After being in a relationship with my boyfriend for a few years now, I have grown very close with his family. His mom and I have sat together in their sunroom and talked for hours, and we have also gone on grocery shopping trips that have lasted even longer. His father has lectured me on the importance of my education and his brothers look at me as their sister. What's his is mine, and that includes his family. The more serious we get, the more I come to appreciate how much his family loves and cares for me.

#1 They Treat Me like Their Own

No matter where we are, whether it be a theme park or a restaurant, we are constantly joking, and usually my boyfriend is the brunt of the joke. Since the very beginning of our relationship, I have felt at home with his family. I am constantly showered with love and affection, and they think I'm funny! What else could you want in a family?

#2 They are an Addition onto My Own Family

My boyfriend's family is so much like my own sometimes it feels a little strange. I have three younger brothers in my own family, and he has two older and one younger brother. So, not only did I gain another set of parents, but I also gained a boat load of siblings.

#3 They Help to Support Me through Hard Decisions

My senior year of high school, I was trying to decide where I was going to go to college. Although I found my home at Keene State, it wasn't my first choice. I was weighing the pros and cons for my dream school Coastal Carolina in South Carolina and my boyfriend's mom encouraged me to think seriously about going there. She helped me to write an appropriate list and ultimately helped me to decide on Keene, which I am so thankful for!

#4 They Introduced Me to a Different Culture

I grew up in a very strict household, and my boyfriend grew up in the polar opposite. At his house, there are chickens, a dog, lots of adults and kids, and my betta fish. They are always doing different things there. At my house, it is usually just my immediate family and my dog. Going to my boyfriend’s house offers a different type of environment than what I grew up with, and I always have so much fun there.

#5 They are EXTRA Proud of Me

I am the first one in their family to go to college and they are super stoked about it. Whenever his parents are introducing me to someone, I am called their “College Girl Gone Wild” which I mean, fits.

#6 They Have Seen Me Grow

When I first met my boyfriend, we were only sixteen. Obviously we have grown since then because we’re both creeping up to twenty in few months, but both of our parents have seen us become responsible adults. I am forever thankful for his parents helping me, along with my own, to find myself.

#7 I Can Be Myself Around Them

As a sixteen year old, self-conscious girl, I didn’t feel like I could be myself around anyone. As soon as I met my boyfriend, I knew I could be myself around him, but other than that, I was insecure. As soon as I got to know his family, I instantly knew that I could be as weird as I am and they would all still love me.

#8 They Love Me as Much as He Does

I knew the second I met my boyfriend that I loved him, and I felt the same way when I met his whole family. They mean so much to me, and I know that they would do anything for me, and I would do the same for them. They love me like I am their own blood, and that means more than anything to me.