Lice Saved Our Relationship

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-Post by Foster Mom

I would like to start by saying...I don't appreciate bugs and I don't do vomit.
I haven't puked since first grade.  I think it's a world record.

I tried to google it but all that came up was "longest time without peeing world record".  Impressive.

World record or not, I don't know what it feels like to get sick and it creeps me out. I'm afraid of it.  True confessions of an teenage almost 30 year old drama queen.

Also, as I've gotten older, my love for bugs has dissipated.  They have a home, and it shouldn't be anywhere near me.


Now that I'm married, if there's a gross bug or spidey in the house (and I'm not referring to Heidi and Spencer from the Hills) I yell for Foster Dad to smash it.  This is what marriage is about.


Plus Foster Dad get's the job done and I don't have to risk the harm that could come from a miss kill.

MISS KILL
When you think you killed a bug and you let your guard down. Then you find out you had bad aim and it crawls all over your body, into your mouth and then you vom out of sheer disgust.  WAY TO RISKY, RIGHT!?

I digress...
Let's backtrack to a few weeks ago on a Friday, shall we?

***

"HELPPPPPPP!" M sobbed at 3am.
Foster Dad's reaction time was that of a ninja.
He ran into her room to discover....
Chunky
smelly
nasty
pizza vomit
everywhere.

He yelled. "She's okay but there's puke on her hands, all over her blankets, her pillow, her hair, stuffed animals, the floor..."

I hid under the covers and yelled "Ewwww! Do you need my help?" Please say no...please say no...please say no.

"No."

"I'll keep him." I thought as I hid under my protective shield being the worst mother in the world.

***

Let's fast forward to last week.  M and I were on a play date with a kid from preschool and his mom, the only English speaking mother I could find in the school yard.
We were casually chit chatting and I saw something move...
on
M's
head.

I tried to play it cool...but couldn't contain myself and shouted
"English Speaking Mother (name has been changed), I saw a bug on M's head!!!!"

"It can't be..." Her voice trailed off as she started combing through M's hair.
It was.

I had a slow motion flash back of the handout I received from preschool two weeks earlier reporting creepy, crawly, crusty LICE!

This was my moment to shine. I could redeem myself after the pizza vom-fest a few weeks earlier.  We headed straight for the pharmacy and got some treatment.

Bio Mom and M were supposed to have a sleepover the next day so I called to give her an update. I found out Bio Mom also had lice and the sleepover got canceled.

I spent the afternoon with plastic gloves on, a shield over my face and a scarf on my head, acting like a monkey pulling lice out of M's hair.  She was very patient through this whole process, and girly screamed with me every time we encountered a beast.

A week of this and I've downgraded to bare hands and no shields. I have had a few miss kills but luckily they haven't crawled into my mouth.

Being a foster parent has challenged me in ways I would have never imagined. 
M came to us being Miss. Independent and had basically raised her mother.  They talk on the phone and M comforts Bio Mom.  She's 4.

So when M got lice and let me pick crusty bugs out of her hair, it brought us closer.  She had a need and let me fill it.  This happened the week after she told everyone she didn't like me (post coming soon).

Lice saved our relationship.

We are officially lice free. I'm also happy to report we no longer do Pizza Fridays.

What are your creepy moments that are relatioship savers? 

Or when have you broken out of your comfort zone to help your kid?