Growing up in a large family, there are many ups and downs. Luckily for me, there have been more ups than downs. I only have one older sibling, but it feels like I have many more thanks to all of my cousins.

If I’m ever in a feud with my sister or have some other problem, I can just rant to one of my cousins about it. With many of them, I get several pieces of advice to choose from. Being raised around my cousins, who are older than me, helped me learn what to do and what not to do as I grew up. I learned from their mistakes and admired them for their successes. With many younger cousins as well, it was as if I had all the younger siblings I could ever want.

With many cousins, there are many aunts and uncles. It is like having more than one mom and dad. I know I can confide in them if I ever need to, and ask them for help if, for some reason, my parents aren’t available.

Each cousin is completely different from the other; there’s never a dull moment when they’re around. At family events, it is them I look forward to seeing the most. All are smart and opinionated; there is the conversation to spare.

Throughout my childhood, I gained similar interests to my older cousins because I wanted to be just like them. This also included many bags of hand-me-downs. Most kids I knew hated hand-me-downs, but I just saw it as an opportunity to actually look like them, too.

As I look back, some of my favorite childhood memories involve all of my cousins. Now that we’re all older, I’m helping my younger cousins get through their teenage years, and asking my older cousins how work is going for them. Now I’m making memories not only with them, but with nieces and nephews, too. Roles have changed, but the bonds haven’t and that’s more than I could ever hope for.