The Stories of Scott D. Southard

So yesterday at about 11:02 AM I learned my son was infested with mites. Scabies, actually. He probably got it from another child at his daycare. All it takes to spread is a touch, maybe he was playing with a friend and his hand touched their arm, or maybe he touched someone’s coat and it was infected. Or it was a  bath mat, or a towel. He could have been drying his hands after washing them like a very good boy and then…

Whatever the case he got it at that moment from another kid, so why do I feel so dirty?

I know I am not to blame for this. And yet, my initial reaction, like a lot of people’s is to feel like they are somehow to blame for their child’s suffering by a mite. My immediate reaction was to wonder if we vacuum the house enough, did we dust enough? And then my mind raced to my 9-month old daughter, was she even safe with us? Was I a lousy parent?

Deep breath, no I am not to blame for this. This burden was not on my head, but the recovery was. It was fully on my wife and my shoulders and I felt it. (more…)