DEAR ABBY: Our daughter and her husband visit us often with their darling baby girl. The problem is our son-in-law seems to think it's great fun to play "tickle-tickle" with our granddaughter, who is only 3 months old. He tickles the baby constantly, and we cringe every time he does. To us, it looks more like torture.
How can we tell our son-in-law, without hurting his feelings, that we think his behavior is not good for the baby? -- CARING GRANDPARENTS, NASHUA, N.H.
DEAR CARING GRANDPARENTS: Your son-in-law is uninformed about the effect tickling has on babies. He most likely considers his actions playful and harmless, but doctors say that excessive tickling stimulates infants inappropriately and instead of experiencing pleasure, they experience pain. Show this column to your daughter, and ask her to have a talk with her husband.