Family thoughts

Today I think I'm going to be a little predictable, for those in the know that is. Because at 7.10am this morning, I became an Aunty again for the third time. Welcome to the world Lily-Rose and well done Sarah! 9lbs, bet that made your eyes water....So as I set off in the morning sunshine, my thoughts were filled with family. I live on an estate made up mainly of large homes quite obviously designed to be filled by families, though I hasten to add, my home is one of the smaller ones. So as I tried to take peek into the worlds of these other people, I wonder if their homes run like mine? We're what I'd call a pretty normal family, though others may question my use of the word "normal" I'm married with two sons, have never been married before and never intend marrying again, I work as does my husband. My children have been brought up with good family values and know that manners maketh the man, I'm not saying they're perfect but I am safe in the knowledge that they do know right from wrong. Hang on a minute, I've just read that back and if I compare it to what I see on the television and read about in the press, we're actually far from normal.So where does all this normality stem from? I know the whole argument of nature v's nurture, if there is still in fact an argument concerning it, but is it in our genes to behave the way we do or is it something learned from our parents?I look at my own family, I am the youngest of four children and to make it worse for those around me, the only girl. Yes I was spoiled, my father once famously told my grandmother, his mother-in-law, "if you don't have children for spoiling, what do you have them for?" Something that I have certainly held him to ever since. My maternal granparents certainly did not believe in spoiling children and thankfully my mother didn't raise us in the way she had been. I'm not saying my mother had a hard or terrible childhood, I'm just glad it was hers and not mine.My brothers and I were taught all the basic lessons in life, from please and thank you to respecting our elders. In fact one couple I can recall in particular that sadly is now only the husband, were friends of my mum and dad when we were children, and godparents to one of my brothers I believe, were always called Mr & Mrs Secker by us. Mr Secker is still alive and my parents still visit him, and when I see him I still call him Mr Secker. Even though I have grown up and had this man in my life for 41 years, I still feel he deserves respect and would never dream of calling him by his first name.So as I look around my family I see that three out of the four of us are married, and I think I can safely use the word happy. My brother that is still single I also think is happy, he certainly appears to be, good job, nice home, three or more holidays a year and his lovely dog that never answers him back! My eldest brother and my sister-in-law have just celebrated their Silver wedding anniversary and my youngest brother has only been married 6 years, but 3 children later seems extremely happy with his life.So is the ability to stay married, hold down good jobs, raise polite and respectful children and be good all round human beings because of how we were raised? could it be purely because we were loved and we knew we were loved? Or is it that we were given a jolly good smack if we deserved one