Wouldn’t You Want to Know? Head Lice Etiquette

When your child is diagnosed with a case of head lice, it can be overwhelming, to say the least. Every parent may wonder, who do I have to tell? And how am I supposed to let them know without feeling embarrassed or embarrassing my child?

Head lice have become a taboo subject over time, but really it doesn’t need to be. Lice happen. It’s part of life. We understand that it can be a sensitive subject, so here are a few guidelines of head lice etiquette to consider.

Talk to Your Child First

Make sure your kid understands that you are not going to deliberately shout it from the rooftops. They need to feel they can trust you in this situation, be an advocate for them. Make sure they understand why you need to let a few trusted adults know, and who you are going to notify. Also, it might be a good idea to make sure your child understands not to go around announcing to the world they have head lice. Some kids might use this time to seek out attention and draw negative attention onto themselves in return.

Wouldn’t You Want To Know?

Consider if the roles were reversed, and a child that spends a lot of time with your children has a case of head lice. Wouldn’t you appreciate a phone call? Whether they play sports together, attend school together, stay up late watching movies, or play in a tent in the backyard, the more time children spend around others the more likely they are to pass along head lice. Be discreet in who you tell, the entire student body doesn’t need to know. Yet, put some thought into who might be affected by this and could be trusted to use discretion. Talk to parents that you think would benefit.

Teachers and School Nurses Can Help

Most teachers can appreciate the awkwardness a child might feel if they are caught with a bad case of head lice. Talking to your child’s teacher is actually pretty essential in helping to get the problem under control. More often than not, school is a place head lice is passed around often. Letting parents in the classroom know there are head lice going around, and not necessarily singling out a specific child is usually the best approach to handling the issue. The school nurse can also be a valuable resource for you. Often they can give you helpful information and go to bat for you so that your child can return to school as quickly as possible.

Lice Clinics of America

We are your best resource for getting rid of head lice in a once and done treatment. Don’t want your child facing embarrassment for missing days of school? Don’t want to be dealing with head lice for weeks to come? Who does?! Contact our office today and we will let you in on our most advanced head lice treatments available.