Day 8: Family

Through ups and downs, my family hangs in there. We’ve all had our share of problems that sometimes affected the whole family, but we keep it together and keep going. I am very close to my immediate family and still rely on them to be there for me when I need it.

My parents have been married for 41 years now. They have a very combative but mostly honest relationship where they just tell it like it is. I remember when I was young I felt like they argued more than they should and that they were always on the verge of divorce. It took me several years to learn that that’s just how they communicate, and that they were never going to be like television families that I thought were the norm. Now I realize that television families were never the norm, and it seems silly to have ever compared them that way. Maybe it’s a child of the 70’s/80’s thing where families were portrayed as having problems that were somehow always resolved within 30 minutes. I think it warped my expectations. Now I realize that my parents get along like most normal married couples who aren’t in a sitcom. My dad retired at the end of last year and is LOVING it! My mom is most likely going to retire sometime this year. If they don’t kill each other within a year of my mom’s retirement, then I think they’ll stay together forever.

I was an only child for almost 8 years before my brother was born. With the age gap, I ended up being like another parental figure for him, especially after I turned 12 and he was my responsibility during the summer. The summer after I turned 16, Matthew went with me EVERYWHERE. I think it was my mom’s way of making sure that I didn’t get into trouble, not that I was a bad kid, but she knew that I would never do anything bad with him around. It was most likely also a way for my parents to get us both out of the house. That was 19 years ago now, and I don’t ever really recall him being a burden. He always behaved much better for me than he did for my mom. I think kids are just like that, though. My brother will be 28 next month and is quite a handsome guy. I love him dearly and feel so lucky to have him as my only sibling.

I am also blessed with some pretty awesome extended family through aunts, uncles and David’s side of the family. There’s also a few other people in my life that I’m not related to by blood or marriage that I consider my family. However, I’m going to keep this entry short, sweet and just about my immediate family. They’re fabulous enough on their own.

“The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.” – Charles Kuralt 

What makes your family unique? 

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Letters To My Mother @ Leanne Penny