Sticky situations: Lessons learned with a piece of gum

From an event that took place when Reily was in either the 3rd or 4th grade.

Reily was going on a field trip to Houston with her class the next day, and I went into her room to tell her goodnight.

As I was leaving, I noticed a stick of gum hidden under her clothes for the next day on the stairs for her bed.

I asked her what it was, and she told me it was gum to chew on the bus during the field trip.

I asked her why she was hiding it, and she told me that she wasn't supposed to have it on the bus and the teachers had told them not to bring any.

I asked her if she knew why the teachers would tell them not to bring gum on the bus, and she told me that it was because a kid might choke while on the bus or leave their gum under the seat...so she knew the why of the situations, which just left the consequences.

I told her she couldn't take gum because she needed to follow the rules, and I asked her what she thought her punishment should be for trying to sneak it onto the bus.

She came up with her own punishment, and it was far harsher than anything I would've doled out for the same offense.

She didn't think she should ever be able to chew gum again.

That was a bit extreme, so I used it as an opportunity to talk to her about how it's important that the punishment aligns with the crime.

After talking, she decided a month would be appropriate...still a little severe in my mind, but we went with it.

So for one month gum was taken away...and she loved gum.

Even when her grandmother offered her gum, she turned it down. Even when other kids were chewing it, she abstained.

I was proud of her...because in the end, this didn't have a whole lot to do with gum.

It had to do with being honest and obedient. It had to do with following through with the consequences of her actions. It had to do with her becoming a better person by learning a huge life lesson with something as harmless as a stick of gum.

Never ignore the silly offenses. Never belittle the consequences by determining that something really doesn't matter...because it does matter. If I can teach her lessons that have a profound impact and help her avoid dangerous situations later through lessons about a piece of gum...I'll take it every time.