Family Is More Than Blood — The People You Love Count, Too

We’re not all born with the best families. If you’ve had a falling out with your parents or siblings, or if they’ve all passed away, it doesn’t mean that you’re alone in the world. You still have a family that loves you — they just might not be related by blood.

  1. The people that raised you. Your guardians aren’t the only ones who helped raise you. Your teachers, your neighbors, and your friends all had a hand in helping you grow into the beautiful woman you are today. Even though you didn’t live under their roofs, they were a huge part of your life.
  2. The people that you can count on. Who could you always count on to drive you home from school? Who showed up to all of your piano recitals? Who always followed through on the promises that they made you, no matter how difficult it was for them to do?
  3. The people that believe in you. Your real family should supportive of you. They should encourage you to follow your dreams, because they have unflinching faith that you can achieve whatever goals you set. They should believe in you even more than you believe in yourself.
  4. The people that won’t leave your side. Your real family won’t leave your side when things get rough. They’ll hold their ground and help you in any way that they can. It doesn’t matter if you lose your job, lose your house, or lose yourself to drugs, because they’ll always be there for you.
  5. The people that keep in touch with you. If you’ve never met your birth mother, but you spend every holiday with your step-parents, they’re your real family. It doesn’t take much to push a baby out of your womb, but it takes a lot of effort to actually raise a child. That’s why the people you keep in touch with are your real family.
  6. The people that know the little things. If your blood relatives don’t know your favorite television show or song, how well do they really know you? Your friends, who know your shoe size and your least favorite Skittle color, are the ones you should really be calling family.
  7. The people that feel like home. You’ll always feel uncomfortable around certain people. Meanwhile, others will make you feel safe, like you’re right where you need to be. The people that make you feel like you’re at home every time you look at them are your real family.
  8. The people that accept you. Your real family won’t care if you’re an aspiring chef or artist. They won’t care if you’re gay or straight. They won’t care about anything other than your happiness. That’s the most important thing.
  9. The people that would do anything for you. Your real family will do whatever they can for you. They’ll listen to you talk about nothing for hours. They’ll let you stay at their house when you had nowhere else to go. They’ll even take a bullet for you.
  10. The people that love you. Family is all about love. That’s why you can consider your friends, coworkers, and pets family. If they love you and you love them, then you have a bond that’s even thicker than blood.
Holly Riordan is a writer from Long Island, New York who has authored several science fiction and horror books. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she has spent nearly a decade writing for publications including Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, and more. You can find her on Instagram @hollyrio and Twitter @hollyyrio.
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