Are you close with your cousins?

[Anonymous]

Yes, especially while growing up. I have a lot of cousins and a bunch close in age.

Now we are scattered geographically and while it's amazing to see each other once in awhile, we're not close enough (location or relationship-wise) to spend holidays together.

I'm an only child and wasn't lonely growing up bc I felt like I was part of a big family. But cousins are not siblings and it's lonely as an adult.

[Anonymous]

I wish I was close with my cousins and God knows I tried to be inclusive. Our parents were very close but we are not, despite living in the same area. We are also close in age. One of my cousins lives in our school district, our kids go to the same school, yet they've never had any playdates together. It hurts me. I know it hurts my mother. No fights between us, just very different lifestyles. DH doesn't understand it, he is super close with all of his relatives. He can easily fill up our house with just his cousins and their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have over a dozen cousins. Am very close with a few of them (text almost every day even though they all live out of state), but some of them I haven’t talked to in years. Seems to depend on how much we have in common as adults.

My cousins think I'm weird because I like history museums and don't binge drink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely - born, raised and literally went to school with them, within a five minute walk to each other's houses. Also, their children our actually our children's ages, one within a week, and the biggest gap is three years. <3

DH doesn't even know his cousins, and there is a 30 (!!!) year difference with most of them. Completely different experience, sadly.

I grew up around the world and didn’t spent much time with cousins. Instead, I have lived in many different places, speak several languages (am conversant in a few more) and have dear, close friends who are my chosen family. I think my life is incredibly for having grown up this way than staying in the same town, same school, with cousins down the street, and my spouse and I are raising our children in a similar lifestyle.

I could feel sorry for your kids that they are growing up in such a staid environment, but that would be an unfair value judgement. One is not better than the other. Just different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Probably wouldn’t recognize most of them in an airport

Agree. We saw each other on holidays as kids and had fun then, but I haven’t seen them since we all married and started our own families.

[Anonymous]

I barely know any of them.

[Anonymous]

We were the last set of grandkids on both sides, so there was a significant age gap with our cousins while growing up. I have always been close to several of my aunts but we only established real relationships with some of our cousins as adults.

[Anonymous]

I have 40 First cousins know a handful. Don’t know most of their names or even where they live.

[Anonymous]

Mine are all criminals so nope no keeping in touch

AndDH are MAGa idiots none there either

[Anonymous]

I have 23 cousins. I’m close to one.

[Anonymous]

Not anymore. We were close growing up, but have all gone our separate ways and are scattered around the country, and none live in the DMV. I send out holiday cards to those whose addresses I know, and sometimes I get cards from them too.

DH has a large extended family and has 20 first cousins. He is close with some of them and so our kids do play occasionally with their second cousins (DH's cousins' kids) when they are in town.