What does Ari's mother tend to do as a sign of affection

"we always see things from the same angle," the boy continued. "it's much less trouble that way. besides, it makes more sense to grow down and not up. when you're very young, you can never hurt yourself falling down if you're in mid-air, and you certainly can't get into trouble for scuffing up your shoes or marking the floor if there's nothing to scuff them on and the floor is three feet away." "that's very true," thought tock, who wondered how the dogs in the family liked the arrangement. tock views what alec says through his own experiences as a dog. with time. as milo's friend. as alec’s friend.