6 Emotional Stages of Lice

1. SHATTERED INNOCENCE:  You receive a lice notices by email from your school.  Your daughters best friend’s mom calls to tell you that her daughter has lice.  The head of the girl scout troop sends out an email letting you know 5 of the girls have lice.

2. DENIAL: “This doesn’t happen at our school.” “We wash our hair every day.” “We sleep in different rooms.”  “I am 45 and never had lice.”

3. TERROR:  “All the moms will think we’re the ones who started it.” “We will have a big L on our shirts for the rest of our lives.” “The bugs are everywhere – – our car seats, the sofa.”  “They were gone but they keep coming back.” “We need to throw out all of our sheets.”   “We need to get a new mattress.”

4. ANGER:  “I knew our school was dirty.”  “We know child X has lice and the school keeps letting him/her come back.”  “I told you not to have a slumber party with that friend!”

5. ACCEPTANCE:  “It is just a part of having children.” “This is a true family experience now that 3 of us have it.”  “We seem to get this every few years.”  “Seems like most of our friends have gotten lice.”

6.  POST-LICE PARANOIA: “We are still itching!” “My mom saw a live lice on our head last night!” Child x was never treated and still has it”