Hair Buzz

We continue to wage our war with lice. We thought we had made strides towards eradicating our foe, but recent setbacks have reminded us of the ferocity of our enemy. We have invested a small fortune in chemical warfare and won't quit until we are victorious. 

Friday afternoon Robby started to scratch his head again. I immediately ushered him into the bathroom where I proceeded to comb out more bugs. I will never get used to seeing bugs crawling around my son's hair! Despite knowing that they won't cause physical harm to his body, seeing the creepy crawlies always brings me to the brink of panic. I called the pediatrician, hoping that she would prescribe a shampoo to kill the bugs and eggs left behind. Wanting to spare exposing him to the chemicals in the prescription shampoo, she recommended getting his hair buzzed.

Robby was not a happy little Koopa when we told him the news. He is only eight years old, but he loved his rag top hairstyle. Driving to the barber, his sadness about losing his hair morphed into anger over the infestation. He has no problems casting blame upon the individual he views to be responsible; it turns out my little guy has a vengeful side.

Despite the lamenting and anger, Robby handled getting his short cut like a trooper. I saw his eyes swell with tears when the clippers removed the first swatch of hair, but he quickly regrouped and remained stoic. He hopped off the chair when the barber was done, and simply told me that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Instead of discussing hair, which despite being considerably shorter, is utterly adorable, we went for ice cream.

After several hours of hanging out inside the house, Robby asked for a fire pit party. Delighted that he was willing to go public with his hair, we immediately agreed. Scott set out to light the fire pit while Robby skipped through the neighborhood inviting the neighbors.

Mr. Bill was the first to arrive and immediately complimented Robby on his new hairstyle. I knew that Mr. Bill's approval would go a long way towards Robby embracing his new look. The fact that he told that he "looks like a little man" certainly helped lift Robby's spirits!

After accepting the compliment, and smiling for the first time that day, Robby engaged in the following conversation.

R: "Mr. Bill, I had to get my haircut this short because I had lice. Have you ever had lice?"
Mr. B: "No buddy, can't say that I've had lice."  At this point a coy smile wafted across Bill's face, and he developed a glint in his eyes. "I have had crabs a few times though."
R: "What are crabs?"

At this point I jumped into the conversation, interrupting by asking Robby to go inside for marshmallows. After Robby was safely out of earshot, I just looked at Bill and said, "Crabs? You're killing me."

"Well Angel Girl (that his his nickname for me), I just wanted him to know that it can always be worse. Trust me, crabs trump lice every time."

Robby and Mr. Bill never returned to their crabby conversation, but I know that it is just a matter of time before the topic reemerges. Robby remembers absolutely everything! I am just hoping that it happens at home and not in public.