I think my daughter contracted lice

Dear Pastor,

I have a 15-year-old daughter and recently I observed that she was constantly scratching her private area.

I asked her what was wrong and she said she did not know. A couple of days passed and she continued to scratch herself, so I asked her to remove her dress, which she did. I figured out that she had lice, so I asked her if any man touched her and she said no. I thought that she was lying so I threatened to tell her father, but I did not want to do so because he is very 'ignorant'. So I told her to tell me the truth. She explained to me that it has been happening from she came back from spending a night with one of her school friends. So I asked her why she didn't tell me, and she said she didn't know what was happening.

I realised that my daughter could have picked up pubic lice. She never had sexual intercourse. I spoke to a senior doctor and he told me that lice can be spread by sleeping on beds that are infected by the organisms. If your clothing has lice, they should be properly washed. Your toilet seats can also carry lice. You do not have to be treated by a doctor; there is over-the-counter medication that can be bought to treat lice.

You would be surprised, Pastor, but this experience has caused my daughter and I to get even closer. I encouraged her to talk to the friends with whom she spent the night. She did not want to do so because she felt they might accuse her of bringing the lice into their home. I did not share this information with her father. This problem was kept between her and me. All I can tell you is that pubic lice can be very painful. Children must learn to trust their parents, and parents must not be eager to condemn their children.

R.M.

Dear R.M.,

You are a wise mother and I am glad that you took this matter in hand. When your daughter told you that she did not engage in sexual intercourse with any man, you believed her and you bought what was necessary to solve the problem.

I would say to you, do not stop your daughter from sleeping over at her friends' house, but encourage her to be choosy about where she goes, because the bed on which she slept could have been used by different girls who were infected by pubic lice.

Pastor