Family (noun): a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household"; "a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head".

These are two of the top definitions that pop up when you search for the definition of the word "family" on Google. But is "family" really as easy to define as this? Of course, there are many other definitions listed in the dictionary and on the internet, but do any of them really encapsulate every definition of family?

No. No they don't.

So with that being said, what is family?

Well, for every person you ask, there will be a different answer. For some people, their family solely consists their blood relatives. For others, their family doesn't contain any of their blood relatives. For many of us, our family is a wild combination of those two groups. Every person has their own standards of people that they consider to be their family, and there are so many reasons that these standards exist that I couldn't list them all even if I tried. Instead, I'm going to share the qualities, characteristics, and other traits that I use to describe my family.

1. Mutual respect

Although this might seem like a given, I think that there needs to be a high degree of respect from both people in any kind of relationship, and that includes familial relationships. Without mutual respect, relationships cannot grow in a healthy way and will cause many problems for not only those in the relationship, but for those around as well.

2. Ability to legitimately care about others

I'll admit, I had a hard time trying to figure out how to word this. I chose this wording simply because anyone can pretend that they care about someone. They can sit there and listen to your troubles and woes, offer you a shoulder to cry on when you need it and all that jazz, but it's the people who actively listen to you and do their best to help you just because they care about you that are the most important. These are the people that can sometimes be difficult to spot and weed out from those who genuinely care.

3. They don't expect anything in return.

Again, there are people who will just play along and pretend that they care about you for various reasons. Sometimes, these reasons may be that they think they can get something out of you, or use you for something that will benefit them later on. The people who truly care about you and belong in your family are those who are there for you, and not anything that you can provide them with or do for them.

4. They're there for both the highs and lows.

There are sometimes people who are around when things are good in our lives. However, once the going gets tough, they leave you in the dust to deal with your problems and low points alone.
Your real family will not do this. They will be with you and try to help in any way that they can. Even if they can only offer moral support by being there, the fact that they're offering is what counts. It's often those who have seen us at our lowest who celebrate the most when we reach our greatest triumphs.

My family is a hodge-podge of people that I have met throughout my 22 years of life (so far!). They include many of my blood relatives and some of the closest friends that I've made in school. I know that they truly respect me, care about me, and love me for me instead of whatever I can do to benefit them. Most of them have seen me through the lowest points of my life, and I honestly wouldn't be here today without them.