Often times people say that you must be related to someone by blood to be considered family. Well, let me the first one to tell you, that's not true. In fact, it couldn't be further from the truth.

My family and I are a prime example of why this is false. More specifically, my dad and I, are a prime example of why this is not true.

From the time I was born until I was about five years old, I was raised by a single parent, my mom. For the first couple of years, we lived with my grandpa. We couldn't afford to live on our own because my mom was a young single mother. My mom had me when she was 19 years old. She had to drop out of college and start working part time jobs in order to support us.

Luckily for us, we had an amazing support system. My grandpa was there for us. He wasn't just there for us. He supported us, loved us, and filled in that void of not having a father. He was and is my grandpa, but sometimes it felt as if he were more of a father to me. I didn't have a father so how would I know the difference.

My father left me and my mom when I was a baby. I don't tell people this because I honestly am not bothered by it anymore. There was, of course a time when I was sad. I would see all these other children with fathers, and I would wish I had one. You know people say that wishes never come true, but again let me be the first to tell you, sometimes they do.

When I was five years old, my life changed forever. I was upstairs playing with my cousin. My cousin and I have always shared a close bond. We have both dealt with the same struggles. Both of our dads were in and out of our lives, leaving our moms and grandpa to raise us. We were also both born on the same day, although he is three years older than me. This story isn't about him, but I thought that was worth mentioning.

So we were playing upstairs, when all of a sudden, this big Giant comes into the room. This guy was huge. He wasn't really that big. He wasn 6'3 and maybe 300 pounds. But to a five year old, that is like Big Foot. So naturally I was scared, and I hid. I hid behind this huge stuffed dog we had. The thing was like 6 ft tall, so I knew I would be safe. What I didn't know then, was that this big scary guy would be the one who would keep me safe and protect me for years to come.

Finally, I came out when I realized he was harmless. He introduced himself. His name was Jason. Jason was my mom's boyfriend. So now I was completely shocked. My mom was dating. Not only was she dating, they had been together for a couple months and she was just now telling me this. I should've been furious right? But I am five years old, and can easily be persuaded to forget about my troubles. How, you ask? Wel,l Jason knew. Three words. Chuck E. Cheese. One of my favorite places in the whole world. How did he know?

So my mom, Jason, and I all went to Chuck E. Cheese. I don't remember much about it. But I am assuming we had a great time.

Time would pass. And my life would continue to change. It changed that night and then it changed again. Each time getting better than the last. This time it wasn't at a Chuck E. Cheese. It was at Blockbuster, which was my second favorite place in the world. I was out looking for movies to rent with my mom and Jason. I don't know what I was thinking, but I must have had all the guts in the world. Because I asked Jason one of the biggest questions one can ask. I asked, "Will you be my daddy"? I imagine I was scared he would say no. And why wouldn't he? He had only been dating my mom a few months. He was in his early 20s with his whole life ahead of him. He probably just wanted to have fun with my mom and not worry about the little kid tagging along. But my mom and I must have been a package deal because he said yes.

That one word. Yes. It changed my life forever. A few months later, my mom and Jason moved in together. We all moved as a family to another city in California. Then when I was six years old, life changed again. This time couldn't be better right? But it was. My mom and Jason got married. Jason truly became my daddy and a member of our family. It was the greatest. I was able to be a flower girl at my mom and dad's wedding. How many kids can say that?

So when people find out that I had another father, and they ask if I am still sad about it. I say no. Because you can't be sad or miss someone you never knew. He wasn't my dad. He was my biological father. He was my blood, but we weren't family.

But the man who had no relation to me, no blood tying us together, was truly my daddy. He still is my daddy. It's funny because we are so alike. We act the same. We are both extremely stubborn. We know how to push each other's buttons. We are truly father and daughter. And we don't need a blood test to tell us that.