The World, we often told our children, is a cold hard place. A place where people will sometimes try to tear you down, in order to build themselves up. Your FAMILY, we would tell them, was where they could go to be loved.

[caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="349" caption="Jonathan and Benjamin in front of Alto Park School, on Jonathan&#39;s first day of kindergarten"]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BenjJonAltoPark.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-618 " title="BenjJonAltoPark" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BenjJonAltoPark.jpg" alt="" width="349" height="594" /></a>[/caption]

Your FAMILY, we told them, knows that you are not perfect. In fact your family knows your every fault and loves you anyway. Your family accepts you for the person you are.  And encourages you regardless of what the world has to say about you.

[caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Jonathan, our youngest son, with Andrew, our oldest son, when Jonathan was 3 and Andrew was 12 years old."]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-J-3yr.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-619" title="A &amp; J 3yr" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/A-J-3yr-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

Therefore, we would tell our children, you may NOT continue to harass or quarrel with your sibling.

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="Benjamin (10), Jonathan (7) and Lisette (12) in Philadelphia, in front of Independence Hall"]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JBLPhilly7-yr.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-620" title="JB&amp;LPhilly7 yr" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JBLPhilly7-yr.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="579" /></a>[/caption]

And therefore, you WILL find a way to be kind to your sibling. And you will stop your fight with him THIS VERY MINUTE!

At first, I thought I would call this my Mama lecture #232.  Or some such number.  But each time I began the lecture, I would forget what number I had assigned to it the time before.

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Andrew, Matthew, Lisette, Benjamin and Jonathan, at Lisette&#39;s graduation from Asbury College. This was taken not long after Jonathan, our youngest, became our tallest."]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMLBJ-at-L-grad.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-621" title="AMLBJ at L grad" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AMLBJ-at-L-grad-300x165.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="165" /></a>[/caption]

Then, over time, I just randomly assigned a number to this Mama lecture. Sometimes it was Mama Lecture # 540.  Other times it was Mama Lecture #765.

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Benjamin, Jonathan and Matthew. I have no idea what they were watching. They were looking toward the place where we had a basketball goal at that time. Jonathan spent a lot of time with a sibling&#39;s arm on his shoulder."]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JMB-2yr.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-622" title="JM&amp;B 2yr" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JMB-2yr-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

In fact, all my Mama Lectures had random numbers. I never did remember any numbers I assigned to any of my Mama Lectures.

[caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Matthew, Benjamin and Jonathan, on Mackinaw Island, Michigan, when Jonathan was 7 years old"]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MBJMackinaw7-yr.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-624" title="MBJMackinaw7 yr" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MBJMackinaw7-yr-300x271.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="271" /></a>[/caption]

But while I changed the number on this lecture randomly, it always began with the words, The World is a Cold Hard Place.