Did anyone actually enjoy being tickled as a kid?
I’m really curious to know. As for me, I can’t think of a quicker way to make me furious (in the past or present) than to attempt this method of getting me to laugh. And I mean furious.
Cool Dad tells me he never liked it either. Weird?
Of course, now I find myself totally breaking the Golden Rule every time I play the boy’s ribs like a piano. Yes, he’s laughing like crazy. But, so was I when I was a kid. This is one of the few times where laughter doesn’t always equal fun. Right?
Is tickling just an involuntary cycle where ticklees become ticklers even though being a ticklee is no fun whatsoever? Who started all this, anyways?
i think God started it when he tickled Jacob in the hip to win their wrestling match?
I don’t know, but I just remember some of my favorite times growing up were when we were in my parents huge bed and the entire family was wrestling around. I always said I had to pee when I was pinned down with no where to go. Great memories…
ha ha, I never thought of that, and to answer your question, no I never did or do enjoy being tickled!
Hmmm… I know I HATE to be tickled, but enjoy watching others laugh as I tickle them. Perhaps we’re all hypocrites, but how can you not tickle when the laugh is as cute as the one you showed in your picture???
Ha! We’ve been talking about this for 2 days! I say, that it’s a God given right for all the diapers we have to change…honestly, though, maybe that’s why we hate it so much as adults.
I have spent time thinking about this. I don’t have an answer, other than to tickle away.
clayton – personal question, but did it ever happen? that would teach ‘em for holding you down!
wiki nerd in me: looks like we’re talking about gargalesis.
I didnt really like it, but my nefeu would actually ask me to tickle him. I thought that was kind of weird.
CD–thanks for that–who knew there was a wikipedia article on tickling?!
So maybe I can justify tickling because I am teaching our son valuable combat skills?
Wikipedia on the purpose of tickling:
A third, hybrid hypothesis, has suggested that tickling encourages the development of combat skills.[7] Most tickling is done by parents, siblings and friends and is often a type of rough-and-tumble play, during which time children often develop valuable defensive and combat moves. Although people generally make movements to get away from, and report disliking, being tickled, laughter encourages the tickler to continue. If the facial expressions induced by tickle were less pleasant the tickler would be less likely to continue, thus diminishing the frequency of these valuable combat lessons.
see, CM – i’ve been trying to teach you self-defense moves all these years!
The circle of life, my friends, the circle of life. It is a rite of passage into cool-dom (like that word?)…or maybe parent-dom when the ticklee becomes the tickler!
I tickle my children all the time. However, I let my husband know (in pre-marital counseling) that if he ever tickled me, I would file for a divorce. Thats the only grounds, in my opinion, for a divorce LOL. So, obviously, I hate to be tickled.
Interesting thought…..maybe I should stop torturing my son…..
Sarah–that is downright awesome that you included this issue during premarital counseling! Very smart, I’m impressed.
sarah – whoa! that’s some hardcore tickle hate.
I hate being tickled. I’m normally a very even keeled, pleasant person. Tickle me and I will claw your eyes out and bend your fingers backwards.
“If the facial expressions induced by tickle were less pleasant the tickler would be less likely to continue,”
Uuuhhhh…No. My husband seems to think the rage on my face and flames coming out of my eyeballs is a hand written invitation to tickle me more.
Whoa.
Therapy???
Anyways, good question CM.
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. I can’t stand to be tickled, but I love to tickle my husband. (who is exactly like me in the tickle hypocrasy deal…) I imagine we will be tickling our little guy once he becomes ticklish.
I’m pretty ticklish, but I don’t entirely hate being tickled. It makes getting a pedicure somewhat hazardous, though…to both me and the poor lady trying to scrub my heels. I have photos to prove it.
I hate being pinned down and tickled, though. I will flail and claw my way out of that, given the opportunity. =)
As far as tickling kids goes, I’ve employed this tactic with my nephew and nieces to get them to laugh. Usually they start giggling even before I get to them, so something tells me they’re not feeling all that tortured. They’d let me know if they really hated, I think, but then again, they’re old enough to communicate such things.