What Kind of Skin Do You Have?

Our last two children require vastly different parenting than our first five. It's somewhat ironic that in our "older" parenting years, Gid and Eli are the craziest and most physical of our seven children. They absolutely require lots of rough and tumble action from their caregivers -- something that is very difficult for me. Even when I'm not tired (ha ha!) I have always had very sensitive skin. Ren will lightly pat me and be surprised when I say, "Ow!" So, I have to leave the wrestling to Ren or Hannah, who is an amazing wrestler it turns out.

A few weeks ago, Ren started the "punching" game with the boys. He would pretend to punch them and they thoroughly enjoyed punching him, of course, and everyone had a great time. Until...Eli punched me. He was somewhat offended when I looked at him in dismay and crankily said, "Ouch!"

"Dad let's me punch him, Mom." he told me matter-of-factly.

"Well Eli, it hurts my skin when you punch me."

"Oh," he said in a crestfallen tone, clearly indicating that I was NOT as fun as Dad, at least when it came to the punching game.

Fast forward a few days and Eli asks me out of the blue (or so I thought), "Mom, what kind of skin do you have?" Huh?

I responded, "What kinds of skin are there?"

"Well, Dad and I have punching skin, what kind of skin do you have?"

Aaah. As understanding dawns on me I tell him, "I have sensitive skin."

"Hmmm. Sensitive skin," he says as he turns the idea over in his mind. "Why do you have sensitive skin mom?" Now that is the question, isn't it.

I don't know why I have the wrong kind of skin, but it is an interesting realization to make in our family. It helps me understand Zach a little better anyway. After wrestling with Gid for a while, he came to me a few days after this conversation and said, "Mom, I just can't handle Gid, he is too physical!"

"Aha!" I said, "You don't have punching skin!"

"What?!" he asked, clearly looking at me like I was losing it.

I explained it all to him, pointing out that Gid and Eli and Dad and even Hannah have punching skin, but we have sensitive skin that doesn't like to be touched. Amazing how many other things that explains! It turns out he and I are the only ones who don't have punching skin. And while that's unfortunate for him, it's nice to have someone who understands me. Even more important, it's a good thing to have plenty of other people around to wrestle with those crazy littles, because those of us who are more sensitive just can't handle it for very long.

So I ask the question: What kind of skin do you have?