with that many visible nits mom likely knew she had it and that was why she avoided the phone. I agree, its a big deal and feel free to freak over it. its alot of work to go through kids hair espcecially girls with long hair. my dd got it many years ago and i spent hours going through her hair and did it twice a day for 2 weeks. each time i thought i had all the nits, next time i'd find a couple more. My best advice for getting rid of nits is to buy the licemeister comb and put some conditioner in the hair and leave it in. then go through the hair with the comb, its easier on the hair and doesnt hurt the child.