My favorite thing by far about parenthood is the collection of little, funny and sometimes strange things that come along with raising little human beings. And from my own three kids to my nieces, nephew and other kids, one thing I’ve noticed that’s always kinda sweet is the funny things kids do to soothe themselves.

My niece used to do this thing where she would grab the “elephant skin”–the skin on the back of people’s elbows–and squeeze it between her fingers to soothe herself to sleep. Skin on the backs of people’s hands would also do, in a pinch. (No pun intended.)

My son likes to hold my hand and lightly rub the top of my fingernails before going to sleep. My older daughter has a blankie that she uses to calm herself down.

And the baby–who’s not a fan of any comfort object like a blanket or pacifier or stuffed animal–has found something else that she apparently finds to be soothing. And guys, it honestly cracks me up. Every. Single. Time.

As I hold and rock her to sleep, she looks up at me, takes her pointer finger and… plays with the mole on my face. And then she says, “Moley moley!” And repeat, until she calms down.

Ha! I mean, honestly. You couldn’t come up with this stuff if you tried.

I’m curious: What cute little ways do your kids soothe themselves? Any other “moley” grabbers out there?

If you like this post about the funny things kids do to soothe themselves, also, check out; an unintentionally hilarious conversation with young kids about death; and what is it about the third kid?