Ruff Ruff

I just thought out the time I got lice when I was a kid.  I was around 9 or 10 and my brother and sister had just came for the summer.  They went back home to my Dad when the summer was over and my life continued as usual.

My best friend lived in the same townhouses so we ran back and forth between our two homes to play all of the time.  One time, I was wearing a trash bag as a raincoat to get back home because it was raining. I noticed a little bug hanging in my hair on my trek back.  Once I got in the house, I told my Mom about it and she proceeded to yank my hair around so she could look at my scalp.  When she also saw the bugs, she started yelling that my damn cat had given me fleas.  Her assumption was based on the fact that when I went to bed at night, my cat slept at the top of my head on my pillow and my dog slept at my feet.

She had me get in the tub nad washed my hair with dog shampoo for fleas.  I cried and said I was cursed with this hair and how I must have been a dog in my past life.  After she finished and we washed my hair out, she still saw the bugs.  She ended up calling my Dad who informed her my siblings had lice and I must have gotten it too.  She was pissed.

I remember her calling her hair stylist to come and get my hair because it was just too much to do the lice treatment with.  Think Curly Sue x 10.  I remember her telling me how greatful I should be that he would be willing to do this for her because lice for their profession was like the plague.

The funny thing is I don't actually remember the treatment itself although I am sure it was terrible considering how rough my Mom could be.  One of the main things I DO remember is my best friend's Mom allowed her to still play with me so I wouldnt be so lonely.  Yet when she came down with it, my Mom banned her from my life until she was completely lice free.

I see now that my friend's Mom really should have played it safe and kept each other way until I was lice free and can see why my Mom didn't want us to just keep passing it from one to the other but isnt it funny what seems to stick with us after all of these years?