Growing up living around the corner from my cousins has been an amazing experience, and one that I took for granted until I began to hear my friends talk about how they see their cousins once or twice a year for holidays. My grandparents have a beach house which all the cousins and families comfortably fit in, and spend time together at over the summer. Growing up with a cousin who is the same age as you, and another who is two years younger and the same age as your cousin truly gave me the experience of what it would be like to have a big family with lots of brothers and sisters.
My cousin Aliza has always been my best friend, and it was like growing up with a sister. Especially now that we are older, she is my confidant who I talk to everyday, and fight with just like a sister. We’ve gone skiing together over winter breaks since I can remember, and my cousin Ben and I would be in the same ski groups, which always made me so comfortable in ski school. Always having a support system and best friends who are also your family is something I’m truly grateful for, and family vacations always become so much more enjoyable. Our family friends own a farm in Pennsylvania, which we have spent spring breaks in together, hiking, playing board games, and doing the typical farm activities. Having a small family is nice, and feels very personal, yet going on vacations with your extended family is always an awesome experience. I have cousins on my dad’s side who are around the same age as my brother and I, who I am fairly close to as well, yet I cannot imagine spending a week together on vacation with. The ability to see my cousins every day is my favorite part about my family, and the best decision our moms made. I have dreams to live in different parts of the world, but what I always hesitate at is the dreadful thought of living far away from my cousins, or raising a family in a place where they would not grow up with their cousins. I truly would urge every family to allow their children to have the same amazing experience I had growing up around the corner from my cousins, and having one of the closest families I know. |