Tickled to Death

Being the youngest of eight children, I was often treated in a manner that was not of my choosing. To me, though, it was all a part of growing up. Each episode became a lesson in life.

This one was cruel. Some of my siblings would often hold me down and tickle me. I'm sure you have done this to a younger brother or sister if you have one. This went well beyond a mere laugh. They would tickle me until I was exhausted. I would be calling out for them to stop and they would continue. I don't know where my mother would have been. She was probably working as a crossing guard or doing something to get money to make ends meet. I just know how helpless I felt in the situation.

As I said, there is always a lesson to be learned.

One day, the tickling ritual was about to be performed again. I was hauled down to the floor from the couch. Their knees were on my shoulders and their hands started a flurry of activity in my mid-section. Nothing. Nothing happened. I had learned how not to be ticklish. Their frenzied activity had no effect. They tried and tried again. I just lay there relaxing.

From that day forward, nobody in my family ever even tried to tickle me. Why would they? I wouldn't respond. Friends have tried, without knowing my story. Still no response. Quite simply, tickling me will not work. Go ahead, try. You will be wasting your effort.

I often get this in the schoolyard. A child will run up to me and say, "Timmy called me a bad name." It even happened today. Yes, I could go to Timmy and tell him to stop doing that. I usually don't. I ask the child whether he thinks it is true or not. If the answer is no, then I ask them to ignore those kinds of comments. It the answer is yes, I assure them that it is an opinion that I don't share. I ask them whom they would rather believe, me or Timmy? My advice is consider the source and ignore it, just like I ignored the tickling.

It is going to happen to you sometime. Learn how not be ticklish about the things that bother you that others say. Don't take the bait. That validates their comments. Just ignore them and they will usually go away.