Last week we got to get some good family time in. My sister’s family and my little family all headed to our childhood hometown, where we visited with our parents for a whole week. While this was no fancy vacation with 5 start hotels and international flights, it was home and it was amazing! My sister has a three-year-old son and I have my almost three-year-old daughter – it was so much fun watching the two cousins play!

Because the two cousins are similar in age, they play the same, although my nephew is more boisterous, quite considerably so in fact! It was definitely not all sunshine and roses though and just as much as they played together, they fought too! My nephew loves to tease and my daughter is a soft target, she’ll screech in a rage if someone simply looks at her in a way that she doesn’t want to be looked at. But just like most brothers and sisters do, the two kids seem to have some sort of mutual understanding and through their tiffs and banter, they seem to truly love each other, without ever being asked or encouraged to do so. 

My sister and I became mothers almost at the same time and at the moment, we only have one child each, so our kids don’t have any brothers and sisters – yet. This means that for now, they only have each other.

My own photo!

Cousins Are Good To Have For Many Reasons

1. They share childhoods. While we do our “adult” thing, our kids need someone to share the view of the world with them from where they stand. They need a partner in crime when it comes to learning family dynamics, expectations and where they fit in. While some have siblings, others only have their cousins.
2. They learn from each other. While cousins learn with each other, they learn from each other too! They learn new words, new games and new ways of doing things, all while the different immediate families come together and share their home routines and family ways. 
3. They look out for each other. Cousins, like siblings, share this unspoken practice that they will have each other’s back. No matter what riff they might be in the midst of, they will stand together and protect each other from outsiders.
4. They share the ups and downs. While friends might be closer, cousins share the family’s good times and bad times, like no friend would understand. 

So, you see, while we wait for more little people to join our family, for now, and I hope forever more, these two cousins have a beautiful relationship that I hope will blossom and will always be nurtured. I truly hope that we can build a family full of cousins who are raised to be what a family should be – full of love and support. 

With thanks from @mamameimei,

I SUPPORT @STEEMITEDUCATION