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CrystalRE's picture

SD, 10 came home from BM's with another communicable disease. This time its headlice. We usually just take care of this stuff but Im getting fed up with her never taking responsibility for anything. Does any one know if we can make her pay for half of the treatment? Would it be considered a medical expense?

Let me clairify...Im not suggesting that she got it from BM just that BM knew she had it and didnt treat it when she found out about it but instead sent her to our house so we could treat it. It gets a bit frustrating that she ignores these things and seems like she does it just so she doesnt have to pay for it. I wondered because I thought maybe if she knew she would be responsible for half either way, she wouldnt ignore it until they came to our house.

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HennyPen's picture

unfortunantly because children can pick up head lice from almost anywhere you'd have to prove SD got it from her home. They can pick that up from friends, school, a pillow...it's just to common I think to make her be financially responsible for 1/2.

as for it being a medical exense I am uncertain, because you can get the shampoo over the counter at a drug store, it'd be like trying to claim OTC cold medicine as a medical exspense and making her split it too.

for the low cost of treatment, I think you'd be better to treat it and be done with it, rather than the emotional/aggrivational cost it would be try to get her to pay her portion.

lovin_my_life's picture

BM has done this to us more than 6 times!!

My advice:

Treat SD, treat the home etc. Let BM know everything that you did and ask her to do the same; wash bedding in hot water, clothes, spray furniture with the spray that comes in the box etc. Let BM know that you fully expect her to do this.

If you have a flex spend account you can submit the receipt in for reimbursement. But many CO's are specific and state that only co-pays apply, not OTC's etc.

I know it's nasty.... but try to keep SD out of the blame circle and check her head daily for about 7 days since that's the lifecycle of the egg!

CrystalRE's picture

Because when we emailed her to tell her that we had discovered it she said that she suspected it when they were with her but never treated it or even let us know that she suspected it.

Sia's picture

OMG, there was not EVER a summer (when the girls were little) that I didn't have to treat head lice. (they'd live with us in the summers before we got full custody)

I used to spend DAYS combing their hair, etc. Finally, one summer I had just had our BS, and didn't have time to do it, so DH's sister cut their hair short (boy short). BM called raising all kinds of cane, but I just told her that if she didn't deal with it by the time they got to us, then we'd deal with it however we had to!

frustratedmom's picture

BM doesn't have to pay for half of the treatment. We just went through this also. SD brought headlice over to our home, so we just washed all our bedding, sprayed the furniture, beds, and treated our kids for 2 straight months, and told BM that she should do the same for her home. BM would never of reimbursed us anyway, we can't squeeze blood out of a turnip LOL! Smile

Totalybogus's picture

Does BM have primary custody? I ask this because if she does, I would send the kid back to her until the lice is cleared up. I have a rule, headlice, you stay home or dad can visit them in a hotel.

CrystalRE's picture

We have 50/50 custody. This happens with EVERY illness the kids get. Both kids have come from her house with impentigo that she never bothered to treat so guess who took them to the doctor, they have come to us with staph infections that we have to treat, etc...you name it, these kids have picked it up!