ChapStick Revisited

I knew I wasn't alone. All you closet ChapStick fans really came out of the woodwork yesterday. There were comments left on yesterday's post, emails sent, and multiple conversations had -- and my case is solid. Essentials for life: food, clothing, shelter, and ChapStick.

I'm happy to report that the readers of this blog reflect the general ChapStick population when it comes to sharing. The poll on ChapStick.com reports that only 32% of ChapStick users will admit to sharing. That sounds about right. The rest of you probably got an H1N1 shot, huh?

And since I promised, I'll disclose my personal ChapStick philosophy. I share. I don't have a lot of respect for cooties - especially since having a kiddo. And I just try not to think about things like that. (Though, Natalie, you completely grossed me out with the Oreo story and I might be reconsidering the whole thing.) At our house, we share drinks and ChapStick and forks and pillows and most anything else. I draw the line at toothbrushes.

But I do think it's important to point out that there are two sides of the question here. There's sharing your ChapStick with someone else. And there's using someone else's ChapStick. Both are sharing - but it's an important distinction. I'm much more likely to let someone use MY ChapStick than use someone else's. Afterall, I know what condition my ChapStick is in. And in my opinion, lending it to one other person is a much smaller risk than the unidentified number of previous users of someone else's tube. I've put a lot of thought into this.  

Bottom line, people -- Be Prepared. ChapStick Emergencies are avoidable.

Comments

[Erin]

We avoid "branding" our lip moisturizing products by calling it all "lip stuff". Yes, that's right, "lip stuff". Even Isaac calls it that. Michael sometimes calls it "lip schmack", but that's another story. I am a slave to the original Blistex, in the tube with the slanted lip applicator, but only at night. Yes, that's right. I have my day and my night lip stuff. I HATE going to sleep without it. Hate. During the day, I can get along with various types -- Chapstick, other types of blistex, even some lip gloss sometimes, but at night -- Blistex Lip STUFF . . . all the way!

By the way, the worst is when your child begins to figure out the lip stuff and all of your 20 tubes get lost, eaten, smeared, squeezed out, hidden, thrown away, and you are forced to hoard even more. Sigh.

Erin