{The Problem With Gum . . .}

Is that I don't know what to do about it. Maybe I'm weird, but here's the deal. My kids love gum, as most children do. They ask for gum on a regular basis. They like to buy gum with their allowance. Because gum is fun.

But chewing gum isn't something I desire for them to do all day. So do I treat it like screen time and say, "You may only chew gum from 3:00 to 3:30?" Should I give my gum blessing on every second Tuesday? Do I save it for special occasions?

Help.

When they were younger and I was in charge of more of their decision making, the gum was kept in my purse. I was Sole Keeper of the Gum. And I only bought the "healthy" kind, so I didn't feel like I was ruining them so very much.

It was a special treat to chew gum back in those days, and I usually only allowed them to do so when we were out running errands. Because gum is helpful when four kids are crammed into a van, winding around town from piano lessons to Trader Joe's to Target.

But now my kids are older and making their own gum decisions. (Bethie has even become adept at using peanut butter to remove it from her sister's hair.) And the Bible isn't very clear on when and where and how much gum a child should consume. (Although I do recall quite vividly that my siblings and I were not allowed to chew gum in church. This was probably a wise decision on my parents' part.)

So when do I say yes? When do I say no? Am I totally weird for thinking about gum rules? Am I wasting an entire blog post on a trivial matter? (You don't have to answer that.)

Most importantly, do you have a gum solution for me? 'Cause I'm in a pretty sticky situation here. Ha.