so the dictionary defines family as "a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household"
but growing up, i was taught that anyone you were related to by blood was family, even if it was super distant.
i guess i just had that definition in my head for a long time, allowing there to be no wiggle room or anything, so i guess it forced me to see a lot of people that i don't know or particularly like as family, even when they've done things that are not very family-like
as i grew older, though, i found that i've started shifting my own definition of family to include: people that i've known almost all my life; people who i've known for a really short amount of time but left such a profound effect on my life that i'll never forget them; people who, in some cases, i've never even mET before but i love with all my heart and pretty much consider to be my family. heck, even some of my classmates i'd consider family.
idk, i've been giving this topic a lot of thought lately bc i took a break from Life and decided to help my mom and siblings move to another country and to spend some time with my dad's side of the family.
and truth be told, except for a handful of cousins, i really don't consider anyone here to be my family, even though we're all related by blood. i've lived all my life not knowing them, not even knowing that half of them exist, and now i'm thrown here and expected to just give them all of my love like i would my own siblings. idk if that makes me seem heartless or whatever, but i really don't love anyone here. i don't even like any of them. i'm just counting the days til i get to go back home lmao
now i'd say that my personal definition of family is a group of people that you choose to have in your life, sharing a bond of love and mutual respect (good god dis is a big one) and appreciation for one another.
so i guess my question to anyone reading this is: what does family mean to you? i'm interested to see what people think about this, because i know it's gonna be different for everyone.
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