A Three Year Old and Chewing Gum Just Don't Mix

When I first became a mother, I read every parenting book I could get my hands on. From safety issues to what to expect books; I thought I knew it all.....but nothing prepared me for my son's first experience with chewing gum.

At the age of three my son was digging through my purse and came across a pack of chewing gum. "Can I have some?" he asked in that little angelic voice of his. I took a moment and thought about it. I remember thinking "well, he is pretty advance for his age" (at least in my eyes). What could it hurt really?

I carefully explained to him that indeed he could have a piece but that it wasn't food so he couldn't swallow it. Nor could he put it in his hair. I told him he was a such a big resposible boy and I trusted him to have a piece of chewing gum. He gave me a great big smile and carefully unwrapped his gum. He beamed with pride as he put the gum in his mouth and began chewing. "Yum, this is good mommy" he exclaimed! He spent a few minutes entertaining me and then scooped up his Tonka truck and headed to his room to play while I finished folding the laundry. He emerged only once and attempted to hand me his chewing gum from his mouth exclaiming that he was all done with it. "Oh no" I said "if your old enough to chew gum then your old enough to throw it way". I was such a good parent that way.... always finding teachable moments like that when it came to parenting. He looked at me with his sad eyes and said "okay" and then headed back to his room.

After my chore was complete I headed to my son's room to see what activity had kept him so wonderfully engaged and out of my hair. I noticed his trucks and cars all lined up so carefully and strategically as if they were on display. I praised my son for such a wonderful job he was doing playing by himself. I then proceeded to ask him if he threw away his chewing gum.

"No, it got stuck" he replied. "Stuck? What do you mean it got stuck? Where did it get stuck?" I'm frantically searching his beautiful blonde curls expecting to find a mangled clump that I will have to cut out. But I find nothing. "Honey", I asked in a nonalarming voice, "tell mommy where it got stuck". And in that sweet little voice he said "in my nose".

What?? How or better yet, why ,would my smart, intelligent, advanced beyond his years son stick gum up his nose? Over the next few minutes he explained to me that he was playing and having too much fun to stop and throw it away but yet he was done chewing it so he simply put it in his nose to "hold it" for later. Seemed like a reasonable response right? After all, he didn't put it in his hair or on the floor like I had warned.

Well, after trying unsuccessfully to unstick the gum from his nose, I broke down and called the doctor's office. This was so humiliating! The nurse actually had me repeat the story a few times over the phone just to "ensure" that she had all the details. She told me (while giggling) that I would have to bring in my son to have the doctor pull it out.

I immediately scooped up my son and headed to the clinic. Upon walking through the door, I walked quietly over to the registration area hoping to just blend in with all of the other moms with their children. The lady behind the desk smiled and asked me my child's name. I gave her the necessary information and she asked me to wait for one minute while she went to check on something.

To my embarrassment, she returned and had a few nurses in tow. They all had smiles on their faces. She leaned over the desk and with a quiet little laugh in her voice, she asked me, "is this the little boy with the gum up his nose?"

Welcome to motherhood!