(Disclaimer) Being the only woman in a family of boys, has its moments of shear degradation, but they keep me from turning into a prude. I chose to laugh and share these moments rather than to be ashamed. I know there are plenty more stories to come…But if you might possibly be offended by boy humor please don’t read any further. I honestly don’t want to upset anyone.

Chubby babies are the most irresistible creatures I have come across. And there is no sound more joyful than that of a baby’s deep laughter. All of my boys have had ticklish chubby baby thighs. When they are little we play a game where I grab the chub of their inner thigh and in a high-pitched voice declare, “chubby, chubby, chubby ” while they roar with laughter.

I only have about another year left to play that game with my last baby who is already beginning to grow thinner and turn into a big boy like his elder brothers. But, in light of recent events, I may have to at least change the name of the game.

My face dropped, my eyes popped out to catch the stares of the on looking shoppers. “WHO had taught my sweet child such a disgraceful thing”, I wondered instantly. How could my six year old have his head in the filthy gutter at such an early age?

I quietly and sternly told him to go show his father getting into the car what he had just said and done as I replayed it back in my head.

He had stuffed a water bottle down one side of his pant leg and declared to all within earshot, “Look Mom! I have a giant chubby!” And it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had been the one with the head in the gutter. In fact, the whole thing was my fault. The poor child didn’t even know that the appendage he was referring to was his thigh since I had always called it his “chubby, chubby”.

My husband didn’t miss a beat, and I was quietly rebuked for the way I had handled it as soon as we were all in the car. My once innocent game now seems a bit more dangerous, though I can’t imagine myself tickling Austin as I cry out, “thigh, thigh, thigh” in a high pitched voice.