I’ve heard it said that one can have an infinite number of families within a single lifetime. Think about it; all the little families you have created for yourself overtime. While some may come and go, each little family has had an impact on you. Families get you through the good and bad times, the love and loss, and help you grow in various ways. Because they come in at different times in your life, each has a separate purpose, all of which are of equal importance.
It all begins with the blood-relatives. The ones who take care of you from the start. Your mother does the swaddling and cuddling. Your father, though he may not show it all the time, has a certain sweet-spot for his child. He is always there with open arms, a constant aura of protection, and advice that only a father could give. Then there are your siblings. This is an odd bond that begins strained, with constant bickering, but always contains an undertone of unbreakable friendship. Aunts and uncles become your second, but more laid-back parents. Cousins are your lifelong friends whose friendship picks right back up from where you left off no matter how long it has been since you last saw each other. Grandparents are your sense of refuge and comfort, dependable men and women who always know the right thing to say. Though blood relatives are your first family, they are far from your last.
Your childhood family consists of your neighbors and grade school friends. These are the ones that share in your imagination, your innocence, and your bad ideas. There is something about the fact that you can simply walk up to them on the playground and have an instant friend. No pressure, no judging, just playing hide-and-go-seek together. They are your business associates for your lemonade stand and partners in crime for keeping your secrets. They see you during your awkward and embarrassing years, yet could not care less. Often times, this little family of yours will move away or drift apart, making way for your third family.
High school is one of those strong and influential families that manages to grow in a very short period of time. Four years, though a single speck on your lifeline, allows for the creation of lifelong friends. This four-year family of yours is there for the challenge that is high school. You seem to finally find yourself only to lose yourself once again. A constant battle of popularity, crushes, and homework that would never be manageable without this family of yours. While in high school, you may have a family of fifty or a family of two but the only family that matters is the one that continues on past those four short years.
College comes like a whirlwind, sending you to places unknown, filled with new people. You find yourself missing your old families so much that before you know it, you have a whole new family right before your eyes. They begin to dull the pain of loneliness and add a new flavor called freedom into your life. This is the family of late night studying, partying, and overeating. Though they are completely different than your previous three families, their uniqueness is what makes this new family special. Much like high school, college seems to fast-forward just as quickly, but your college family is often the self-chosen family that sticks around for the longest. These are the people, along with what remains of your high school family, to celebrate your first job, are in your wedding, and love your children almost as much as you do.
After college, bits and pieces of your previous families remain, yet your creation of new families is far from over. Whether you meet the love of your life, get married, and have children or take advantage of your independence to travel the world and meet new people as you go, your little families never cease from forming. Family is funny like that, they are there whether you like it or not. Because “family is family, whether it’s the one you start out with, the one that you end up with or the family you gain along the way”.