You Know it Will Be a Good Morning When.....

You walk into the living room and your seven year old bursts out saying "Mommy! There was candy on the porch and I didn't touch it!" Really? Well let me see. Yes, in fact a friend, probably my sweet neighbor, has left a gift bag of candy and supposedly the seven year old hasn't touched it. I don't believe that for a second but don't pursue it at the moment because the coffee pot is calling me and my head is exploding with a head cold.

I go downstairs to my office to check email, etc. Suddenly, JM bursts into the room, "Mommy! I found a piece of gum on the floor and I went to take it out of my mouth and now I have it all over me! Waaaaaaa!" Sure enough. He has it up and down one of his arms AND strings of it on the back of his neck embedded in his afro hair. Oh my WORD!

I also call the hubbie and get the scoop. Yes the bag was on the porch when he woke up and JM was given express direction to leave it alone until later. That worked well didn't it?

I didn't go ballistic. I let him do that for me. I went down my list.....JM, we just don't leave candy and gum on the floor of our house, where did you get the gum and the truth please? Yes, he took it from the candy bag. Next question, do Daddy and I always tell you to keep your gum in your mouth? Yes. You didn't just go to take it out of your mouth if you have this much gum on the back of your neck, so that wasn't the truth either right? Right.

Okay, now what do we do? I stall for time and make him get in the bathtub and work on it. He gets it off his arm pretty well. We just have the stuff in his hair on the nape of his neck, which is super tender hair on anyone. I go google "how to get gum out of hair".

Yes, there is the old standby of freezing the hair. I am not sure how to do that on his neck. Next option, take cooking oil and rub it in and it will emulsify the gum a bit and cause it to slide out. Sounds good to me.

At this point, he is freaking out. He won't let me touch him. Why? Because since he's been sitting there working on it, he has realized how much it hurts to pull that hair. Sigh.....I give him options. I am not going to sit here and fight with him. Either I leave the room to find that elusive cup of coffee or he lets me work on it, which may hurt and I will try not to hurt him. Waaaaaaaa! Neither option is great for him. I was hoping to get that coffee!

He finally lets me pour some oil on it. We let it sit for a bit. He won't let me work on it at all. So I go find that coffee! However, he quits his fit and realizes he can get it out. Nice! We wash the oil off and he gets out of the bathtub.

"Mom, I am so sorry for all of that." "Sweetie, thank you."