Growing up with cousins is such a wonderful gift to give your kids.
When I was young we didn’t live near family. I also didn’t have any brothers or sisters besides two much older half-brothers that I rarely saw.
I always dreamed of a big sister or a bunch of really great cousins that would be able to have sleep overs with me and get together for Easter egg hunts in the Spring.
Some of my husbands very best friends are his cousins. I imagine how lucky he is to have memories with them from all the way back to his pre-school days.
I’ve vowed to give my kids a sibling and to keep them near their cousins for as long as I can.
Why Growing Up With Cousins Is So Important
I’ve always said the more people to love my kids the better. So when I think about having extended family and cousins nearby to tell my daughter happy birthday, or show up to my sons football game, I feel so grateful.
When you have cousins it’s like having a ton of extra brothers and sisters around to share your childhood experiences and memories with, except you don’t have to worry about sharing the bathroom or whose turn it is to feed the dogs.
They understand your family.
You have other people to really get the dynamic of how family get-togethers work. Someone to talk about how much you hate Aunt Sarah’s gravy but you can’t wait to get a taste of Grandma’s chocolate pie.
You’ll also have them on the sad days.
If you lose a loved one or someone’s parents get a divorce. An extra body to hug who really understands.
You have the older cousins to look up to as role models.
An older girl to braid your hair before your recital or a boy that teaches you how to throw a football.
There are a lot of things I’m unable to give my kids…. an annual trip to Hawaii or but I can try my best to surround them with family that love them. To make their cheering section as big as possible. Not to mention all of our friends that have turned into family over the years.
I’m so happy my kids are able to grow up like my husband did and I know when they’re 35 years old they’ll still be spending birthdays together.
What about you, are your kids growing up with cousins around?
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
That was a great piece. Thanks for sharing.
I have cousins who live around me all my life and we are like brothers and sisters and wouldn’t change it for anything. Cousins are the best friends!❤
Cousins were great growing up. My one cousin taught me how to tye my shoes. Some of us still keep in touch. When my children were little my sister and parents lived on the next block and my sister had 4 children. My kids were the little ones and the older cousins treated them like they were their brother and sister. As the family grew we moved farther away but still see each other as often as possible but always try to get together at Christmas.
My kids grew up with their cousins and it was a village. They had chickenpox at the same time and the parents took turns keeping them. Camping, vacations, sports and birthdays. This allowed many of us as parents to have a little peac of mind and free time. They are all grown now and having babies but are not trying to hard enough to stay close. I think they are going to regret this, especially when thei babies get to about 5 years or older. The memories are irreplaceable. Thanks for writing about this and triggering my memories.
I grew up in W.Va……..my g.parents had 12 children and about 50 offsprings….I loved my cousins and we were like a loving family…..had this way til we all were grown then I moved away…..not too far away and could go back some often……still do this. Loved our way and so grateful for this……COUSINS ARE THE BEST!!!
My grandbabies one who’s 9 ( the boy ) and the 2 girls who are both 6 , 6 months apart and are inseparable even when they argue. It’s even more precious as both families have an absent parent so they have each other . I’m so grateful. I’m sitting here listening to the girls play dolls right now . 🙂
Even better .. my 2 daughters gave birth 10 days apart. One daughter only have 1 while the other had 2 more little ones (now there are 4). I have a toddler in foster care (in the process of adopting) and they are a rowdy, crazy bunch of 5 ranging between 9 years & 8months old. We are an extremely close family and live within a 5km radius of each other. We are so blessed!
37 cousins within 2 hours and going strong! Agreed 24 years-6 months. Definitely worth the move back to our home town for this!
*aged not agreed!
This IS GREAT 👍🏻 I grew up close to my cousins who ARE Big Brothers (cuz we’re 4 girls) and more sister cousins I CHERISH growing up with them and though we’re all getting older and have families, events of our own Watch Out when we do/can get together!
Cousins are like a staple product in your pantry you just got to have them! I used to believe everyone had cousins to grow up with and while that was pretty much the case in past years (50+) folks these days don’t seem to recognize the importance of that family bond which is also one of the best friendship one could hope for. In 2016 my family was blessed beyond measure with the birth of 4 little boys who are within 6 months of one another! Gus (great nephew) came in early June followed by Jaxson (grandboy) the later part of the month. In September Laramie (grandboy) arrived and last but most certainly not least arriving in mid December Bear (my 1st GREAT grandboy) #yesthatshisrealname WOW!! COUSINS GALORE!! From the moment we knew we were having all boys I often thought of how awesome it would be for those Lil felllas to have each other! Gus’s family lives in Florida and the other 3 in Arkansas and while we’ve only managed to get the 3 hillbillies (LoL) together I dream of the day when they all meet and let the memory making begin!!!
