I must admit up front that this article may come off bias as I'm not so close with my family, but nonetheless no one can deny that friends are the family we deliberately choose.

People often say "blood is thicker than water" which, according to Google, indicates relationships and loyalties within a family are the strongest and most important ones. I, however, completely disagree with that belief.

This isn't a rant about how friends are more important than family, but rather a clarification of why friends are just as significant as family in one's life.

At the risk of sounding overly critical, I think friends do matter just as much—if not more—than one's family because they're the family you've chosen. In other words, the relatives of your blood family are out of your control (they will technically always be your family no matter what), but friends are family members you decide upon.

Unfortunately, you will always lose friends over the years, and that's a devastating feeling when you lose a connection you've built with someone so significant in your life. However, whether you drift apart or have a falling out, you'll always learn something from the end of any relationship. For instance, like romantic relationships a discontinued friendship can teach you what characteristics you'd like to avoid when meeting new people. Friendships overall teach us some of the most valuable life lessons that you may not acquire from blood bonds.

I'm not saying to prioritize friends over family because as they say, "friends come and go, but your family will be with you even when you've fallen" (not always true by the way). However, others say "Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family." I prefer this quote over the other because although your friends will come and go, it's loyalty and respect that matter most in a relationship, not blood. Loyalty isn't always common in families as one would expect.

People say your family will sacrifice everything for you, but that doesn't always hold true. In fact, I've seen friends do more for someone than that person's own family.

Furthermore, I'd like to reference a quote from the television show "Gossip Girl," "They say blood is thicker than water. But it’s also a lot harder to clean up when it spills." In other words, in many cases, friends can be more forgiving than family. Conflicts that occur within a family often feel more severe and may last for years on end.

Let's face it, it's easier to eliminate friends than it is your own family.