Have you seen the American television mockumentary sitcom – Modern Family? I have. I love their honest and crazy hilarious interpretation of the whole idea of being a family. I was watching some old episodes over the weekend, and in the process of watching, I started reflecting on the whole idea of family, and who I consider family.
I recently came across this infographic by Slater & Gordon, and it got me really thinking.
The word family is usually used to refer to members of your immediate or extended family, either by birth or by marriage, so parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and the likes. But I have to come to understand that there are many other people you can call family, and they could be people you are not related to. I have also come to understand that since we don’t pick our family members, it is possible not to have a relationship with some of them, and that is ok.
So what does family mean to me in 2017? As a 30-year-old mother of 2, who has been there and done that, I see family completely different from how many people see it. Family to me is a listening non judgemental ear, that person I can count on anytime of the year, the person who is always there in the good times and the bad, the person who gives their all and expects nothing in return, and the person I can completely be myself with.
I am extremely blessed with my family members. I wouldn’t change any of them for all diamonds in the world (or I may, hehe). And I have some amazing friends I now call family.
Family can be anyone you consider family. It could be your sister and it could be your next door neighbour. It could be a childhood friend, or a friend you met on Twitter some months ago. I think it all comes down to the kind of relationship you have with the particular person, I think the relationship, or the lack of it, would determine if the person is family or not.
What do you think? Please sound off in the comments section below.
Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing.
*Collaborative post.
Beautiful write up on family. I love and agree with all the points you made. Family to me can be anyone you can confide in, that shows you love and you are convinced there is genuine love, anyone you are comfortable and can always be yourself with, be a man, woman, blood or non blood related. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by Osime. Glad you like the post.
Family to me is someone you can trust to share your personal concerns
Yes Laura.
Agreed, family is everything!
It can be.
It’s so interesting to see family broken down in this way – lovely blog post!
Thanking you.
As my dear late Mom used to say: ”Heaven sent us our family: thank God we can choose our friends” I have a pretty dysfunctional family of origin and bought some of that dysfunction into adulthood. Thank goodness I have been able to unravel it so it doesn’t continue another generation. My family is everything to me and so are my close friends
Good you were able to unravel it.
I agree that anyone can be your family! Sometimes your friends are closer to you than your own biological family! It’s all about your relationship that you have with each individual.
Exactly.
We have a very big, very close family. I’m super close to my second cousins, my great aunts & uncles. Even our kids are close, I guess that makes them third cousins?? Get togethers are epic!
You are so lucky. I wish I had that.
This was very well written. I agree the term family doesn’t only define to people we share the same blood with. It’s really who you can count on at the end of the day and the people who love and support you. Family can range from your sister to the neighbor across the street to a very close friend.
Yes it can. Family could be anyone really.
Great family values!!!
Thanks.
Having gone through so many recent horrifying experiences with “blood family”, it has made me realize that my “go to” persons are often not related to me and are closer to me than my birth family. While I am sad about this fact, I understand, as you rightly said, that family can be anyone who loves and respects you, and is always there for you. Those persons who go the extra mile for you and require nothing in return but the same love and respect they’ve shown, is what life is all about.
In that regards, I love my FAMILY!
True that. Family could be anyone. Have a great week.
Great post. I totally agree with you!I have made friends family. At times the may even prove closer and loyal than blood relatives x
Yea x
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