Blood Couldn't Make Us Any Closer

July 20, 2015

Ever looked up the definition of family? Just out of curiosity.

Family

[fam-uh-lee, fam-lee]

noun, plural families.

a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children,

considered as a group,

whether dwelling together or not.

Wow. That's way different than my definition of family.

A basic social unit? If that's the definition then why is my family so complex?

Consisting of parents and their children?

What about my aunts, and uncles, and cousins, and

pets. Are pets not considered family?

What about the friends I have over every night?

The ones who come for breakfast and don't leave until after dinner?

The friends that I consider

family.

The definition is not all-inclusive,

and leaves way more undefined than defined.

If asked "how would you describe the word 'family'

I'd speak about love,

about warmth, and support.

I'd talk about all the gatherings, the fun, the excitement.

The people.

Wow, I have a lot of people in my family.

I know that there are two categories of family; nuclear and extended,

but to me

there is only one.

Nuclear means immediate.

Immediate means right there.

My whole entire family always seems to be

immediately right there.

Family? Blood? I don't believe these words relate directly,

because I have family

that I met in high school.

I have family that I met at a pet store.

And neither of those

mean less to me than the family

I was born into.

With such a noninclusive definition,

I think Webster's should take a second look.

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