When it comes to lice, “we love your hugs” from a student quickly becomes “please get away from me” from a teacher.

Lice, the teeny, tiny menace that every parent of a young child dreads.

Lice are a pretty common thing to find in young children as they aren’t always aware of their personal space. Lice can also be an epidemic that spreads fast, and with twenty plus kids in one classroom, if one gets it, there’s the chance they all get it, kind of like the flu.

We have one kid in my third grade class who loves to give hugs. The minute I walk in the door, this girl is on me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist, squeezing hard. Before retreating back to her desk, she is sure to give my mentor teacher a hug too.

This is a daily occurrence. 

One day, I was grading papers as the kids were all working on an assignment. The girl had not seen me walk in because she was too busy completing her work. When she finally realized I was there, she ran over and hugged me, then quickly ran back to her desk.

At that minute, the words that came out of my teacher’s mouth made my heart stop.

“Her mom just told me she has lice,” she said.

I froze. 

The thought of having lice gave me the chills. I haven’t had lice since I was in preschool. I was not about to get it again. I worried for a week and when nothing happened, I knew I was safe.

With so many young kids all in such a small space, you never know what you might catch. You just have to be prepared for anything. That’s just how it is.