As a child, I remember the excitement I had every time my cousins would come to visit or when I visited them. We’d hide away have tea parties and do all things girlie!
To this day, I hold some of my most treasured memories with my cousins who are cherished family members as well as some of my closest friends. We have so many infancy, childhood and adolescence memories. Those bonds we developed as children have just grown stronger as the years have rolled by, bringing with them all the life stages and natural developmental phases we all know.
Children need cousins because they are often their very first friends. They’re the ones that can be relied upon to show up for childhood birthday parties, Christmas celebrations, and family reunions. They’re the ones that can have some of the most profound positive impact on children’s lives. I’m living this great bond all over again through my children and their first and second cousins (my sisters’, cousin and brother in law’s children) only it’s an even stronger one now. It’s magical.
What Makes Cousins So Special
Beyond typical reasons for family get togethers, bringing children together with their cousins can build strong bonds between them and fortify the memories they create. These friendships can last a lifetime because they are like the siblings they never had or argued with. I personally remember telling my own cousins how much I wished they could take the place of my sisters because they were the same age as me and we had more in common. We always hated it when one of us would have to leave to go home.
When hard times befall us, as they are bound to, having close family members like cousins can help provide support and security that you can’t find anywhere else. Cousins can help bring smiles back into the picture as well as genuinely share in pain and heartache. They remind you that you’re not alone and that they are there for you unconditionally.
Because you come from the same family, cousins can understand you on a level that most other people can’t. They can have a better understanding of your family dynamics and often dysfunctionalities. They can help talk you through times when you’re butting heads with another family member and can even be the push you need to “kiss and make-up.”
Relationships with cousins offer that familiarity of being able to pick things up from where you left off. It’s not often that all your cousins live nearby. There can be long stretches of time where you don’t see each other. But as soon as you get together, it’s as if no time has passed at all. Friendships like that are rare and truly special.
Children Really Do Need Their Cousins
If you have children who have cousins they can spend time with, bring them together as often as possible so that, no matter what, your kids can have real friends who can be by their side for the rest of their lives. My children feel that my sister’s home is their home and their cousins are their siblings.
