There are many things in parenthood that I was prepared for.

I was PREPARED to be puked on, pooped on, peed on...
I was PREPARED to have to have to kiss boo-boos, pull gum out of hair, fix countless dinners consisting of chicken nuggets..

See where I'm going with this? There are many many things that fall into the normal scope of parenting. I was prepared for these things! So I was totally unprepared for the following situation.

My husband came walking into the room. "Ethan needs your help". "My help?", I ask "What's wrong!?" I'm envisioning bathroom help, because the last time I saw him, he was headed for the toilet. My husband starts snickering. "He's got gum on his... stuff" What the fuh...??? "Say that again?" I ask.. Husband: "He's got gum on his boys... and their friend". My husband is no longer snickering, he's laughing, with tears running down his face. So I go to my child's room. He's sitting on the floor looking at his... stuff. And it's full of gum. Oh. My. God. "What happened?" I stupidly ask my son. Of course, I got the standard 3 year old answer... "I don't know!". So now my husband decides to be helpful. He theorizes that Ethan was chewing gum, decided to get rid of it, and tried to put it in the toilet by stuffing it between his legs. "Is that what happened?" I ask my son. "Uh huh!! I was trying to flush it!!" I see. Now I have the unpleasant task of trying to remove the gum. Washcloth will not take it off. It just smears it around. What in the HELL are these people making gum with! I had to PICK the gum off his .. stuff. It took me 30 minutes. And do you know how tedious that was? I had to pick and pick and pick, then if I wasn't careful, the gum that was still on there would stick to more skin and re-adhere in places it hadn't already adhered...I was so unsettled. I was just NOT prepared to have to do something like that... Makes for some interesting memories, does it not?

errrggh. blech. Hey! 3 posts in one day - and I actually have visitors and comments now!! Glad to see you guys, and thanks for the encouragement! I need encouragement after days like this!

NoRmAn