 110720 rules of our outings, how to behave and to always speak softly if other adults were present. Sometimes, it's fine to let them get a little crazy ... just know your audience! If we are at a five star restaurant where many other diners have come to enjoy a gracious and expensive meal, would we expect everyone there to be enthralled with junior's vocal or behavioral outbursts? Would we really expect them to care if our child is having a bout with walking pneumonia and coughing uncontrollably? Nope. It's rude. And rudeness is basically nothing more than bad manners. If there is an emergency with your child, by all means don't give a flying flamingo about what others think. But this isrepparttar 110721 exception. Besides, children who are that sick belong at home, not in public.

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