ooh I love you soooooo much (with clenched teeth)

It's interesting to me to learn about others upbringings.   To witness the current upbringings around me.
I like to know how it was growing up when I know someone and the kind of person they are today.
I'm always trying to learn new ways to bring up happy and healthy kids with the examples of others.

I found out that my wife's parents were not the huggy touchy kind of parents at all.   They never said I Love You.   Ever.  (that she can remember)   J knew that she was loved....but it was never shown with cuddles and whispered words.    Her parents never wrestled or played with them.    All of it seems so foreign to me and leaned on the side of child abuse.   How can a parent not play with their kids ?   How can you not sweep them up and using as much self control as you can to hug them until the breath leaves their little bodies with a grunt.     How do parents stop themselves from saying I love you again and again and again.
Thing is.   I think a lot of parents are like hers.   Maybe not to the extreme of never, but are still conservative with the lovey dovey stuff.

My dad had a hard shell when I was growing up.   Stern, spare the rod spoil the child, quiet type.    But on the weekends he would often tickle and wrestle with us....chase us through the house.   I think it was his way of breaking free of all of that rough exterior.
My mom was the balance.   If she wasn't hugging you and telling you that she loved you she was trying to get you to sit on her lap or cuddle up with her on the couch to keep her feet warm.

I remember my parents taking us to do fun stuff.   Local roller coaster parks.  Camping.   Swimming.   My dad was really big on horseback riding, ice skating and bowling.   But they didn't play with us.   They didn't swim and skate with us.   They didn't hunt for creatures in the forest or collect rocks with us.  They watched us do it.

Nevertheless.
My wife turned out to be a WONDERFUL and contributing citizen in this world.   She's thoughtful, she's caring, she's honest.    She has actively worked on being lovey dovey with our kids....she plays with them....swims with them....tells them that she loves them.

I guess what I'm saying is....in my little bit of research on this subject.....you can smother kids with love or you can find other ways of letting them know that you love them.    Either way.....they'll grow up and be gay.
BWAAAA HAA HA HA  I didn't mean that....it just came out.
No, what I was going to say was, it seems that they will turn out just fine.

I however, choose to play, to kiss, to hug too hard.

Nate

double decker

Cam

At one point...and I'm not sure when it happened....we decided that even going down double decker on our stomachs wasn't exciting enough.   We decided to try a surf/snowboard style ride.

Spencer surfed too.   He went down and made it all the way to the bottom standing.   We had him do it again....and of course he fell 1/2 way down.  Just know that the biff's are better than the bests.