"Tag! You're loved!"

It was one of those meals where Younger Son could not.sit.still.
He had to show us something...
He had to pet the cat...
He had to wash his hands after petting the cat...
(You parents know what I'm talking about.)

Until finally...
"Would you just SIT down and EAT?"

Now, in our house, whenever someone is upset, you hug them and say, "I love you."
Always.
We all do it.
It's a habit.

So, when Younger Son was commanded to SIT and EAT, the tone of voice triggered the hug response.
Yet, the command to SIT was there.
And, being torn between needing to SIT and needing to hug someone, Younger Son reached as best he could from a sitting position to touch each member of his family and say, "I love you".

In his mind, he was hugging us.
But it looked like he was tagging us.

So, I reached back across the table to Younger Son and quipped, "Tag, you're loved."

It caught on.
Ever since, we've been touching each other at random times saying, "Tag.  You're loved!"

Dang, we're adorable.