A Skill You Lose?

I love chewing gum. I would chew it all the time as a child. I remember when a gum ball was a penny from the gum ball machine when I was very young. Later it because a nickel and then it was a quarter for multiple pieces. I also loved bubble gum like Bubbalicious and Hubba Bubba. Those big, fat, soft blocks of gum would last for hours in my mouth. I’d chew them until the gum component would break down and turn into a grainy mess that had to be spit out.

That was then. As I got older I’d chew gum from time to time, mostly the more adult gum like Denteen or Trident. Maybe I’d throw in some Chewlees or Fruit Strip gum for fun from time to time. I could still chew for long periods, but it wasn’t as often I sought out gum when I was a child.

Today I still like gum. I was seduced by a large tub of big, round gum balls about two years ago. I needed over a hundred colorful balls of gum. Simply had to have it. That container of gum is still sitting on a top shelf, maybe a third eaten. But I do have a piece from time to time.

The thing is, I can’t chew gum anymore, and I can’t figure out why. I can chew with great gusto, only in the process of chewing in invariably chew on my lip or cheek. It always happens. When it happens I’m not thinking about the chewing of the gum, i’m just absent-mindedly chewing. I shouldn’t have to pay close attention, should I?

It’s happened so many times I’ve almost sworn off gum. I thought maybe it was me, but in the car last week I happened to mention it to my parents. My father was an avid gum chewer for years but I realized I hadn’t seen his gum wrappers around in a long time. When I mentioned the biting my lip problem my parents bot said they’d experienced the same thing.

Is gum chewing a skill you lose? Is it something you have to practice and are we just out of practice? I’m not sure my mouth can take the beating to get back into shape if so.

The Big Boy Update: My son was in the hot tub with Uncle Bob last night after dinner. They were having a nice conversation and my son was in a questioning mood. He wanted to know from Uncle Bob what it was like forty years ago? This is an interesting question because it shows my son can think of things back in time and understand people had experience before he was born. He also asked Uncle Bob why he wasn’t married and didn’t have children? Uncle Bob helped him understand how people each make their own choices in life and what his choices had been. This apparently satisfied my son who followed up with a new question, asking if it was possible to meditate under water.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles: My daughter was also thinking about family as well. The other day she complained loudly that she didn’t want to be a girl. She wanted to be a boy because she didn’t want to break her tummy when the babies came out. Then she asked how your brain chooses how many babies you have. I let dad answer that one.