Nothing is worth falling out over RULE 77 My mother and my grandmother didn't speak to each other for the last 15 years of their lives. Some families are like that; strained relationships all over the shop, siblings who don't speak, cousins who everyone has lost track of and no one even has their addresses. It runs in families. We learn by example, and if you grow up in a family where people have long-term feuds with relatives, that tends to become the norm. That means that if you stop speaking to your own mother or father, one of your kids may spend 20 years not speaking to you. It's a very childish form of behaviour to demonstrate to our children, but some people do it. It's such a shame, too. Not only is it a bit pathetic that we'd rather cut off diplomatic relations than sort out the problem, it's also sad that we end up without a parent or sibling or cousin who will be there for us when we need them. Good family relationships are the strongest relationships there are. When things go wrong, your family should be there to get you through more reliably and longsufferingly 24 than anyone else. It's not like that for everyone, but it can be like that at its best. Whether you're badly injured, divorcing, redundant, widowed, having your home repossessed, facing a court case, have a desper- ately ill child or have a problem with drugs or alcohol, or whatever might come along in your life, it's family who will stick by you even if they don't really approve, and who will continue to stick by you for months or years until you're back on your feet. 24 168 Yes I know this isn't a word but it should be. T H E R U L E S O F LO V E