The Option - Spit or Swallow

I am fully ready to admit this and I can't really imagine that I'm the only one out there who does this. Well, maybe I am, and if so, I guess I'm special and you folks don't know what you're missing. I eat gum. Yup, that's absolutely correct, I eat it. It tastes fantastic - that IS why we buy it to begin with, right?! If I don't like the taste, I spit it out, but for the most part, I go right ahead and swallow. (Go right ahead and giggle, you're not alone in your side thoughts about that one. Dirty minds...) Maybe it's the thrill of doing something naughty?

You remember when you were younger - admit it! You tried it and your parents, grandparents, whomever, tried to tell you that it was bad for you and would get stuck inside you and even perhaps you'd have to get it surgically removed? Then there's the whole bubbles out of your backside story, which is a bit amusing and to be honest, I'm not sure why some of my grade school friends weren't eating gum in huge proportions to give that task a tryout! You either had the mom who had you spit it into her hand (as if THAT isn't more disgusting?) as you walked into church or the one who told you to swallow it even though it was bad for you and normally you weren't supposed to. Then there are the disgusting people who spit it on the ground for some unsuspecting soul to step in. The gum tree at Elitches (Colorado people of a certain age know about this germ tree - and how disgusting was that???) is not something I ever contributed to, my gum stayed with me but not forever!

The whole consequence stories about eating gum are such nonsense, we were lied to! Why? Swallowing gum does nothing to you. I even asked my doctor many years ago, just to be sure since I seem to be the only person willing to admit to this little habit. During stressful times at work, I have, on occassion, pulled into the nearest convenience store and run in to buy the best flavor pack they have. Then I would sit in my car and slowly unwrap it piece by piece, chew it for a few minutes and then...swallow! If it was a really stressful situation, the entire pack, as long as I had time! It is strangely therapeutic and THAT probably is a little odd, but hey, whatever works! Betcha I had the freshest, mintiest breath in the office during project crises or budget meetings!

The Mayo Clinic has an online question and answer with doctors and I had to laugh when I saw some parent ask about their 6 year old accidentally swallowing gum (sure, betcha it wasn't an accident...) The doc says that although your body can't digest it, it passes through your system intact and goes out like all other foods. Here's a quote from the doc: "On rare occasions, large amounts of swallowed gum combined with constipation have caused intestinal blockage in children." I'm gonna say that it's GOT to be the constipation as the cause because I have, at times, eaten a LOT of gum! I've never, ever, ever experienced any sort of intestinal blockage. They should study me! I'll volunteer to eat as much as they want me to and more - as long as I can pick the flavor.

Now that I'm a mom, I'm NOT going to give my daughter that garbage about gum getting stuck inside her body and I'm telling my nieces and nephews the truth. I'm also not about to hold her already-chewed gum in my hand because I forgot that she shouldn't have it in whatever strange place doesn't allow us to chew gum, unless she asks me to do so. Rarely do I even have gum in my house and rarely do we chew it. So far Miss Fabulous just isn't really interested in gum. Maybe she'll come up with her own odd stress reducing behaviors.

This morning I discovered paper towels had been thrown into the laundry and washed with the clothes. Now I'm in the process of re-washing them after picking the bits of paper off the entire load. Normally I would have been furious about someone being so careless and being stuck indoors to fix the problem; however, we just had Halloween and some of our wonderful neighbors gave out gum. I swallowed, and it's all cool.