Emmett (infant, less than a year old) would tub with me, and he had no problem with grabbing me by the scrotum. (I had plenty of problems with it, of course.) They do stuff like that all the time. That's the thing you learn as a parent - there is intense physical intimacy that is NOT sexual.

Persactly! Also, heh. Owen has recently discovered his newest, favorite tub toy. So now there's this whole thing of "how long is long enough to play with it." Which, I figure it's his, I guess it's his to enjoy.

My dad never got weirdly cold when I hit puberty, either. I've heard some dads do. That makes me sad.

I saw my father in law go apeshit over the fact that my sister in law (who was 10 years old at the time) was wearing a long t-shirt to sleep in. He freaked out and demanded she go put on a pair of short. Dude, the t-shirt was down to her freakin' knees!

He was an only child of an only child who was adopted by elderly, strict, Old-World Germans (who didn't celebrate Christmas).

I ran around in t-shirt and underwear in the house until I was 14. My dad regularly made the trip down the hall to the bathroom in his BVD's. We're just more open about that kind of thing.

Um, eww. How do you "accidentally" slip someone some tongue? It's pretty easy to keep one's tongue inside one's mouth. Unless she kissed him when his mouth was already open, in which case, that's kind of her fault. I don't think that's something to blame on the family, in any case.

He just had no experience with non-sexual kissing. At all. He realized he was doing it, just a second too late. And was, of course, mortified.

He just had no experience with non-sexual kissing. At all. He realized he was doing it, just a second too late. And was, of course, mortified.

Did he never hang out with a pet? Or play with a baby?

This just seems so incredibly sad and weird.

I swear it's less sad and weird than it seems. It's just a little weird.

So, I just realized I should maybe be nervous, or at least prepared, for this interview I have in the morning. But maybe going to sleep ASAP is more important.

I saw my father in law go apeshit over the fact that my sister in law (who was 10 years old at the time) was wearing a long t-shirt to sleep in. He freaked out and demanded she go put on a pair of short. Dude, the t-shirt was down to her freakin' knees!

Until I was about 11, I usually wore one of my dad's old t-shirts as a night shirt during the summer. I was really sensitive to fabric textures (still am, really), and most pajamas that I tried were too itchy and I couldn't sleep in them. His t-shirts had all been run through the washing machine a zillion times and were much softer, and I was small enough that an adult-sized t-shirt would come down to my knees.

Good luck with the interview, Jesse.

I should be going to bed, too. I've got an early wake-up call in the form of a 10 month old.

Did he never hang out with a pet?

Okay, this is a bigger ew for me. No mouth to mouth with animals. I realise I was raised in a culture where it was scared out of us (You'll catch mumps!), but even though I quickly realised that they were lying -- it was too late for me to be remotely comfortable.

I do do non sexual kissing, but I also do non sexual Frenching. Never with family, though. They just get kisses on cheeks. However, I do non sexual groping with (same sex) family too.

Cashmere! There was a thing on teevee this morning, Debra Messing was talking about teaching her 9 month old sign language, and how it's cut down on crying and such because he can sort of talk to them, now. They specifically mentioned the signs for "milk" and "more" (as in Cheerios).

The only reason that I'm pretty sure I don't kiss babies on the mouth is just that their mouths are so tiny, and mine is so big by comparison -- if I aimed for their mouth, I'd get the whole bottom half of their face. It's much easier to aim for their plump little cheeks or nibble on their baby toes.

With my family -- aunts, uncles, Mom, Dad -- we hug and then do a peck on the cheek that sometimes falls close to the mouth, but never on it. My stepdad and I started hugging just in the past year or so (and he's been around for 15 years), but his family isn't physically affectionate at all. And my bro and I only started hugging when he moved away. No bro-sis kissing though, not even on the cheek. Verboten.

I also do non sexual Frenching

In what way is this possible?

Also? Kissyface with dogs who lick leads to an oddly inappropriate relationship. You will inevitably get licked on the mouth.