Spit or Swallow

First off:  those of you with dirty minds can go elsewhere.  This post is actually about chewing gum.

The other day at my doctor's appointment, I had to take the glucose test, which means I had to drink that orange stuff.  I had gum in my mouth and the nurse said "don't forget about your gum", so I swallowed it.  I told her so.  She looked at me like I was insane.  She said, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??".  Like I just drank bleach or something.  For reals.  For a second, I thought she was going to yell at me and say that I ruined my glucose test and had to come back another day to take it.  But no, apparently she just thought it was wrong and gross and felt the need to make me feel like I was in big time trouble- like I was about to get my folder signed and go sit in time out.

Now for the record, I don't always swallow my gum.  Sometimes I spit it out, but there's not always a trashcan or suitable bush/outdoor area for me to spit my gum out.  Or certain social circumstances dictate that it would be wrong to spit out my gum at that particular time--like when I was a practicing attorney and showed up in court with gum in my mouth.  It's not like I could saunter on over to the judge's bench and say, "excuse me, your honor, petooey..."  Sooooooo...in those instances I swallow my gum.  I have swallowed gum since I can remember.  I am still alive and unharmed.  I'm no medical professional, but I'm pretty sure I don't have 31 years of gum stuck in my stomach.

Now, if you ask my husband, he would agree with the Gum Nazi Nurse.  He thinks it is wrong and you will die, get sick, or not be able to use the bathroom anymore (okay, so he doesn't think those things, but you would think that maybe he does with the reaction he gives...).  He's a spitter.  He can't understand why I would swallow gum.  Our differences usually complement eachother in our marriage, but here, it's caused a bit of a problem (teeny tiny) when our boys chew gum.  If we are in the car and they don't want it anymore, I tell them to swallow it.  If my husband is around, he says "NO! Don't swallow it!  Spit it out the window!".  I hope this confusion put on them is not going to permanently hurt them...like swallowing gum could...

So, do you spit or swallow?