Tickle Zones



Another fun picture from
Rebecca Brethauer.



Some people are ticklish on their feet, some in their armpits, others on their sides.  Everyone is different, but what is likely similar is that tickle spots can change over time.  When Sydney was little (obviously she is still little, but when she was littler), she wasn't very ticklish.  Most of the zones that can be common tickle areas did not trigger anything.  She would sometimes smile, but that was more likely a reaction to our behavior, one of amused curiosity of what in the world were were trying to do.  Fast forward to current...the tickle zones are rampant and provide a buffet for any fingers desiring to make a little girl with pigtails scream, laugh, and wiggle on the floor.  It's so easy it's almost like taking candy from a...well, baby :)

Her neck was the first zone to achieve the appropriate level of sensitivity required to provide a physical reaction.  And she quickly learned that just one finger in her neck area could do sufficient damage to any stoic look she might be trying to achieve at the time.  As a result, when I ask where her neck is these days...her neck promptly disappears as she creates a lock-tight formation between head and shoulders.  It's nearly impossible to penetrate this fortress.  Quadrants two (armpits) and three (tummy and sides) evolved later, but with no less potency.

 

 But, of course, it’s not just the act of tickling, but it is the threat of it. The slower you go, and the closer you get, it creates an unbearable situation.  She'll usually start busting up at the prospect of being tickled before the first zone has even been breached.

In other news, Sydney helped to celebrate Karen's birthday.  Karen is now just a young...um...I think she turns 21 this year.  I'll have to double-check, but I think that's accurate.  Happy Birthday ma chienne!!!



Sydney and Maggie in swim class.