Shoo Fly! No, wait...

It's not a fly! It's...lice. Yes. My oldest daughter was visiting with her father a few weeks ago. When she came home, she had forgotten her bike, jacket, insurance card, and allergy medication...but not to worry! She brought back head lice! Luckily and believe me, I'm thanking a higher power on this one nobody else got it. So I have spent the last few days picking nits out of hair from a head that is entirely too sensitive!!
And I did a really shitty thing. My daughters were supposed to go camping with their father and his new wife. Aside from the fact that they were going to be gone for two weeks, which is a little long for a four-year-old to be gone from Mom with a guy(Dad) she's seen maybe seven times, I was ok with it.
But the girls did not want to go. I don't know why. I acted excited about it, told them they'd have a great time, blah blah blah. They just didn't want to go! My oldest told me that her dad hurts her feelings, because he "emotionally manipulates" her. I swear, that's what she said. She's eight! No eight year old should ever feel the need to say something like that. I told them that it was only for two weeks, they'd make it through. And then, the night before he was supposed to pick them up, I found the head lice.
I told him that they weren't going camping.
He was pretty pissed off. Most likely still is, haven't heard from him. But he has a right to be. And I feel like such a total shit for doing that.
I couldn't let her go off for two weeks with bugs in her hair, I just couldn't. He told me that he would take care of it, but you know what? This is a man who sent his daughter home from her visit with postcards and letters she'd written but never sent because he couldn't find a stamp.
If he can't procure a stamp, how in the hell was he going to deal with nits the size of a pin-head?
I had my reasons and I can sit here and justify it all fucking night if I want to...but it doesn't change the fact that I feel like such a bitch for it. Did I abuse my powers of Mom? School starts in two weeks, and my oldest daughter's cheerleading practice starts too. Both have a "No Nit Policy". These day-today activities take precedence over a guy who sees them twice a year. I knew he wouldn't have taken care of the problem, it would have been mine to deal with later.
And later wasn't effing good enough! See, calming down, language censored...
On a lighter note, I was thinking about school starting. My girlfriend's daughter will be in kindergarten, and mine will be in third grade and preschool. So I added all the food that they get at school up...lessee, that's 25 meals a week they won't be eating at home. Twenty-five!! I might actually have a remaining balance on my food stamp card at the end of the month! Bless that government school food program.