Start Now! (Advice from a Mom of a Teenage Son)
My son and I have always been close but, like most teenage boys, he's pulling away now (as he should.) He's 14, just started high school, and doesn't talk as much as I'd like him to. BUT HE ALWAYS LOVES TO HAVE HIS BACK SCRATCHED AND FEET RUBBED. I remember the same scenario with my own mother - being uncommunicative but finding comfort in her touch. The point is, I don't think you can suddenly decide to be physical with your older child - it has to be something they grow up with. So parents, keep touching and rubbing and tickling and caressing and DON'T STOP - you'll reap the rewards when they're teens!