I would define family as being a group of people who are deeply connected to each other through blood, love or shared experiences. In my opinion, you can’t consider someone to be family unless you have a connection to them through one of the three. Although most people seem to see family as primarily a matter of blood or marriage, I’ve come to understand that love and shared experiences are far more important. My little sister is adopted but I love her with all of my heart and, as such, have never seen her as anything but a member of my family. On the other hand, my aunts, uncles and cousins are related to me by blood but, since I hardly ever see them, I consider them to be relatives not family. Being a part of a family is about more than blood and marriage. It’s about being there for those who are closest to you when they need you. It’s about accepting them as they are, flaws and all. It’s about having people in your life you know will love you unconditionally. I have a mother, father, two big brothers, and a little sister and what makes us family, above all else, is that we love each other and have no doubts that that will ever change.
I like your definition. I never actually thought about it that way. I first began thinking about family through blood, but then realized that not all my family members are related through blood. I have such a large family, with people who live across the world. I still consider them family, but i understand what it feels like to not think of them as family. Sometimes my parents would visit people and say "This is your Aunt, do you remember her?" and I wouldn't, because the last time I saw her was when I was 3... I guess in a way they may be family according to the dictionary definition but they aren't considered family in a loving and caring sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your definition of family. It makes a lot of sense. I have a God brother who I love so much as if he was actually my blood brother and my actual older brother. I look up to him as such and I talk to him as if he was. Being blood related wouldn't make us any closer than how we are today truthfully. He's actually been there for me more than my own blood relatives or my other older cousins. So, I agree with how it's more than just being blood related. There must be a connection and shared experiences involved.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about what makes up a family. I think that today, many people embrace a wide range of people as part of their family. I think someone else also brought up the fact that they include their friends as part of their family (I do too). It does not matter if a person is blood related or not and like you said, as long as they are there for you, are supportive of you and love you unconditionally, they are family. I liked that you used a personal example of your little sister to support your definition of family. You also brought up a great point about your relatives being relatives and not really family because they are not as present in your life as other people are.
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