The lice Trauma

Turns out that Jonathan is old enough to get lice. This means I am also old enough to get them... and this means a double hair cut.

This may sound extreme and I reacted the same way when a year ago the parents of a baby girl in Jonathan's group got her hair cut because she was scratching her head -still on that occasion there was no lice – I know because Jonathan and I did not get it – hence perhaps the justification to my reaction last year, and to my actions this year, when we did get infested.

It all started with a note in the kindergarten that alerted parents to the possible presence of head lice. Parents were asked for awareness and to inspect their children accordingly. Lice are not unusual in Israel and kids tend to infect one another because they stick their heads together, and into the sand quite often. I remember having lice as a kid and getting my hair combed out by my mother, but this was not an often occurrence. Looking through Jonathan's hair I saw nothing at first – then I saw what I presumed could be eggs. I went and brought a lice comb with thin teeth and just one stroke into Jonathan's hair led to the removal of many of the tiny pests. By then I was scratching my head too, so I gave both Jonathan and myself the “anti-lice” shampoo treatment. Ironically I found myself on that evening seated on the floor and my mother going through my hair, combing it and removing eggs – nostalgia! My mother however could not see any eggs or lice (she getting older I suppose) and eventually it was the skin doctor (to whom I turned in my itching desperation) who confirmed that fact that my itching has to do with lice.

Its is amazing how the little bugs hurt – the itching is strong and they bite! I do not recall this kind of pain from lice as a child. Jonathan in fact seams to suffer them with the patience of a saint! If he has had to endure as much itching as I, I have seen nothing of it!
We combed his head every week as a prevention measure against a re infestation, following the advise of the owner of the kindergarten. I saw not lice in these combings and Jonathan hates it when I comb his head. We also put rosemary oil – its suppose to repel the lice – all to no avail!
We had about three weeks of piece and then I started to scratch my head again! This time combing Jonathan did not turn up any lice, but I did get some eggs out of his hair during his sleep (did I mention he hates being combed? He moves about and the only way we can get some decent combing done if at all is during the time Jonathan watches a DVD). I combed myself alone this time and also got eggs- so it was the “anti lice” chemical shampoo for both of us yet again.
This was however not enough! This time I decided to take more extreme measures and today, I had my hair cut and Jonathan got his first hair cut too. Do not worry – we are not both shaved! We both got decent haircuts.
My boss who has four kids laughed at me at the extreme reaction. I reminded him he was bold and thus did not have to suffer scratching his head when his kids got infested with the little squirts!
I am just hoping that the shorter hair will reduce the frequency in which Jonathan and I both get infected with lice. I give full credit to the hairdresser who cut his hair into a tidy line despite all his squirming and crying. I had to hold Jonathan a bit, but she was fast and got the work done efficiently.
Now Jonathan is looking like a little big man! The shorter hair gives him a more boyish look , rather than the cute curly baby look he had before. He is however still the same cuty! My husband is mourning the loss of the soft curls – and I admit I miss them too. But I think this is for the best. After all my husband did not get infected at all – the lice just do not think him tasty (people say that lice, like mosquitoes, choose their victims according to smell and “sweet blood”), so it easy for him to pretest the loss of the curls – he did not have scratch his head for days in the last month. Besides, Jonathan at last looks his age! A strapping, healthy and happy 2 year old little boy!