The word family has so many meanings and the idea of family conjures something different to everyone. The simplest way to look at it is that family is what you make it. The traditional family now days is a totally different idea than the “nuclear family” in the past. Some families are consistent with that idea, having a mother father, son, daughter, dog, cat, and the white picket fence. That isn’t necessarily the case any longer. Some families have two mothers, grandparents that are raising their grandchildren, step-parents, step-siblings, and every other kind of relative that makes up a family.
I live with my sister, her husband, and their four children. We are definitely a different type of family than the traditional unit. My sister is step-mother to three of the children and biological mother to her and her husband’s youngest daughter. The labels of “step-mother” and “step-children” can sometimes have a negative connotation, and names we don’t use in our home. She is a true mother to all the children, no matter if they are biologically hers or not. She was there for the scraped knees, broken hearts, as well as the first words and solo bike rides. She is a mother in every meaning of the word and her children are hers no matter what.
I step in to help with the household as often as I am needed. I am just as much a part of the family as Mom, Dad, and kids. I love spending time with my nieces and nephews and I would do anything to protect them from harm and provide them with happiness. I’m another person in their lives they can go to when they need help as well as someone that has to lay the law if needed. It reminds me a lot of the show “Raising Hope” that I watch on Netflix.
In the show “Raising Hope,” a young man has a daughter with a young love, who for reasons I won’t say, ends up in prison. Well, this little baby has her father, a young father, her grandparents, and her great grandmother to help raise her. Even his best friend steps in to help in ‘Raising Hope.’ It resembles our family simply because it doesn’t matter how we are related and when or where we met, we are a family and will do whatever it takes to keep each other happy, healthy, and safe.
I asked my youngest niece what she thought made our family so great. Her answers, as I expected them to be, were inventive, but simple and honest.
She said, “Our family is great because of our hearts. We help each other no matter what, because that’s what families do for one another!” The verdict is in, if a newly 5-year-old little girl can see the importance of family, no matter who it consists of, then we all should follow suit. Family is a word that describes a collective group of individuals that come together to create a whole unit. So, simply put, family is those who love each other because we are all there for each other.
