We all have that one friend in our life for whom we are just as close to their family as we are to them. You think that you might as well have their last name hyphenated with your last name because you basically were a part of that family. You were not only experiencing life with your best friend, but you were also experiencing your childhood with their family. As life went on you not only became a member of their family, but they also became a member of yours. It is a great feeling knowing that you have an extra family and an extra home where you know that there will be food.

There came a point in your friendship where when you were invited over you did not even ring the doorbell anymore or knock on the door. You just simply walked in. You would even stay at your best friend’s house if they were not there because you just wanted to spend time with their family and it wasn't weird at all. As you became closer to your best friend you became closer to their family in the comfort of their own home. You felt that way because their parents treated you as if you were their own child. They laughed when you laughed. They cried when you cried. You just knew that they were your second parents when they would make fun of you for doing something stupid. You would reach out to them if you had a problem and they would help you no matter what it was. When you accomplished something big they would be the first people after your parents to congratulate you on your achievements. They knew who you really were as a person and that meant so much to you that they cared that much. They knew everything about you and still accepted you the way that you were. You were even so close to your best friend's family that when you started dating someone you knew that you needed to get your best friend’s parent’s approval before anything became too serious. They were that extra family that would always be there for you and you didn't even have to pay rent in the process!

Since you were practically a member of their family you had your own coffee mug that you would use in the morning, a drawer for your clothes, a toothbrush, and you even had your own designated sleeping area with your name on it. These are all aspects that you would acquire if you were a member of your best friends family. You knew that you had really made it when they knew exactly how you liked your coffee in the morning. However, there was a price to all of these wonderful features in your life. Whenever you would come over you were sucked into helping with a chore or two, but you didn't care because you knew that you would be rewarded in food. You knew there would come a point where you would even cook the family dinner and then wake up the next morning and make them breakfast. Your best friend's family would go to the grocery store with you would tagging along and you knew if they forgot something to add to the list. You knew this because you were in their pantry 99% of the time because they somehow had better food than you did at your own house.

Being a member of your best friend's family did not just mean you had another place to stay, but it also entailed new holiday events to go to, as well as new events in general. When your best friend's third cousin once removed was going to have a baby shower you attended because if you didn’t then it would’ve been weird. Their family knows you so well that they always give you the gifts that suit your personality the best. You even went to their grandma’s house on holidays to exchange Christmas presents. It was not weird at all. However, being around the family meant that you might be involved in family arguments. You were like a referee on the sidelines with a bag of chips waiting to see who was going to take the next jab. Now, there would even be times where you would get into fights with your best friend’s sisters just like you would with your own siblings. You wouldn’t be part of the family if that didn’t happen right? There were ups and downs in your best friend's household, but you loved it even more because they were your second family.

It is truly a gift to have the privilege of been given a friend like that in your life. Not many people can say they had two homes growing up and I don't mean from having divorced parents. They had their best friend's family as well as their own to encourage them, love them, discipline them, and enjoy life with them. They were your second family and you wouldn’t have had your childhood any other way. Their house wouldn’t have been the same if your butt wasn’t on their couch eating their food while nobody was home. You were given the gift of not only a best friend, but also your best friend’s family.