My extended family is just plain huge. My mom is one of 8 siblings who are all married and most have kids. She has tons of cousins, aunts, in-laws, out-laws, etc. My dad's family is not that big but they're there. On the Captain's side his father's family is also huge. We're surrounded by relatives.
My immediate family is large-ish especially with the Captain and my bro-in-law but we're all pretty close. I talk to my parents a couple times a week. My sisters and I have marathon phone sessions and love to spend time together. I love my brother but we're just not that close. I think part of it was I went to college when he was in middle school so I missed the fun being friends years. Then when I moved back to my home town he was in college and living his life. We're 5 years apart and haven't meshed our lives together. He's a super genius and in a really hard graduate program so I understand he's busy. I know that we'll get to a point in our lives when we will be closer.
My sisters and I are always blown away by how secretive my mom's family is. There is always some gossip or story that we can't tell one or more family member. Just recently her younger sister and only brother had scary health issues. Instead of getting them out in the open and having your family gather around you and support you, they decided to keep it quiet and deal with it privately. These were not little things like a broken finger. These were big ones, including cancer. Of course, being a family (and a gossipy one at that) people are finding out and spreading the story.
This way of handling illness or bad news is making my head explode. Maybe I'm just enough of a drama queen that I would want everyone catering to me and feeling bad for me if I was in trouble. Or maybe, I know that my family would be the ones I would want to lean on when I was facing permanent injury or death. I know my siblings would make me laugh and hold my hair when I puked. I know I could call them any time for advice, to gossip (we're one of those families too) or just to get out some frustrations. We weren't always sunshine and rainbows. We had our fights and hated each other. But I can't imagine keeping big secrets from them. And I hope I never do.
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My mom's side of the family is the one that generates most of the drama, yet they are still a huge, tightly knit clan. They love each other, but they drive each other absolutely insane. It makes big get togethers interesting, because you never know if they'll be awesomely fun or awesomely awkward!
There are some families that seem like they aren't crazy, but those are the ones who are usually worse and harboring big crazyness under the guise or normality...either that or they're just really boring!
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