It was supposed to be an ordinary Sunday afternoon.

My son had spent most of the day outside with the neighborhood kids. They had been exploring the woods behind our house, climbing over fallen logs, building tiny forts from branches, and chasing each other through the tall grass. By the time he came inside, he was covered in dirt, smiling from ear to ear, and talking nonstop about the adventure they had just had.

“Mom, can we go back tomorrow?” he asked as he kicked off his muddy shoes.

“Maybe,” I laughed. “But first, you’re getting a shower.”

He rolled his eyes the way only kids can, but headed upstairs anyway.

A few minutes later, I grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom to help him rinse the shampoo from his hair. As I gently parted his hair near the back of his head, something small caught my eye.

At first, I thought it was a seed or maybe a tiny piece of dried leaf stuck in his hair from playing outside.

I reached closer.

It wasn’t moving.

Curious, I looked more carefully.

My stomach immediately tightened.

The tiny object was attached firmly to his scalp.

It looked like a small brown insect.

For a second, I froze.

“What is that?”

Trying not to alarm my son, I calmly told him to stay still while I looked more closely.

The more I examined it, the more convinced I became that it wasn’t dirt at all.

It looked like a tick.

I had heard about ticks before but had never actually found one attached to someone in my family.

Suddenly, all the stories I’d read about tick bites came rushing back.

I carefully avoided pulling it with my fingers because I remembered hearing that improper removal could leave parts of the tick behind.

Instead, I found a pair of fine-tipped tweezers.

Keeping my son as still as possible, I gently grasped the tick as close to the skin as I could and slowly pulled upward with steady pressure.

After a few seconds, it came free.

I cleaned the bite area with soap and water and placed the tick in a sealed container, just in case our healthcare provider later recommended identifying it.

Thankfully, my son felt completely fine.