I Combed...

[tiredmommy]

the hair of over 500 children today. I'm not kidding and I use a fresh comb for each child. It was picture day. I was "The Comb Lady" (I also straighten collars, tuck tags and tie shoelaces!). The kindergartners remembered me as "The Cookie Lady" from the 100th Day.

It was fun.

But it was also a little sad in a way.

I hope some of the parents forgot it was picture day. That "might" explain the dirty, torn clothing. The unbathed kids. I was glad I brought some wipes so I could remove breakfast from one youngster's face (plus maybe a few of yesterday's meals). I was one of them as a child and I really relate. I know some of this is the economy, but I hope these kids are getting what they need at home.

 

[Lothlorien]

I wish there was a comb lady at our school. Sadly, there isn't. School pics have not been that great.

That was so nice that you wiped them up and cleaned them up as best you could.

 

[gcvmom]

Awww, you may be tired, but you are a good, good mommy to all those kids! At first I thought you were going to say there was a lice outbreak and you got volunteered to nitpick... I know, my mind just works a little differently, huh?

So I take it Duckie's well enough and back at school for picture day today?

 

[tiredmommy]

The company and the school coordinate with the PTA for volunteers. There are usually two or three moms (one arranges the kids, the other organizes them by pose). Classroom aides and teachers jump in, but some are nervous about doing anything with the hair. Most just need a quick comb and they look fine. Others, well, need a lot more than I can offer in the less than 30 seconds I have them.

And gcvmom, there is no chance I would ever nitpick for 500 kids. The thought makes my skin crawl. Yuck!

 

[Lothlorien]

there is no chance I would ever nitpick for 500 kids. The thought makes my skin crawl. Yuck!

Me too!

 

[gcvmom]

Like I said, my head goes to some strange places sometimes...

 

[donna723]

gvcmom, that's exactly what I was thinking at first too! TM, I thought you had maybe volunteered to be 'official class lice detector' or something - glad to hear that it was just picture day!

I wish they had someone doing that when mine were in school! We have some really strange looking school pictures! I know how they looked when I sent them off to school and that wasn't it! In first grade my son decided to pull his sweater off over his head right before they took his picture ...

 

[Hound dog]

TM

OMG I remember the comb ladies from waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the days of grade school. I really honestly LOVED those ladies. Not only did they give me a free comb of my very own (which I thought was awesome) they'd help me with my hair that never looked like a brush went thru it.

I was one of those poor kids too. But Mom would try for picture day, with threats of a good whipping if my sunday dresses come home with a stain or tear. She loved school pictures for some odd reason.

I'd think that would be fun to see all those cute lil kids dressed up for picture day.

Ours got so expensive by the time the kids were at the end of grade school I stopped buying them. I took them to walmart instead.

The economy is so bad......easy child and I've decided that the yard sale items are going to be rock bottom prices, no trying to make a huge profit this year. People are getting desperate around here. Leftovers are going on freecycle.

 

[Abbey]

How sweet. I never had a comb lady.

I do remember my oldest coming home from school one day in kindergarten saying that they had a 'headlights' check. I'm thinking...what the heck is that? In the end I found out that it was a HEAD LICE check. Ewww...what person had to do that?

Abbey

 

[hearts and roses]

My first thought was head lice as well! Ew, one Friday afternoon as I picked up my girls from daycare, the provider told me there was a lice outbreak. So, I bought the stuff, put the girls in the shower, slathered the junk on and let it sit, rinsed, checked, gave them the all clear and repeated this on Sunday night before school the next day. Just as I sit at my work desk, an hour away, the school nurse called me and had me go pick up difficult child because they found ONE nit in her hair. I was so peeved.

Anyway, the comb lady...I think we had one of those. I remember getting the new comb anyway and I remember one mother doing one of those spit things on the tiny hairs at the sides of my face. I hated that smell, ugh. Didn't even remember that until your post - what a nice thing you did. I bet a majority of the parents simply forgot it was picture day. I know I forgot a few until midday and by then it was too late! (However, my kids were always clean and usually dressed nicely - just want to add that, lol).

 

[rejectedmom]

Usually the school nurse does it.

TM so good of you to volunteer for the sprucing up of little ones for Picture Day. I used to do this years (eaons) ago. Yes alot of moms forget, and alot of kids just get messy real fast after moms fix them up nice but there are the few that sadly look like they are uncared for every day. -RM

 

[Star*]

TM -

You know what crossed my mind first? The fact that I have very few - maybe 4 actual school pictures of Dude and the few that I have I would have washed the car and cleaned the house of a comb lady or any lady that would have cared as much as you.....

Somewhere out there in a few years or maybe a few weeks - there will be a Mom like me that thinks of you and appreciates what you did. I think yor kindness is very sweet.

Hugs
Star

 

[C.J.]

I think you were heaven sent for some of those little ones. Thank you for making it go as well as you could for all of them.

I have a picture from picture day of my first communion. I forgot my veil. Someone somewhere found an extra veil and put that on my head. The dumb photographer probably should have suggested that I go last - because the picture shows a little girl who recently finished crying.