Families come in all shapes and forms, but what doesn’t change is the important role they play in all of our lives.
Growing up, I sometimes got jealous of other kids’ large families.
I’m an only child, so I didn’t have siblings to play with (and yes, even fight with). By the time I was 5 years old, all of my grandparents had passed away. A few years later, I lost my dad, too.
But reflecting back, I realize I shouldn’t have ever felt jealousy because, in reality, I’ve always been surrounded by the best family I could ask for.
It was just my mom and I for a majority of my life. She has always supported me in everything I do, constantly driving me from cross-country practices to piano lessons and more in our Jeep. We go to concerts together. We go shopping (way too often) together. And we’re always down for a romantic-comedy movie night, binging our favorites such as You’ve Got Mail, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and The Holiday. My mom truly is my best friend.
My extended family has played a major role in my life, too. I always look forward to all of our gatherings, which are filled with lots of laughter and jokes, and getting competitive while playing 31, our favorite card game.
But I’ve also been blessed with people who I call family who I’m not related to by blood. My mom’s childhood best friend has served as an extra mother to me throughout my life. She taught me many things, from how to find a good deal when shopping to how to make the perfect guacamole. My mom and I go every summer to visit her in Chicago, and we always make sure to text each other each week while we’re watching The Bachelor. I also consider my best friend’s family my second family, sometimes spending more time with them than I do with some of my own family members.
My family has been there for one another through the good and the bad. Like many other families, when someone faces an obstacle, we’re there for each other in any way we can be.
Families come in all different forms. Some children, like me, grow up with a single parent rather than in a traditional, two-parent household. There are also many individuals who find that the ones they call family aren’t even related by blood.
Family means something different to every person. But what doesn’t change is the important role family plays in all of our lives.