I totally agree and am so very thankful for my cousins! My bff is a cousin who is the same age as me! I love it when all me grandchildren are here. They all play together so well. Brings back memories.
Amen…cousins fill your world with color & Love😉
This made me tear up. Growing up I wasn’t close to my cousins Bc my parents divorced and unfortunately the families did too. Luckily I had great childhood friends to make memories and bonds with.
My husband is the oldest of 5 kids. And now everyone has kids. There are 11 first cousins! 9 live with in 8 minutes of each other. It’s truly a gift; a gift I didn’t have but I’m so glad my kids do. This weekend the gang will be watching my girls play soccer. It’s great! The bond they have is so special. Thank you for writing this blog; I forwarded it to my in-laws so they can smile too!
I agree. Worth the investment of time and $ and sacrificing to make it happen.
Love my cousins some I see often or talk to almost everyday. There I have lost contact with and there’s some I’ve reconnected with on Facebook. What aver the case I love my cousins and I’m so happy for all the childhood memories.
yes, my grandkids are, how blessed are they
This is so true. I was an only child for 14 years until my brother came along. I loved my cousins! They are your first best friends.
My kids are close to their cousins. My sisters and I didn’t have any cousins to play with when we were little. When I was 11 or 12 my dad’s niece moved to where we were living and so we did get to hang out with 2 of our younger cousins. We still talk but not very often. It’s so nice that my kids and their cousins always got to hang out and play together now that they are grown and kids of their own they still see one another and their kids are close to one another as well.
This is the truth! I grew up with cousins. We are now in our sixties & still sharing life.
I was fortunate to have bern taught the importance of cousins. Therefore, my children grew up with their cousins. Shared family dinners, holidays, & special times, they have bonded. They are now grown & teaching their kids the importance of cousins. 3 generations of loving cousins!
Yes! My 2 girls grew up with 4 of their cousins(3boys,1girl) Now that they’re all in their late 20’s to early 30’s we hear all the funny stories of the mischief they got into. One daughter is 1mo. Older than one of her cousins. They never attended the same school but they always wanted to. So they made a pact-they would go to the same college & be roommates! And they did it! Another cousin graduated college & accepted a job 4 hours away~a year later he’s back in town with a much better company! They all live in the same big town & want to raise their own children the exact same way!
My wife is #11 of 14 siblings! My children were raised with literally dozens of cousins around every day. It turned out to be super valuable in their development. When my son got married over a year ago, his best man and groomsman wet cousins. Now, they’re all starting to have children of their own. My expectation is the tradition will live on. Great writing!
I did not grow up with cousins either. I feel like we missed out when it comes to that. I have 4 siblings. We all lived in the same area while raising our families so our kids got to experience this. Although they are nieces and nephews it really feels like some of them are my kids. 🙂 It’s been a great time. Now they are trying to do the same as they are getting married and having children. IT IS A GIFT.
My grandkids are all very close and hang out all the time. They go to the same school, since we live in a very small community. They have even gone on vacation together this year. I didnt have that growing up, and my kids didnt until they were older, so im happy my grandkids can be close to thier cousins
I was raised in a tight knit family every weekend I spent with my grandparents, aunts, and cousins . We took family trips and vacations, birthdays, graduations, new additions, the list goes on. Still spend every holiday with them. Now as we are all adults we continue the our family traditions with our children as all the torches have been passed down to us. We (our gen) even take cousin trips with a few of our adult children. It truly is a blessing to have grown up with my cousins.
I’m raising my grandson he have had him since he was six months and now he is 7 he has 3 boy cousins and 1 girl. They all live 8 hours away he try to visit them as much as we can because this is all the family he has and he love them very much. There age are 7,4,3 and 2/12. I wished they lived closer so he could play every day. I’m 61 years old and I worry about this a lot because when we are gone his cousins will be his only family. Thank for writing this it is so true.
