For two weeks Bella complained of an itchy head. I checked for lice, not really sure what I was looking for but didn't see any life forms in her hair, so I chalked it up as "dry-scalp." So I had my 7-year-old shampooing with Head and Shoulders. Made sense.
Fast-forward two weeks.
Sitting on the couch she was itching her head again so I took another look. Barf. Lice.
For the next week I would have to treat Bella's head with lice shampoo, combing, and a head lamp (this helped me see every little guy). This would take up to an hour or more every night.
The week started with complaining and whining - from both of us and I was even shouting out cuss words to the lice in my head, seriously, like they should be so threatened by my threats. Then we started to talk, then sing Christmas songs, then laugh, then talk some more. We talked about how she is having a hard time not being in charge of the performance at school and what it means to be jealous. We talked about her favorite Christmas songs and movies. We talked about her sister and how important it is to take care of her and love her even though it is hard sometimes.
Last night was, as directed by the lice shampoo treatment box, the last treatment night. I was sad. I took a few extra minutes to make sure there weren't any that I might of missed while finishing another great conversation with my quickly growing daughter. I am really thankful for those gross, disgusting bugs. They made me stop and focus only on Bella for at least an hour every night for a week. They made me remember how much I really love her and cherish time with her. They made me slow down and focus solely on one of the biggest blessings in my life.
Thank you lice. If life starts getting too busy in the future maybe I will make Bella go try on helmets at Sports Authority in the kids section for a few hours. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to come home with some time together.
No comments:
Post a Comment