Am I a horrible mum for not letting my little boy have gum?

Question

He's 11.

I can't stand the stuff - plus he never blooming sits still and I'm panic stricken about the thought of him swallowing it and choking.

Do you think I should ease up? All his friends chew it, apparently.

Answer 1

You are his mum, and it sounds a reasonable request....But now you have said no, you must stick to your decision (pardon the pun)

Answer 2

wow, yeah, chill out. gum is definitely ok, if you let him act normal, and do normal stuff like chew gum, he might act more normal (eventually) and sit still and listen to you

Answer 3

No, but chances are when hes older he'll have it anyway if he wants it. You shouldnt worry, just warn him of the danger. But i suppose theres a danger of choking on anything. x

Answer 4

I can't stand "the stuff" either. It makes people look like cows when they are chewing it and on top of that people don't understand that smacking is disgusting. My father let me chew gum as a kid but he hated it.  I think its gross. Let him have it if you really want. Its not THAT big of a deal, it could be worse....

Answer 5

ease up, allow only one piece every other day, and watch him chew it for signs of choking

if the piece is large (like jucy fruit) break it in half (im around his age and EVERYONE chews it!!!!!!)

Answer 6

lol

do you still puree his food too?  i am no child expert but i am so sure that your son knows how to chew gum.  gum isn't good for anyone anyways

Answer 7

hes 11!! hes not a little boy anymore and  he should b aloud gum ffs...its GUM! its not drugs  or drinks or anythink which he could b doing ... its gum!!!! omg... im not a gum chewing american im a gum chewing english teenager...

Answer 8

i love gum. i wouldn't call you a bad mom, just ease up and let him chew it. its only gum! and besiddes, theres a good chance he's buying his own at the candy store, so its better to let him know your okay with it than him going behind your back, that is, if he is chewing it.

Answer 9

I find your question interesting because my Mother hated chewing gum and always told me that if I swallowed it , it would stick to my ribs, so I never bought it as a child.

Answer 10

OMG!! R U JOKIN!!! GUM IS LIIKE SO STINKIN GOOD Y ARENT U LETTING HIM CHEW IT HE'S 11 HE SHOULD BE OLD ENOUGH TO NO DAT HE'S NOT SUPPOSED 2 SWALLOW IT...  how could u not stand da stuff? i don't even no y ur asking dis!!!...

Answer 11

I think gum is not the healthiest thing ever obviously, they do have artificial colour, sugar, and surely a lot of other nasty stuff.

Nonetheless, here's something to consider: I used to suffer from sinusitis and every time my throat got sore, the doctor (a nice professional with experience and credibility) advised that I could actually chew gum as it helps produce more saliva. I did and it worked.

Also, I think as a young boy he just might want to do it for the fun of it. My mum absolutely despised me eating crisps and junk food, but would allow me to do it when I was at children's parties and in few quantities (quite rarely).

I'm 27 now, grew up to be thin (normal thin, not skinny), healthy, never got spots in adolescence, generally I appreciated the balance she taught me to go by. And, as she let me do the 'forbidden' thing every now again, I grew up without the urge to go and stuff my throat with junk food and candy because she wouldn't let me touch it when I was a child- some children do react badly if totally restricted.

Hope this helps. I think that even the fact that you're posting a question here makes you a great mum anyway.

Answer 12

u should let him have gum at this age. it is very unlikely that an eleven year old will accidentally swallow a piece of gum. and if he does swallow it, he will not choke.

Answer 13

lol, that wouldn't make you a horrible mum! My mother wouldn't let me have gum when I was younger, and won't let my little sister, because she says it looks horrible when children chew, it's usually very sugary and they may swallow it.

Answer 14

Yeah let him, just make sure its the sugar free Xtra stuff, plus thats quite small so if he swallows it it dont really matter.

Answer 15

You aren't a bad mother, but at age 11, he is definitely old enough to chew it. If he does swallow it, it'll just come out the other end. :)

Answer 16

i agree, let the kid have gum. how can you tell a child they cant have gum?

and yes, you should ease up, A LOT.

