Hug, Kiss, Touch, Scratch

I'm not exactly sure how it started, but at some point the usual "hug and kiss" morphed into a "hug, kiss, touch, scratch". I think it was because when Tyton was two or three years old he wanted to prolong the goodbye's by hugging for a longer period of time. I'm pretty sure it was Tyton who requested the loving "touch" as part of the goodbye. Then, shortly thereafter, we started including a "scratch" which consists of a simple scratch on the back, arm, head, or something.

It's really fun to do and I almost forget we're the only family who does this... until we mention it casually without thinking and then we're forced to explain what we're talking about.

Well, last Tuesday I was on my way to a church meeting at about 7pm. I had pulled out of the driveway when I saw Tyton sprinting toward me from the backdoor. I started coasting away from the house... intending to blow Tyton a kiss or something since I'd forgotten to participate in our usual goodbye ritual. Tyton started cutting across our side yard which ends abruptly at a two foot concrete barrier which then drops off to our neighbor's driveway.

Tyton was yelling "DAAAAAD, YOU FORGOT A HUG, KISS, TOUCH, SCRA-a-a-a-" as he tumbled off the two-foot wall onto the neighbors driveway. He jumped up so quickly, I actually wondered if he'd landed on a mini-trampoline. He started saying, "I'm ok. It didn't even hurt. I'm fine." Looking back, it's obvious he was trying to act unhurt because Betsy and I always tell him not to run in the side yard for fear he'll tumble off the wall and get hurt... which is exactly what had happened.

I say to him, "Are you sure? Your hands or knees didn't get scraped or anything?"

"Nope," he said as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Then I noticed the blood running down his forehead. He still hadn't noticed the blood all over his arm and running down his cheek. I scooped him up and started telling him not to freak out. He was confused. He didn't know why I was telling him not to freak out. Then he noticed the blood dripping off his chin onto the pavement. "What's that?" he asked, "Is that from me?" "Yeah," I said, "you just got a little cut."

We got the bleeding stopped and took him to Instacare since it looked like he might need a few stitches.

The doctor said "It looks pretty straight and it's not gaping so we can use glue on this." The funniest part about it was when the doctor, nurse, receptionist and pretty much every other employee asked how this had happened. I know they're REALLY asking, "Did you slam your kids' head against a doorjamb?", but I had to keep explaining what had happened and every time I told the story, I'd say, "I forgot to give Ty a hug and kiss so he was running-" then Ty would cut me off with a correction for the Instacare staff, "Hug, kiss, touch, scratch." They'd look at me with a baffled expression and I'd explain the "touch, scratch" portion of the farewell.

The rest of the doctor visit was great. Tyton never cried. Not once. He even laughed a couple of times. At one point, while the doctor was holding the cut closed after applying the glue Tyton asked, "Why don't you blow on it?" The doctor replied, "Because I don't want to blow my germs all over your cut." Tyton thought that was hilarious for some reason.