“Mommy, I have gum in my hair!”… words no mother wants to hear from a child – especially a 3-year-old girl with lots of hair.
Gum in My Hair
I lived these words just after we were all buckled in on the airplane 2 days ago.
I felt the Rolodex in my mind flipping through options: scissors, scissors, scissors, scissors, knife, scissors ,
Panic set in as I fully grasped the reality that I would not touch a pair of scissors for at least 3 hours. 3 hours of hair gum. Ewwww…
An attendant passed while securing the overhead bins. I interrupted his tasking and asked the dumbest question EVER.
“Ummm”. I stammered. “Ummm… I know this is probably a stupid question (post 9/11, to be specific), but is there, ummmm, is there, ummmm any way on earth I could find something on this plane to cut this gum out of my daughter’s hair?”
I flashed a big “help me” grin. I knew the answer, but I still HAD to ask. Who knows, maybe an air marshal would see that this predicament fit under “Use your knife only in the event of an emergency” clause. Let’s be sensible – it was Gum Hair after all!
Apparently, the lady sitting in front of me heard my predicament.
She heard my desperate, exasperated sighs in the moments before I flagged down Mr. Flight Attendant. Before I knew it, she was passing back – of all things a person could carry-on – she handed back a tub of peanut butter.
PEANUT. BUTTER.
Of all things she could have lugged on her shoulder…PEANUT. BUTTER!
I scooped a bit onto my finger and began to work magic. It took a little time. Scissors would have gotten the problem out more quickly. However, now my daughter still has all her hair – and those curls. If we had been at home, I would have headed straight for the scissors. I always balked at the notion of peanut butter removing gum.
I was a fool.
What’s my takeaway? It could one of two tings…
- Never let you kid have gum on a plane or…
- Always carry peanut butter 😉
