What does family mean to you?

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Thought I would ask the question. "what does family mean to you".

 

[lisajl]

Ohana means family...no one gets left behind. No, really, I believe that!
My DH, the kids and I are pretty close. While I always joke that I can't wait for our DD-23 to finish college and move out...I will miss her so much!

What does it mean to you, fellow Ohioan?

 

[Buckalew11]

I'm someone who thinks family is made up of all the people you love and who love you. The blood one and the picked ones.

 

[starann]

In my house, family is who we choose to be a part of our lives. Blood is not thicker than water as we have been hurt by some of our closest family (don;t get me wrong, we still have some blood fmaily in our lives).

Thankfully we have non blood family who treat us better than blood family.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm someone who thinks family is made up of all the people you love and who love you. The blood one and the picked ones.

This is an excellent description - and one I agree with 100%..

 

[autumnpalm]

When I think of family, I think of my actual blood relatives. I have friends I am much closer with and trust more than blood relatives... but I still consider them friends. I don't think "friends" are any less important than "family", however. In some cases I have friends who are in my life more and I care about more than certain family members. But I still use the word family to mean people related to me by blood.

 

[Inigo]

To me, you don't have to be related by blood to be family. The best family is one that is "related by love." I have no biological or legal connection to most of the people I consider family.

BTW, I don't consider my parents or brothers as family. They lost that privilege by their actions.

 

[honugirl]

Family is whoever you choose to let into your life that love you. I've got a real hodgepodge of family and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've got the parents who raised me and all the extended family, plus a whole bunch of other people who have turned out to be there for me through thick and thin. Those people I consider my other mother and my little bro and my sis. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

 

[MIGrandma]

To me, family means everyone I love. Whether they are blood relatives, or close friends. I have a cousin who is more like a brother to me. And I have a friend who I am as close to as a sister.

And the older I get the more important spending time with family gets to be. On a holiday, or "just because." Like a couple weeks ago DH and I decided to cook dinner on the grill and we were outside sitting at the table, and our DS came over with his 3 kids. They were getting ready for dinner too, and just brought over what they were going to have and we put everything in the center of the table and shared. And just sat there, eating and talking, and I treasured every moment of it.

It's times like that that are so important, and so enjoyed.

 

[disneyjunkie]

To me family means sticking together no matter what. Being there in good times and bad.

I have friends that I love dearly, but family (including extended family) comes first.
If I have to decide between a family event or friend event, the family event will always win out.