Family Is Definitely Not Defined By Blood, And I Realize That More As I Get Older | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

Family Is Definitely Not Defined By Blood, And I Realize That More As I Get Older

I hear that blood doesn't always make you family, and this gets more true as I get older.

138
Family Is Definitely Not Defined By Blood, And I Realize That More As I Get Older
Madyson Thompson

Just because someone is your family by blood, does not give them an automatic pass to remain in your life. Family can be created and if someone does not treat you well, you do not have to put up with it forever.

Sure when you are younger you, in a way, are told what to do, and can't make every decision on your own, but once you have hit a certain age and gather a sense of maturity, decisions are yours to make. This includes how you will handle certain situations, and who you choose to surround yourself with.

People I have met just a short time ago have proven to be better influences in my life than my own family members. As I am growing older, I realize that not everyone who is in your life is meant to stay in your life. And yes, this includes family.

As you grow as an individual, you hold different expectations and goals for your future, and not everyone in your life will meet those standards. That is totally ok.

I wholeheartedly believe that family is what you make it to be. Some people come from broken blood families, and eventually find their forever family in their friend group or in a significant other.

Just because you are born into a family, does not mean that they will all act like family and have your best interest in mind.

Some people will be extremely offended by this and judge what I am saying, but not everyone has a good upbringing and just because they do not speak to all of their family, does not make them in the wrong. Not everyone is meant to get along, and a person can only put up with so much before a breaking point is reached.

We don't know what happens when we die, whether there is an afterlife or if we simply enter an eternal sleep, and because of that we need to make the most of the one life that we know we have.

In order to make the most of the time we have here on earth we need to surround ourselves with people we love and who have our best interests at heart. People who can help us progress and become a better version of ourselves instead of holding us back or bringing out negative characteristics/qualities.

I have love for so many people, and I consider a lot of my close friends to be family, but I am also outgrowing certain family members. I believe that this is normal and that some relationships, if valuable to your life, can be mended in the future, but a part of life is maturing and with that includes outgrowing certain people, no matter who they are.

Some family we do not get a choice of, but who we choose to add to make up our family in the end is entirely up to us.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

4066
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302858
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments