Every task seems amplified when your child has lice. Doing her hair for the day? Better change your brush. Drying his hair? Better get out the special towel. Sending them off to their mom or dad’s for the next few days (or week)? *Insert incoherent panic here*
Head lice treatment needs to be continued, regardless of where your child is laying their head for the evening. When your children share a home with both parents or stay with the other parent on weekends, head lice adds another level of stress and worry. “What if my ex doesn’t continue the treatments?” “What if my kids come back with more lice than before?”
That’s the hardest part – knowing that if the lice treatments aren’t done while they’re at their other parent’s home, it’ll be like starting over again when they get back.
There are a few things you can do to ensure both you and your ex are on the same page – on the same team in the battle against head lice.
#1 Don’t Assign Blame
No one is at fault for head lice. It happens. Instead of trying to blame each other for your child’s current situation, focus your attention on what you can do to get rid of the tiny pests plaguing your child. This includes sharing information about lice, setting up a treatment plan together and dealing with the battle in both households.
If you have a teenager, jump over to “The World is Over: I have Lice” for advice on how to talk to your children about head lice.
#2 Keep the Conversation Between the Two of You
Any discussions you have about lice – whether it’s educating your former partner on head lice or setting up your lice treatment plan – should be held in private when the child isn’t around. This will allow both of you to speak freely without worrying about hurting your child’s self esteem or stressing them with unnecessary conflict.
Our “Myths” page may help you bust a few of the rumours running around about head lice – and help you both remain calm and confident as you discuss lice treatment.
#3 Outline School Policies
Some schools have a “No Nit Policy” – this requires children to be nit-free before they can return to school. Other schools may have additional or varying policies. Find out, print out a description of the policy and make sure both of you have a copy. That way you’ll both know where your child stands with the school.
#4 Get Help
Getting expert help to remove lice will make the process that much easier. Lice Geeks experts have a wealth of knowledge and experience that will cut the length of your head lice battle in half. We’ve put together a list of lice removal tips that you can use. But nothing beats bringing your child in for a treatment with us.
