I remember the tour of my daughter's classroom during kindergarten open house. The cute little adjoining cubbies where the children could hang their jackets and hats; the pile of carpet squares they would use to take a post-lunch nap; the lost and found box in the corner...
Fast forward two months later. Imagine my horror when my very own flesh and blood was sent home by the school nurse with -- gasp!! LICE. And, believe me, those lice reproduce quickly. Her head was swarming not only with mother and father lice, but also with colonies of babies (also called nits). It seems those cute little adjoining cubbies gave the lice a perfect opportunity to jump from coat to coat. And the shared carpet squares -- well, you can only imagine.
When your child has lice, you find yourself in a sort of "dead zone" in terms of parenting advice. Even the chattiest moms turn a deaf ear to this problem. So you find yourself speaking only to the heads of other lice-ridden households.
What's a parent to do, then, when this tragic affliction strikes? Well, don't even bother trying to see a doctor. Each and every pediatrician in town will SWEAR that they do not need to see your child in person...
I can tell you from experience that the only way to get rid of these critters is to absolutely smother them with Vasoline or mayonaise. Apply the stuff, put one of those old-fashioned shower caps on over the head, wait three hours, and BINGO -- they're dead!
Our daughter just got lice at school. Think I will head to the store and give mayo a try.
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