Addiction to Gum

OK as you know i have a five year old son. It is a constant battle to try and raise him right. As a mom you want to protect them while giving them freedom. Make them eat their veggies while letting them know the joy of a triple hot fudge sundae. Make sure they get enough sleep while staying up late to snuggle on the couch. It is all a balancing act. And i am sure years from now my children's therapist will inform them i did a really crappy job but oh well I tried.

So last week we had our first real lay down the law parenting issue. A couple of weeks ago i bought three packs of gum. i took one with me and there were two unopened packs on my dresser. Well we had just put the kids to bed on Sunday night when my husband came down stairs and asked me where the gum was. We looked but could not find it. We KNEW Jarrod had taken it. Chris walks into Jarrod's room and says "where is the gum, don't try and lie i know you have it." this is when the scary stuff started. Jarrod gets up, his eyes were huge. slowly he tells his daddy to open his closet door, Tucked way in the back behind some boxes is the two now empty packs of gum, along with two of the Listerine tongue tab thingys and a box mints. (my first thought is wow is my son prepping for a marathon of 7 minutes in heaven or what). Well my husband is completely devastated. Now starts the you lied to me, you stole from us and i am so disappointed speech. Of course Jarrod is crying and working himself in to a coughing fit.

Chris comes down stairs still really worked up. His first question to me is who taught him how to steal. My respond is umm really don't think kids need to be taught how to steal. At that point in a cool and calm kind of way i take a step back and realize perhaps i had drove my son to commit this awful crime. Let me explain. Jarrod has a 2 year old sister.

Just in case you need more explanation sometimes it is much easier to say no to both then say yes to one who might be of appropriate age for say gum and no to the other who might just choke to death or put it in her hair. Yes in my effort to keep the peace between siblings i might have pushed my son into a life of crime. i mean come on we all know what is next.... grand theft auto of course.

So after this realization i go upstairs to my still sobbing son. i look him in the eye and here are my words of wisdom. "you know that feeling in your tummy, that sick feeling" Yea... " that is because you stole and lied to mommy and daddy. GOD doesn't like it either, stealing is a sin and makes your tummy hurt. now go to sleep"

So now every time my son gets constipated he is going to think he has committed a sin.

Yea like i said parenting is a balancing act. I will help pay for the therapist.