When Jim was three, his sister Kristen came home sobbing, with skinned knees and a red mark on one arm, a decapitated Barbie in her hand. Jim watched as his daddy scooped her up and soothed her. His dad turned to him very seriously and told him, "Jimmy, it is never okay to hit girls, so I don't ever want you to do that. I don't care how mad you get, you treat them with respect." Jim didn't know what respect meant, but it sounded important.

When Jim was six, his sister Larissa came home from her first real date flushed with joy. "Jimmy, always hold the door open for a girl and tell her how nice she looks," she said to him as she picked him up for a hug. "Girls love that. Little things like that make a girl feel so special!" He figured they must, since his sister was so happy.

When Jim was eight, his sister Sarah spent an entire day on the couch, curled around a heating pad and looking miserable. His mom sat with her, rubbing her back, and when Jim asked if she was sick, his mom said, "Sometimes girls just feel under the weather, and need a little TLC." So, he went and got his sister a Popsicle, because that's what he liked when he was sick.

When Jim was eleven, his sister Erin caught him snooping through her purse, yanked him out of her bedroom and told him in a deathly low voice "If I ever catch you in my room or in my stuff again, you'll be plenty sorry. Girls' purses are private, so stay the hell out!" and he knew she meant it, and he steered clear.
 
When Jim was fourteen, his sister Melanie came home crying and shut herself in her room. When she finally came out the next day, she passed Jim on her way into the bathroom. Her face was all red and splotchy, and she glared at him and said, "Jim, if you ever want to break up with a girl, just tell her. Don't cheat on her with her best friend," and he promised he wouldn't, because he didn't ever want anyone to look as sad as Melanie did.

When Jim was sixteen, his sister Kate hugged him on the morning of her wedding day and kissed his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark. "Jimmy, make sure the person you marry is your best friend, because it'll make it the greatest day of your life!" she said to him, eyes sparkling, and he thought that she was probably right, she hadn't ever looked so radiant.

When Jim was twenty-nine, his girlfriend Pam turned over in bed one morning and kissed him. "What was that for?" he asked, leaning up on one arm. "That's for being the nicest, most sensitive guy in the whole world. How'd you end up so great?" she asked, and he pulled her into a hug, making a mental note to tell his sisters thank you. His mind moved to the little hidden box in his dresser drawer, and he made another mental note to thank Kate first.