That was a beautiful story spend a lot of time with my grandchildren and I wouldn’t give it up for anything
I am one of 5 children and I have SO many cousins!! Both on my Mom & Dads side. I am grateful for each and everyone of them too! Through the years some have moved far away, but we keep in touch through social media and family vacations & weekend get togethers. Family is so important to me. I have 7 first cousins on my moms side & 13 on my Dads side. I am lucky enough to live close by most of my family. So Sunday dinners with Mom & siblings & in-laws & cousins is a regular thing for us! I have two daughters and they also have so many cousins! Their Dad is one of 6 kids and have 9 first cousins on my side & 12 on their Dads side. ❤️😊
Growing up with cousins has proven to be one f the best experiences of MY life. I:m 87 years old and knowing My cousins has been a VERY important part of my life. it doesn’t stop there it continues generation after generation .How lucky we have all been and still are t be so close, Holidays birthdays and just plain get togethers would not change it for the world, still think of and remember those that have past and the memories we shared COUSINS so much a part of our lives. Lets keep it going.
I absolutely love this! My brother, two sisters and I were brought up with our cousins around us. It was great! We made the efforts to have our kids get together whenever possible ( they are all good friends now!) And our kids are all bringing up theirs the same way. It takes some planning sometimes but it’s worth it! I love their commonality, friendships and love they all have for each other!
Totally agree. I am an only child. My mom’s family was large, so my aunts and uncles only had 1 or 2 children. All of the next generation basically grew up as only children, but we had our cousins. We are all close, just like sisters and brothers.
This is a beautiful story!! I was honored to grow up and even babysit my 2 cousins from the time they were toddlers. I’m so very blessed that I have so many wonderful memories, even though there were sad times also!! My siblings and my 2 cousins were always together and I’m so grateful that we are all still very close!! I love you people!! With Ryan Light, Cori Cleveland, Amy Albright and Kari Cox ❤❤❤❤
I grew up with my cousins around and am very happy that my kids are also able to have their cousins around.
There is joy in my heart to have grands. The joy is multiplied when I hear they have been together.❤️❤️
You are absolutely right, especially if you are an only child. I’m 76 years old and one of my best friends is my favorite cousin.
No, my kids have no family around and it really saddens me as all that is mentioned above they will never know of. I always talk about my childhood to them and think that will never experience this with their cousins as they live abroad. I always think of my decision to give my kids a better opportunity than what I had but the most important thing FAMILY is what they lack.im their lives. My husband and I do not have very close friends that even come close to family members. Very sad life without family.
I am 72 and blessed to still have my cousins (I am the oldest) They are still my best friends and we still do things together when we can.
Thank you, Liz. By the way one of my granddaughters is Liz — she and her sister have two boy cousins from my youngest daughter ( their dad is a son) and the four of them grew up together as I baby sit for the a lot. I enjoyed being Grandma to them and still do. Now the two boys and my oldest grandson have kids so I, at 93, a great grandma and love it. We had 5 kids, now 5 grandkids and 5 greatgrandkids. Mr. C died in 71 leaving me with a 5, a 15 and 18 year old. The older two were married but the last 3 went thru college – we did a lot of wallpapering, painting, etc to make it. the two older ones were thru and married but the oldest daughter continues at UofM with two masters — in :Physcology and Social Work and now is a Mental Health Therapist. All of them are doing great, the grandkids are caught up in this economy ” two jobs to make a decent living” thing. Hopefully after 2020 that will improve. I am enjoying my last years with all these youngsters and my kids are so good to me, it’s unbelievable. But I love it.
This is so true. My kids grew up around all their cousins but regretfully my grandchildren didn’t and it makes a difference. Now at family gatherings they are strangers. So sad.
They learn to love one another. Protect guide and respect.. They learn to share. They worship together.. Keeps family tradition burning, they understand and accept one another better a d tolerate each other never forget their roots..
Becomes brothers keepers, they be er sell each other to enemmiessibis
They motivate each other and they learn to be confident
My sister and I grew up with cousins who lived three blocks away. We were like sisters…right down to the fighting sometimes! Now, my boys are growing up with my sisters girls. We’re not within walking distance (30 min drive) but we make an effort to spend time together as often as possible! Best childhood EVER! 💕
My daughter (who just turned 12 today) is best friends with her cousin. They are 2 year, 2,weeks, and 2 days apart (her cousin will be 10 soon.) Last night we had a sleepover at our place and the girls spent all day together, hanging in town (we live in a small, rural area). My daughter could have chosen ANY of her friends to spend her special day with and she chose her cousin. I love that they consider each other best friends!!! It helps that we live just a few (town, not city) blocks from my sister’s family. I’m so glad they’re able to grow up with each other!!!
