A Special Touch

We do a lot of tickling in this house. Today, as Ethan was melting into a laughing blob of jello under my nimble fingers, I thought about the intimacy of tickling. I spend a great deal of my day touching my kids: changing diapers, picking oatmeal out of their hair, wiping snotty noses. It all becomes very routine. Of course there are the wonderful things like goodnight kisses and the impromptu hugs given throughout the day. However, there is something so different about tickling. Only Noah and I really tickle the boys, and only we know where their most sensitive spots are. I don't even know where Noah is most ticklish (this is because I learned early on in our relationship that Noah is NEVER to be tickled). However, I know that Ethan will totally go nuts when I move my fingers up and down on his chest. Lucas, on the other hand, laughs like a hyena when I tickle under his chin.

Tickling is also intimate because it requires both respect and trust. I know that they love to be tickled, but there always comes a point when one has had enough. There are also times when one is just not in the mood to be tickled. I respect these times and am fully hands-off when they arise. They also demonstrate their trust in us by letting themselves succumb to the tickles. They know that this is a loving touch that will stop when they want it to stop. It is actually a true bonding experience.

It's a funny thing to talk about tickling this way, but I I think it came up for me because I was looking at pictures of me and my brother Jeremy when we were really young. I used to tickle him like crazy. It is a great memory - I used to tickle and tell him that if he wanted me to stop he had to say "Uncle." He would say it while laughing hysterically and I would tell him to say it clearly. He would then laugh harder and yell out "Uncle Clearly!" I think it may be my favorite memory of me and Jeremy, definitely one filled with love and intimate in the way only family can be.

With all the tickling in this house, I hope that my boys are feeling the love of some wonderful family bonding and maybe starting to create some special memories of their own.