Family. There are many different definitions as to what constitutes a family. Family can be the parents that biologically bore you and the siblings that share your genes, or the people that become so special to you that you couldn’t imagine life without. Whatever type of family that may be to you, they are people who love and accept you for who you are. In my case, they aren’t only my biological relatives, but my closest friends.
I have been blessed to have the most providing parents in the world. They have worked their butts off to give my brother and I a loving environment for us to grow up in, while always going above and beyond to give us almost everything we’ve wanting. People would probably say we’re spoiled, but I say we’re just very well taken care of. That’s beside the point, though. Yeah, we may argue with one another or get an attitude towards our parents, but that doesn’t mean we love each other any less. In fact, those arguments have always made us come closer together. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that you each are your own individuals and arguing, as weird as this may sound, makes you learn more about each other as individuals. We all have our similarities, some way more than others, but we each have our own unique differences that make us, us. We each have different ways of handling stress, conflict, and honestly, we each have such unique personalities.
My mom and I are extremely close. She’s my best friend and that “go-to” for me. I can call her whenever I’m not home and bawl my eyes out to her if I need to, at any time. We talk about absolutely everything together. I am beyond blessed and thankful that we are most than just family and more than just mother and daughter. Her friendship gets me through the day most days.
I’m not ashamed to say that I’m very easily homesick when I’m away from home too long. My dad is my biggest fan and has always wanted the best for me. He sees so much potential in me that I don’t even see myself. If I ever need reassurance and “positive vibes,” he can easily lift my spirits. I’m a daddy’s girl, no doubt, but I know he gets slightly jealous of the bond my mother and I share now.
Even though my brother and I are basically 8 years apart, we are so close. We butt heads while I was in high school, but what siblings don’t? I find myself so excited to go home and catch up with him and his life. He’s officially a teenager and because of that (you remember junior high, don’t you?), every little change is a huge deal. He used to constantly get on my nerves, but we’re both filled with so much joy whenever we reunite. We still tell each other goodnight and give hugs and kisses. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.
While all of this may seem childish and sometimes clingy (I spent my whole spring break lounging with my mom in the evenings practically cuddling), I would say that my relationship with them is anything but that. Yes, it is incredibly hard to be without them and it is still hard to leave them, they have done nothing but encourage me to become my own person. I can do anything I put my mind to because of them. They each instill a confidence in me that I would not have without them. I am so blessed to say that I am able to love my family as friends. I am thankful to have their support, advice, love, and jokes at any hour I need it. I’m not ashamed to say that yes, I can still cry because I miss them. That just reminds me that I’m blessed because I have been given this closeness with the people that I happen to be related to.
Family is forever and I’m glad that I’m stuck with you all.