Gum Chewing

Have you ever heard that if you swallow gum it stays in your stomach for 7 years because it can't be digested? With new technology they have found this to be just a myth. (Fact or Fiction: Chewing Gum Takes Seven Years to Digest)

Even if it is okay to swallow gum, I still don't think my children should. Chewing gum was made to be chewed and spit out, not swallowed. Now that my children are older and understand that when someone gives them gum, it is really theirs to eat so I can't hide it to chew later when everyone is asleep. Day after day my kids asked, "Can I eat my gum now?" Irritated with the same question every day, I decided that I, their responsible mother, would teach them how to properly chew gum.

I told Rudy & Zaya, "Come, Mommy is going to show you how to chew gum. When I am done teaching you how, you may try it too." I then proceed to open a stick of gum right in front of them and stick it in my mouth.

Rudy, drooling, has been waiting days to eat his gum and anxiously watches me put the whole gum in my mouth. He then asks, "Can I have my gum now?"

Of course my gum chewing lesson is not done. I tell him, "I am not done yet. What is Mommy doing with my gum?"

"Chewing it." Rudy & Zaya answer.

"That's right," I reply. "Okay, go and play. I'll call you when I'm done chewing my gum."

Maybe about 5 minutes later, Rudy comes running to me and asks, "Can I eat gum now?"

I then tell him, "Mommy is not done yet with my gum." I open my mouth and ask, "Where is my gum?"

Rudy answers, "Still in your mouth."

The teacher in me continues, "Yup, it is still in my mouth, I didn't swallow it. It still tastes good so I'm still chewing it. Go back and play."

Rudy leaves to play but comes back again maybe 10 minutes later. "Can I have my gum now?" Again I say the same thing, "Where is my gum?"

"In your mouth."

"My gum still tastes good. I'm not done chewing it. Go back and play."

The third time he comes back, I decide, I think Rudy got the point and I'm done with chewing my gum. I call Zaya to come too. I ask the both of them, "Where is Mommy's gum?"

"In your mouth."

"Yup, I'm still chewing it. Did I swallow it?"

"No," they chorus.

"Now the gum taste yucky and I don't want to chew it any more. Watch Mommy now. What am I doing?" I go to the trash can and spit the gum into the trash can. They tell me exactly what they saw me do. "So when your gum doesn't taste good any more, you spit it out and throw it away. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" they sing out loud.

"If you swallow your gum instead of spitting it out, you can't have any more. Got it?"

"Yes!" they shout as they cheer for gum.

Guess what? They don't swallow their gum any more! :)