I'm feeling better.

Actually, I was feeling a little bit better before I wrote that last post because the way my sanity works is that I have to start feeling better about something before I ever admit aloud that I was feeling bad about something in the first place.

When I'm in a bad place, I'm in no place to write about stuff.

Anyway.  Once I got it cut and once I gave it a week's worth of violent washings to shake the stragglers loose (contrary to popular belief, frequent washing for a short time is actually good for this type of thing) and the shedding slowed down, I realized I was at a point to start the moving on.

The rough couple weeks I've had at The Job helped too.  When you hear what some people's problems are your own can seem quite dumb.

Like, say, you know how you're worried that your kid is going to play "doctor" with the other kids?
We all know what that means, right?
Some kid giving the old once over to another?

Not always.

How about if playing "doctor" is a seven year old child collecting used needles off the street and administering shots to himself and all his younger brothers and sisters and other kids on the block, some of whom are his cousins?

Yeah.

All of a sudden hair loss seems to be not so important.

Disclaimer: I got permission from the mother of these children to share this story with other people in an effort to stress the importance of teaching children about infectious diseases and universal precautions.  I do not know the mother's name, nor do I know where she lives.  She and her children are under close medical and therapeutic care.

Best Practices says that by the time they are three or four years old, we need to teach our children to
*never touch anyone else's blood or open sores.  Boo boo's.  Ouchies.  Whatever.  Use a language that they understand if need be.  Always talk to your children in a language and manner that they understand, while teaching your child proper functions and names for body parts, rescue personal,emergency locations, etc.
*never touch needles or syringes.  Sadly, you don't need to live under the El train to find needles.  They are everywhere, in all sorts of neighborhoods and all sorts of homes.  From diabetic supplies to heroin works, needles are out there.
*if they see someone who is bleeding or if they see a needle or other "sharp", they are to find an adult.
*HIV, AIDS, and Hepatitis cannot be spread by playing with infected children or by hugs, kisses, sharing food, etc but other illnesses can be.

Most little kids understand what being "sick" means.  Most little kids don't understand what "forever" means.  Be sure to sit down and talk to your kids about communicable diseases and how you would like them to treat people who are sick or may be sick.  It's important for everyone to know there isn't a certain look or a sure sign to tell if someone is infected with something that you might catch.

My son thinks blood is gross, but I'm thinking that if one of his buddies had a cut or open wound (read: lesion.  Sounds bad that way, doesn't it?) he might try to help them clean it up or maybe even want to feel it to see if it's squishy or whatever.  Rest assured that we had the Big Talk about this sort of stuff as soon as I got home that day.

We have Big Talks all the time, so it wasn't particularly difficult or awkward.  For him.  For me, I couldn't stop wondering how it must feel to wait on HIV tests for all your babies,  hepatitis tests, tests for other bloodborne infections, or how to deal with the fact that your child may have infected another child, or how proud you were when your eldest boy started telling you he wants to be a doctor at age 3 and how he studies medical texts and watches Discovery Channel to learn more about anatomy and physiology and medicine, or the guilt that surrounds the fact you weren't there for those ten minutes, that you turn your back to answer the phone or check the roast or godforbid take four seconds to pee and this can happen.

The more you Talk Big, the easier it gets.
Start today.
Please.