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I don't think it's bragging to say my stepdaughters are wonderful, well-mannered, generous people. Okay, that actually is bragging, I guess, but it has nothing to do with me - they were like that when I met them (they were 5). Part of that is attributable to their parents, obviously, but I think another part must be genetic - as twins, they are used to sharing just about everything. Not that sharing works all the time. I remember walking through Disneyland once, where unbeknownst to us, cast members were throwing bead necklaces off the balcony in New Orleans Square. A necklace landed on Joe; he looked down at two little faces, just staring back up at him. I don't often see my husband look helpless, but he was just then. Without speaking, we jumped into action: I kept watch on the girls, my husband waded into the crowd and his brother - a longtime basketball player - "blocked out" for him. They emerged from their mission successful - with a necklace for each girl.

Anyway, back to my point. I wonder if Nicholas is going to have the same willingness to share as his sisters. Not only does he not have a twin, but he has a plethora of adults - including those two lovely girls - who enjoy nothing better than to cater to his every whim. I do what I can to instill manners and values - I joke that Nicholas may grow up to be a bank robber, but he's going to be a polite bank robber. So he says 'Please" and "Thank You."

Whether he means it, I don't know.