A Cousin Is A Ready-Made Lifetime Friend
While science may not support the benefits of spending time with cousins, anyone who grew up surrounded by extended family understands that you don't always need to study to establish that cousins are best friends for life! Do you have any doubts? Continue reading to discover all the advantages of growing up with cousins. In conclusion, I'm sure you'll want to call yours and express your gratitude for everything they mean to you!
Why Cousins Make the Best Lifelong Friends
You grew up with them, always wanted to hang out with them, and loved them as if they were family. Cousins hold a particular place in your heart from your childhood. If that isn't enough, allow me to share some of the other fantastic reasons why growing up close to your cousins is so lovely.
Cousins are excellent substitute siblings.
Cousins are the next best thing to having siblings if you're an only kid. In fact, an only child may remark that having cousins is even better than having brothers or sisters! Due to medical concerns, a friend of mine has only one child and no plans to have more. When her son was about four years old, he asked for a brot.
"You know that means you'll have to share your stuff and you'll receive 50% less of everything, right?" she asked. He considered it for a time, then looked at her and answered flatly, "I'm good with relatives!"
Even though they're four years apart, the same child has a cousin who is also an only child. They're as close as two siblings can be. They joke around, laugh, play, argue, share inside jokes, and do everything else brothers do. The more brothers and sisters your children have, the better!
They certainly add to the enjoyment of family reunions.
Cousins make family reunions a lot more fun, whether you're just getting together for an afternoon on the holidays or spending an entire week sleeping over with them on a family trip. Not only do they provide you with someone to play with (or, as adults communicate with), but they're always lurking on the outskirts, ready to spare you from listening to Uncle Johnny talk about the economics for two hours.
Cousins are aware of all of your family's strange internal jokes.
They have a greater understanding of your family's unique dynamics and inside jokes than anyone outside the circle. Do you have any doubts? Bring a new acquaintance to your next family get-together! Then watch how much time you spend attempting to explain why no one mentions camels near Grandpa and clowns near Aunt Sally, or why everyone laughs when Aunt Josephine announces that she is getting a puppy!
It makes you delighted to see them.
My children have a large number of cousins, whom they adore. When we attend family gatherings, they are always overjoyed to see them. Because they know each other so well, fights are uncommon. They're as close as brothers and sisters but without the turmoil. When you don't see each other every day, it's simpler to set aside minor disagreements like toys, who got the bigger piece of cake, and other minor issues that may quickly escalate into a major sibling feud. You just hang out and have a good time with each other, ignoring the minor details.
They assist us in reuniting with our ancestors.
One of the best things about cousins is that they help us connect the dots and fill in the gaps in our family history, which we often don't realize until we're older. Older cousins can tell younger cousins stories about grandparents they never got the opportunity to meet. Second cousins who grew up a generation before us have fascinating stories about our parents' childhood. You can learn a lot about family members you didn't even know existed once you start reading the stories. That is why family reunions are so valuable!
Cousins understand how difficult it is to lose grandparents.
We will all lose our grandparents at some point, no matter how much we don't want to think about it. Do yourself a favor and surround yourself with cousins when that awful day arrives. Everyone else in the family is mourning the loss of something different, yet they're all grieving the loss of something different. Aunts and uncles, as well as mom (or dad), have lost a parent. Your beloved great-uncle has a sibling who has passed away. Your grandfather's wife died (or vice-versa). Except for your brothers and cousins, no one knows what it's like to lose a grandmother. While they can't make it stop hurting, they can share memories from your generation that will help you cope.
Cousins are true best buddies for life, no matter what life throws at us. During happy times, they're laughing at inside jokes with you, and during sad ones, they're holding your hand. True friends are those who know all the best stories, know all the family secrets, and, most importantly, love you for who you are. Now call your cousins and tell them how much you care about them!
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