Nits - husband has told whole class on WhatsApp

[collectingstones]

A child gets nits, you tell the school and they send out an email to the whole class to let parents know. It's anonymous obviously, no child is named. We discover nits this morning on DD1. Husband decides to announce it on our class WhatsApp rather than wait til Monday and let the school know. I don't think he should have done this. AIBU?

YANBU. Kids can be bullied for this, there’s a reason it’s left anonymous.

How old are the children?

A mum in DD’s class did it to the class Facebook page. I wouldn’t have. I guess being coy about it is suggesting it’s shameful. Only shameful thing is if you neglect your children and don’t sort it out.

I agree he shouldn’t have done that! I’d be very annoyed 😒

I think it's sensible to get told as soon as possible, so that checks and treatment can be done! It's nothing to be ashamed of.

I’d be thoroughly pissed off but equally I’d think no less of the family whose child has it

Surely it's better so people can treat over the weekend? We sometimes do that but we also have a class rep so some people contact her and she signal it anonymously.

I think it depends on child age a bit, and also what other parents are like / your relationship with them. Tbh I considered doing it this way when we discovered DD's, I didn't realise that school did the anonymous emailing thing until I spoke to them. But we have generally lovely other parents, who I trust and many of whom I consider close friends, and I feel like I can trust them not to say anything horrible to their children.

It's not usual to do it in both of my children's classes, especially if discovered on a Friday /over the weekend so parents can check before getting a note possibly three days after "child zero" has been identified. Never caused an issue for anyone in our classes.

A mum in DS's class did this recently. I was a bit surprised, but actually on thinking it over I decided it's a good thing. Nits are nothing to be ashamed of, and as it was a friend of DS's I did take it more seriously than the anonymous email from the school and gave DS a proper check over.

Bollocks - break the stigma, my dd came home last week and said they had a lesson on 'Rainbow pride' (it was diversity week) which led to a discussion on ' nits and bum worms' who the fuck would be a teacher!! he said LOADS of kids were talking about both!! There didn't seem to be a shred of shame 🤣 this was Year 3 though

Yabu, your dc got it from someone else in the class, others will have too. Instead of wasting days while the school announce it (or don't bother as it's nearly holidays) your dh did the decent thing and let everyone know asap so they can all check and treat. This is exactly the sort of thing parent WhatsApp is for.

*she

There's no shame in it though, as long as you treat it appropriately?

It's attitudes like yours that create the stigma op.

The reality is that, when nits are in a class everyone gets them (except me - I'm nitproof for some reason). Certainly my kids had them many times and wouldn't tease another child because of it. Nor would I judge, I'd be pleased you'd let me know.

At least it gives other parents the opportunity to check and treat over the weekend, maybe avoiding reinfection. However do agree, from bitter experience, it can start bullying.

Honestly that would be normal at our school. It's not shameful and often there's a few at a time with nits! Year 2 here.

DD herself had told half the class, mind. And it was quite obvious I suppose, as we only discovered them first thing in the morning and had to take our son to school too, so ended up taking her home again to treat them then she went back in later. So she'd actually missed some school for them, so she could be treated.
Assuming other parents are mature I guess it makes sense to get the message out so they can check asap, and over the weekend. I wouldn't think badly at all of a child or family who got them (obviously if they were left untreated that's different, but it's just part and parcel of childhood really, isn't it?)

YABU. Your husband did the right thing as now people can treat over the weekend rather than wait to find out on Monday and then have to go out and buy treatment and potentially not be able to do anything until at least Tuesday. There’s not anything to be ashamed of regarding nits and chances are she won’t be the only one in the class with them.

YABU it's nits, nearly every kid gets them at some point. It's not a big deal and it's hardly shaming as you're going to treat them.

Then again I say that but I still wanted the ground to swallow me when I was informed DS5 was rubbing his head over his friends and telling them he was going to share his nits.

I say kudos to your husband for breaking the stigma. Let's face it - someone else in the class has also probably had them and not 'fessed up which has resulted in your child getting them. They don't spring up out of thin air!

As a fellow parent I would rather know they around and be able to take pre-emptive action to catch any break out early.

It’s good you are treating them, there’s a girl in my child’s class that always has them and the mum never ties her hair up. The school send constant emails about “the same children having repeat head lice that aren’t being treated”. That’s the only thing I get really annoyed about but touch wood my dds never caught them.
I wouldn’t be happy with your dh but the school mums at mine are very gossipy so dd would be forever blamed for any head lice. I’d tell him not to do it again that way!

I think YABU. People are much more likely to have time to treat properly over the weekend. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.