Piano vs. Basketball

My last student of this evening was not a happy camper.  Why, you ask, when he has such a wonderful teacher?  It seems he had been asked to a Bulls game at the last minute.  But we have a recital this weekend!  So his mother, thankfully, nixed the b-ball game and said he had to stay home for his last lesson before the recital.  I told him if it had been a Cubs game I would not only have allowed it, but asked to come along.  Sorry basketball, piano is more important!

It has been a day of bursting bubbles.  Literally.  In an earlier lesson, I had to ask a student to spit out his gum.  It is one of my few rules, and every time a student argues with me I go through the whole spiel about how the rhythm of the gum-chewing gets in the way of your playing, it is distracting to you and me, etc. etc.  The real reason I have that rule?  It was always a rule with my piano teachers and it gives me a little power trip when I get to make students spit out their prized gum.  Is that mean?