My husband and I come from big families so our three children grew up with 26 cousins. Thirteen from each side. You can imagine how the holidays were!! We would all get together and looking back on those days if I tell you there wasn’t one fight or one argument between them I do not lie!! It was amazing how great they got along! My cousins were important to me when I was growing up too and still to this day we hang out and reminisce about our childhood and growing up together. It’s a beautiful thing 😊
Just this week, 2 of my cousins kids and mine along with 2 other cousins went to the children’s museum together. Then I went bowling with other cousins last night. I rather be with them then any other humans on earth.
I had no brothers or sisters, so my cousins were like my family when I was growing up. We pretty much still keep in touch and see one another at least once a year, if not more, sometimes. My cousin’s daughter calls me aunty, which is kinda cool.
That is not okay to feed them
I have alot of cousins on both sides. We grew up together and are still pretty close. Its so wonderful to have all these cousin friends. Theres close to 50 of them, lol.
OMGosh! Just an hour ago, My 4th of July post to my family began with “memories”. (I am a great grandma)
As a child, “Summer Time” meant the first of July when we traveled 1,500 miles to be with family and play with cousins. Even after all these years, I think of “cousins” as playmates who lived far away. Presently, my Grandchildren are helping me see the blessings of having cousins near. I am definitely sharing your post with them.
We have five kids and 19 grandkids and they all live next door to us! We are the most blessed family ever! The grandkids all love each other and are best friends. They raise steers together for the county fair each year. They play together and when we go somewhere they all want to invite everyone to come. They really don’t have outside friends because they have everything they need right here. It is so fun being grandma and watching them all grow up together!!
I had 3 older boy cousins, and they were around and I have some memories but not as we grew up. My husband has a ton of cousins and lots of memories. My sister, brother and I are super close. We live near each other (5 minutes and 30 minutes) and we see each other multiple times a week. We spend every holiday together and birthdays are huge. My son and niece are 7 and 6 almost a year apart. My daughter and nephew are 5 and 11 days apart. My husbands side, we have 2 5 year old nephews, a 4 year old niece and a 2 year old niece. Only one niece lives far, but family is everything and watching them experience things together and bond….it is the best gift we could have ever given and I hope they stay this close forever! Life is hard….when you travel as a pack of 10, it is so much easier to get thru anything.
I completely agree! My cousins are a LARGE part of my life and the life of my daughters!!!!
Great read!! Shared with my daughters, who have small children and I think they both need to spend family time together with their familes. They will be glad they did!
I was so blessed to have family all around me growing up. I wouldn’t want it any other way for my children or grandchildren! My parents, inlaws, sibling, cousins, aunts & uncles and other relatives became some of my best support after my husband passed at a young age and became a single parent raising 4 young children. I knew I wasn’t alone with all my and my late husband’s family around me proving me with encouragement to carry on after such a sudden change in my and my children lives! God has truly blessed us with close family and friends that are just as close as family!
This is very true. I have a large family. I have thirty-one first cousins ranging in ages from seventy-two to forty-one. We were raised within a one mile radius of each other. Our first cousins were our first friends and social groups. Many of us chose to raise our children the same way, returning to the exact spot we were raised. The road we live on is named after my mother’s family. Many of the same family traditions have been carried on through generations. We are truly blessed.
Good luck with the cousins!!!
RLM
The Game family has this in Westbrook Texas . Seven Siblings and a bunch of kids awesome all live within 10 miles of each other there is a child in every class except one or two and more than one in some classes
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I didn’t get to know any of my 5 dozen cousins (both sides of my family) until I was in my 20s. My husband grew up with dozens of cousins who are his good friends. Our 13 grandchildren, ages 24 years old to 4 months, have grown up within 20 minutes of each other, see each other at least twice a month an more in the summer. They are excited to see each other and play. The oldest is always willing to get down on the floor with his younger cousins to play games or play pool with the teens. It’s been a true blessing.
I was blessed to raise my girls with cousins around. It is truly a blessing now they are married and looking forward to raising there kids together with every more people to love them. You can never beat family.
