We were not a "kissy" family. My aunt and uncle in Whitley Bay, however, were. I used to dread the obligatory kiss whenever I went there or they came to visit us. It seemed so contrived and it embarrassed me.
I have never been able to stand having the area just above my knees touched. It produces not just a reflex action but a whole body spasm and I am likely to react with violence, arms flailing and feet kicking. For some reason this seemed to be part of greetings, particularly by older male visitors, when I was a child. They never did it twice.
