Growing up I learned early on that family is not necessarily limited to those who you are blood related to. I have two good friends that I grew up calling “cousin” and their mother’s “aunt”, but no blood relation to be had. That was my first introduction to an alternative concept of family. The older I got, I started to realize that those who were actually blood related to me weren’t necessarily good people. Infidelity, child endangerment, drug abuse, alcoholism, being simply nasty people, ect, are many of the reasons why they are simply not good people to associate with. Not exactly the traits in a family to be boasting about. In order to cope with my lack of a good support system at home, I started to rely more emotionally on my friends and their families. Before I knew it I was almost apart of their families. And I liked it. I also learned that there is no such thing as the “ideal, perfect family”, but with lots of love and support even the most down and out family can be a “good family” and have a “good home”.
Now that I’m married and have my own little family, the concept of family hasn’t changed all that much for me. My friends back in the day who really helped me and showed me the love and support that I needed are still very much apart of my life. My family who wasn’t exactly there for me when I needed them, well, they still aren’t. But you know what, I think it’s all for the best. I do believe that things happen for a reason and while it may really stink during the journey to get there, the end result is the way it was meant to be.
Ending – A family truly is what you want it to be. A family is not just biological. A family grows in your heart and is always there when you need them to be. It’s that special feeling inside your heart and gut that tells you that no matter what, to those people you allow in your life, they will love you just as much as you love them. That’s a good feeling, beyond biology.
