Mom's admonishments, are they true?

Go ahead, let your children crack their knuckles, swallow their chewing gum and read in the dark. It won't harm them.

We sought out a number of sources and for knuckle-cracking, and the answer is unanimous: it might be annoying but it will not cause arthritis. And here is a bit of trivia. The popping noise is caused when the stretched joint is released and pops back into place.

The worst thing that can happen in children who swallow gum is constipation, especially if the child is preschool age. The smaller the digestive system the easier it is for gum to slow things down.

And if you have a flashlight-in-the-bed reader, you'll likely have a kid with tired eyes, but no real damage.

January 19, 2002

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