I don’t know exactly how it started, but at some point Rhett (2) associated medicine with gum.
When his older brothers ask for gum and I agree, Rhett starts pleading for medicine. I am sure at some point in the history of Rhett I must have doled out Tylenol for teething pain in the same hour that his brothers received gum. For some reason the connection stuck. Really stuck.
Rhett has always had a complex about how mean I am for now allowing him gum at his tender age. In his mind he is five…so what is the big deal? I think that his revenge is this medicine plea which quite honestly may require my mental institutionalization in the near future.
This is a sample conversation. Please remember the child is 2:
Brothers: Mom can we have gum?
Me: yes.
Rhett: Gum?
Me: No.
Rhett: Medicine?
Me: No.
Rhett: My mouth hurt. Medicine?
Me: No.
Rhett: My toe hurt. Medicine?
Me: No.
Rhett: My arm hurt. Medicine?
Me: No sweetie, I am not giving you medicine today.
Rhett: I fell at Target (points to head). Medicine?
Me: No. We didn’t go to Target today.
Rhett: I fell at Peter Piper Pizza (points to toe). Medicine?
Me: No. We haven’t been to Peter Piper Pizza for a month.
Rhett: I fell at Chuckeee-Cheeeeeee (points all over). Medicine?
Me: No. I told you that I am not giving you medicine today. You are fine.
Rhett: Ryan hit me (big blue eyes looking up with tears pooling). Medicine?
Me: No. Your brothers are in the other room. No one hit you.
Rhett: Reid kick me (lower lip trembles). Medicine?
Me: NO! Rhett, your brothers haven’t hurt you. I repeat. I am not giving you medicine. For any reason. Anytime today. None.
Rhett: Gum?
He has very convincing argument. To date I have stood strong in my resolve. But he is wearing me down.
I cannot say that a jury of his peers would be so rock solid which is why I am keeping him away from any ambulence chasers. That falling in public story coupled with the big blue eyes filling with tears would sway even the toughest judge…
Do you think he’ll be a trial lawyer when he grows up? I think it’s possible. *Nodding*.
He’s so stinkin’ cute! I adore him. mean mean mommy!! keep telling yourself that you’re just preparing him for the real world. it’s tough out there.
Heh! That would most certainly wear me down. But, he is cute…
What a sweetie! You big meany…I’d have to give in. Good for you for sticking to your gums, err…I mean guns!
Eh. Just take him outside, strip him down and give him gum. 🙂
That’s hilarious. (In a wearing-you-down sort of way.)
My 4-year-old doesn’t connect gum and medicine, but we have the exact same conversations about both. We’ve finally allowed gum (thank goodness) because she finally stopped swallowing every single piece, but she is nothing, if not a hypochondriac.
I think the problem is that medicine tastes so much better than when we were kids. I didn’t WANT medicine! (Except the baby aspirin that was never in our house but I used to sneak and steal from a friend’s house because it was so yummy.) Medicine tastes too good, therefore they want it for the least thing.
What it has to do with gum is your best guess!
I enjoyed the story but you do have a problem.
I stopped in because Claudia said you were great.
I bet he ends up on a debating team in highschool cos he argues a good case!
Stay strong! Failing that, maybe you need some cherry essence flavoured water to use as ‘medicine’.
My first inclination, putting myself imaginatively in your place, was to say, “No medicine, honey, but how would you like some GUM?”
My second was to gasp in horror at this idea: 102 years of parenting have convinced me that giving GUM to a 2-year old is almost as bad an idea as filling a zeppelin with inflammable hydrogen.
Not because he’s necessarily going ot swallow or choke on it. Because it will almost assuredly end up in his hair…or clothes…or the upholstery or carpet or dog dish.
Lol. Rhett is pretty good with arguing at an early age. o.o I guess if his brothers showed him that gum and medicine is not the same, would it change the way he sees medicine? I hope so.
🙂 Your little guy’s growing up very fast.