AdvertisementYou don't need words to calm a grumpy kid. Parents around the world use a magic touchNovember 12, 2023Michaeleen DouclefffacebookEmailJose Grajeda and his daughter, Victoria, cuddle before bedtime in Alpine, Tex. When Grajeda was a kid, he remembers how his parents employed a soothing caress to send him to sleep. Now he uses it with his kids. "You scratch someone's back, or their head, with the tip of your fingers. And you do it very lightly and softly," Grajeda explains. (for NPR)