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.

[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 harrass 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.

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