Cousins

by Rumour Miller on September 21, 2006

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When I was growing up I often referred
to some of my cousins as my best friends.

Cousin relationships are extra special.
And according to the article “The Cousin Connection”
by Helaine Becker, in Today’s Parent,
“They provide an unmatched level of amity
and support, without the rivalries that often
exist between siblings. As a result, cousin
relationships tend to be less conflicted than
those with our sibs. They also tend to be
deeper and longer lasting than ordinary friendships.”

And I believe it to be true.
I have more cousins than you could shake a fist
at. I’m not kidding. My mother is 1 of 13 children
and my father is 1 of 8 children (ya, I did not inherit
either of my Grandmother’s fertility genes that’s for
effing sure), and I have approximately 38 first cousins.
I think I have lost track. Wouldn’t you?

As a child my parents did a good job of fostering my
relationships with most of my cousins and as a result
I have some really fond memories of my childhood.

As an adult, it is my responsiblity to continue to foster
those relationships. This can and has been difficult to
to do. We all have our own interests, our own lives and
our own desires. We have left home to go to college, university
and get married. We all live in different cities, provinces
and even countries. At first a few months go by without
any contact and then the next thing you know it’s been a
year or years.

I am trying hard to maintain the contact with the few
cousins that I have been lucky to continue to have a
relationship with. Especially now, with the next
generation arriving, these relationships seem so important.
Our ties to our ancestry. Our family tree.

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{ 1 comment }

LisaMarie September 22, 2006 at 12:55 pm

Ashley is actually my second cousin. My mom and her father are first cousins. When my great-grandmother died, her family bought the house that was next to my grandparents.

I grew up visiting Ashley whenever I went to see my Grandma. She’s the oldest friend I have besides my sister.

By the way, thank you for your support during this whole episode I’m having. Hugs!

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