I grew up in a dysfunctional family; I’m an only child of a single mother who was raised by her grandparents. I’ve never had a “normal” family, but I think that’s molded me into the person I am and has definitely made me closer to my family members.

My mom and my grandparents are my closest friends, but I spent a lot of my life longing for a family with parents who loved each other and siblings who were my best friends – I never thought I’d find it for myself.

But then I started dating my boyfriend. I knew that his family was close, so I was a little nervous about impressing them. I cared about him so much and I knew I had to make his family like me. As I spent more time with him, I spent more time with his family: ­ his mom, his dad, his sisters, his brother, his sister­-in­-law, his brother-­in­-law, his nieces and other members of his extended family. And then I realized that I owe them a lot.

To his mother.

Thank you for sharing your little boy’s heart with me. I am forever grateful for the person that you’ve raised; without him, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Thank you for teaching him to respect me, and thank you for teaching him to love. Thank you for making sure he likes to clean (because he likes to clean my room for me), and thank you for your endless support and love for both of us.

To his father.

Thank you for teaching him to follow his heart and to work hard. Thank you for cleaning out my car when it’s a mess. Thank you for caring. Thank you for offering to help in any way that you can and thank you for teaching your son to do the same. Thank you for raising my better half.

To his siblings.

Thank you guys for teaching him to have a sense of humor. Thank you for teaching him that there’s no such thing as a filter (cough, cough, Kacie) and thank you for being his built-­in best friends. Thank you for being there always, when either of us need help. Thank you to his brother for always knocking sense into him when he’s being a brat and thank you to his sisters for always having my back and helping us work out our differences. Thank you, Amie, for making me an aunt. It has both reminded me of the beauty of life and to take my birth control every day.

The biggest thank you that I can give to the family as a whole comes from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making me one of your own. You have all welcomed me into the family with open arms and it means the world to me. I have not once felt out of place or awkward when I’m with you guys. I feel more comfortable with you than I do with much of my own family. Thank you for caring about me as if I were born into the family and thank you for always having my best interest in mind. As much as he has made me a better person, you guys have as well. Thank you for loving me, and I will continue to love you all in return.