When I was younger, I remember my friends talking about their immediate families often. The girls I grew up with all have what people might think of as the "generic" family: two parents and a few siblings. I listened to my friends talk about going to Six Flags with their siblings or going out to lunch with their parents. From the time I was little, I knew my family was different. We didn't need the big table at the diner or take up the whole pew at church. We didn't need a big house - just two bedrooms. As I got older, I started to realize that there were other families like ours, but there was no ignoring the fact that it was just me and my mom. I can't remember the first time I heard the phrase "broken family" but, as I got older, I began to understand what it meant. Growing up in a broken family is hard, and that's something no one would deny. But the love that it's taught me is tighter than the bond any other family could only dream of having.

With a little family and a little house, its hard not to always be close to my mom. Now don't get me wrong, small families fight just as often as big ones do. However, when we're not fighting, we're joking around and sharing shoes like sisters. Talking and painting nails like a mother and daughter. Sometimes (hopelessly) navigating Home Depot like I used to when my family had another parent in the picture.

Although I have friends and a great extended family, when it comes down to it, it's just me and my mom. She's the one who sees me when I'm stressing about homework or upset about a boy. She acts as my mom, my big sister, and even my "dad" sometimes. Some days, I think that we're as normal as any other family.

I will admit that I often wonder what it would be like if I had grown up in a "generic" family. Would the house be less quiet? Would my mom be home more and work less? Would I have a sister to go to for advice? Did I miss out?

I realize that there is a lot of studies that explain that broken families may produce "troubled children" but I don't see that when I look at my family. I see love, I see support, and a close tie that could only come from the benefits of having my own little party of two.

My family has been through a lot of hardships, some that many families might never face. At the end of the day, we always have each other. And for that, I'm so grateful. My mom and I are a family. Sure it's a little one, and it's broken. But it's mine and it's great. I wouldn't trade it for the world.