It was hard for me growing up because I grew up in NY and had cousins my age who lived in Ireland where my mom was from. I rarely saw them and my relatives weren’t there for my birthday parties any of my parties, recitals. I had no cousins to talk to if I had problems or needed advice. I was in Ireland when I was 7 and refused to go for 13 years because I was so jealous that my cousins had each other. I also resented them. My aunts and uncles didn’t send me presents for my Communion, Confirmation or graduations. They couldn’t afford it. I had this void in my heart. It turns out my cousins were never close.
I love all 101 of my cousins! No I didn’t count them I just know it’s way up there and I love them all! I have one sister but a large laoving family network of best friends in blood and by marriage.❤️
As an only child, my cousin’s were all that I had as a kid. We were so close and I feel incredibly blessed that those same cousin’s children are now super close with my kids, some are even in the same school and sports as mine! It’s such a blessing!
I grew up with my two cousins. I was the first born and only child. When I turned 6 months old My first cousin Brandon was born then his brother Devon 3 years later. Even though we lived apart we were very close from birth to our adolescent years..I think it’s highly important to be close and around with your first cousins.
Perfect! You express my feelings exactly. Thank you.
Absolutely love this. I grew up with cousins from my mom and dads side of the family. We had awesome adventures. I’m sure they all shaped my dreams and my life. It gave me more capacity to love outside my normal family. I love my cousins!
I grew up with 19 first cousins and being an only child it gave me a feeling that I wasn’t really missing out because I was always over someone’s house whether it be for a birthday holiday a sleepover on the weekend or just because…I loved it and my son is number among 20 cousins from my cousin crew and I know he’ll love it just as much as I did
Some of my favourite memories are being with my cousins. Today we picked up our 4 grandchildren for a week of making memories together. This week is all about doing fun things and learning the how important family is!
You are so right! Forty years plus later, we all still talk about those times together, and we were ALWAYS together!!!
I grew up with a lot of my cousin’s. Some of us call each other brothers and sisters. Fun having a get together and reminiscing about our childhood. Laughing about fighting each other, or our dreaded hairdos.
Bless with great cousins
Thank you for sharing this! I live next to my brothers and sisters, and our kids are growing up with each other, theres 15 of them right now.. we’re waiting for more !! They are the best of friends, and rely on each other for everything! This is the best choice we made as a family!
I adore my cousins! As u was growing up we lived in different places but spent summers together ! The best time ever! As adults we moved to the same city and spent adult time together ! They are all the best!
I am one of 9 siblings. We are all married now and we have 44 first cousins between us ! We all live in the same city and the cousins go mostly to 5he same school, extra murals, class parties, sports games etc. The cousins range fro 32 to 5. Everyone has a cousin group his or her age. They are so close and bonded. The older cousins adore their baby cousins and at family get togethers you will always see someone carrying and caring for someone…. but not usually their sibling! Another cousin has their sibling. The younger set are in absolute awe of the older guys who take them to movies and games and always ready to give a lift somewhere. The alder girls do the younger ones hair and teach them about makenup. Lifts amongst us moms and babysitting and holidays are never a oroblem! Cousinscare always partnif other cousins get aways! An absolute joy and privilege!
I wouldn’t want my kids anywhere near their cousins. They are not good influences. The family is big so they have a lot of cousins (like 40) and there is a lot of drama and trauma in many of the families. Alliances and enemies, backstabbing and trash-talking. The unhealthy aspects of relationships between the primary siblings filters down to their children who carry the flag for their families and the feuds become multi-generational as the cousins continue the fights. On top of that many of the cousins are high school dropouts, do drugs or married people already with children bringing all that baggage into it. Many of the parents/siblings also pretty much ignore their kids when everyone gets together so you have kids doing dangerous behavior without parental oversight as well as influences between cousins with a big age differential. There are a lot of things the little cousins are exposed to that they shouldn’t be. So everyone else on here must come from golden blessed families or these comments are heavily moderated, but in my experience hanging out with the cousins is not always a good thing.
This article resonated so much with me, I feel like I wrote the article! I had plenty of cousins but they were all over. My husband has so many cousins around the same age that he and his brother and sister have grown up with. I’ve always been so jealous of his relationships with them! I am happy to say that our daughter has 4 cousins that will all be within a 2 year age difference and I am so excited for them to grow up together!
I love my cousins, but sometimes it is hard to deal with them. Moreover, we always help each other with different tasks, and recently they told to check https://studyclerk.com/help-with-research-paper where I could find help with research papers.