A story about gum...

“I had a stick of CareFree gum, but it didn't work. I felt pretty
good while I was blowing that bubble, but as soon as the gum lost its flavor, I was back to pondering my mortality.” -Mitch Hedberg

Most things in this world relating to bubble gum are kind of thought of as frivolous or juvenile, such as "bubble gum" pop music or bubble gum flavored ice cream (who invented this??? GROSS!!). This week, however, my kids taught me a profound lesson, which happened to involve a half a stick of Care Free.

I was traversing through a store that I would rather not be traversing through :coughwalmartcough: and I was trying my best to get out of there. I kept remembering things I forgot at various places in the store. Tessa noticed grapes and bananas in her line of vision (favorite fruits ever) and she wanted them in her mouth right THEN "nana, gape, nana, gape!!!!" I was desperate to give her something to get us through the few items I had left to find, something that would get her mind off said nanas and gapes, I looked in my purse---GUM! Yeah! Lifesaver! (DISCLAIMER: my 20-month old chews gum. It all started when she saw Darrin chewing some and he gave her a piece and there was no turning back, she was hooked. She somehow understands that you don't swallow it and never has. If she ever did I would stop giving it to her because I once read an article that this could happen with the swallowing of bubblegum).

Anyways, so I gave them each half a piece (because too much aspartame is the devil)...but as I'm searching high and low for the darn foam hand sanitizer I had a coupon for, Malia sneaks another piece of gum. "Did you take another piece of gum?" I ask. She, with a guilty expression, nods her head no as I see gum and spit frothing out of her mouth. "Sorry, Malia, give me the gum, you decided to not tell the truth so now you don't get any." (I know, I'm so mean!!).

So, now instead of Tessa's original "gape, nana, gape, nana!" I get to listen to Malia cry for GUM. SO FUN!! Well, I was back in the produce section because the price of the apples had caught my attention and I purposely (kind of) left Malia and Tessa far enough that I could get a break from listening to Malia cry about the gum and I could regain my composure before I came back to pushing them. What took my breath away was when I looked up from getting those apples to see Tessa responding to her sister's sadness. She had taken her gum out of her mouth and was giving it to Malia. And then, instead of just stuffing it into her own mouth, Malia broke that gum in half and gave half of it back to her sister. It was a beautiful sweet moment in a place I don't usually experience beautiful sweet moments. Thank you my girls for giving me that little lesson on selflessness and empathy.

**I should add, so you don't think my girls are perfect and that I live in a state of gum-sharing bliss, that these same girls are behind me right now pulling at both ends of a poor stuffed cat crying "mine, mine, mine" Oh well, it ebbs and flows. Gotta enjoy the beautiful and sweet while it's there.