Answer 17

i think u should trust him enough to let him have gum u cant always go to the worst caserneria. he is 11 he is not a 5 year old. you have to trust him.dont worry u r NOT a BAD mom u are just a NERVOUS mom.

Answer 18

i was at my wic appointment and this mother was mad and yelling at her son for getting gum all over their rented vehicle- i dont know what the appropriate ago is, 11 might be ok. i dont know i dont think your a bad mother. at least you dont give in like i do! lolollll.

Answer 19

yes he isnt going to choke on gum if hes 11

and if he does it should be his lesson on not to chew it

but let him for pete's sake! hes 11!

iv been shewing it sine ci was 10 and never stopped

iv even fallen asleep with it in my mouth and haven't choked

let his chew it

Answer 20

No, not at all. Gum is digusting. My daughter did the whole all my friends are doing it thing, so i gave in and low and behold she got it in her hair!! (She has hair almost to her bum). So gum is now ban from my house. It's gross and if he can't sit still i wouldn't worry about him choking so much, I would worry about picking it out of the carpet!!!

Answer 21

you are not a horrible mother. just let him try it once. it is pretty slippery so i think there is a very slim probability that he will swallow it.

Answer 22

Well. You're not a horrible mom. You're just too overprotective. Unless he has special health concerns, let him chew gum. He'll only resent you for making him feel like an alien compared to his friends. You have good intentions, obviously, but sometimes parents need to loosen up (on things that are very common and normal for the child's age group) before the kids start resenting and doing it all behind parent's back.

Answer 23

Nope, my kid doesn't get gum either.  Tooth brushing is enough of an issue without adding sugary gum into the mix... and i won't let him have any artificial sweeteners.  there isn't enough long term research on what they do to growing bodies and brains.

"all my friends do X" is usually childhood code for "I want to do this , so I'm cooler than everyone else who doesn't get to!"

Answer 24

You're not a bad mother... you're just worried about him... in my opinion, a little over the top... but you seem to care enough about him to post a question about it on Yahoo! Answers.

But, he's eleven... let him have some gum.

Answer 25

honestly...

I had gum when i was 8.

You are not a bad mum what so ever but u can losen up a bit.

It doesnt matter if he swallows it it wont kill him.

Your son you decied .

i would let him.x

Answer 26

ease up on the gum...the boy is 11.  do you want him to grow up to be a wussy mommy's boy?  If that is your real picture I would be more concerned about his friends teasing him for the way his mom looks.  I mean you don't have to be rich to look decent and have some sense of style.  Take better care of your looks before you turn into more of a hag.

Answer 27

If he's 11 he probably won't forget you cant swallow it

I was chewing gum when I was way younger than that

he'll be fine

Answer 28

Yes, you are horrible.  Gum helps prevent cavities, so you are doing your boy a disservice.

Answer 29

You can swallow gum, but I doubt he'd choke on it - just excrete it a few days later.

I think you should let him have gum...

and also when my mum forbids me from having something I usually go and get it anyway, from friends, other family members, shops etc. so I'm guessing there will come a time when he tries some anyway.

Answer 30

well i would let him chew it, hes 11 hes plenty old enough not to swallow it, besides if you buy him trident its good for his teeth,i would buy him a couple packs a week but tell him hes only allowed to chew trident!

Answer 31

omg. let him have gum. it might let him calm down a little. my 3 year old niece can chew gum with out swallowing it. omg; he is elleven. in 7 years he is an adult. gum helps alot. my cosin has adhd and it relaxses her and her nerves. jezzzzzzz woman. dont baby him;. you are probly embarassing him!!!!!!

his friends at school offers him a piece of gum.... he says no my mom wont let me.....and then he gets made fun of! oh come on dont be so controling. let him grow up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... you sound like my grandma who is OCD. obsessive compulsive disorder. and when we went to the 4th of july parade she was telling her grand son-7- to do something or to not do something every 5 min. and she even lets him have gum.!!!!! oh and the dentists around here give out surger free gum after a dentist apointment. so nothing wrong with gum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...