How close are you to your family?

SafeSurfer

When I was young I was always amazed at how distant my parents were with their brothers and sisters. Don't get me wrong they did play a big part in all family occasions but I often wondered if they had not been related would they ever spend time together or were they just a bunch of people that fate had thrown together.

Now as I get older and my siblings, who I had been incredibly close to, especially those next in age, become a less and less important feature of my life I wonder the same thing about all families and siblings and if you think you would still be friends with your brother/sister if you were not related.

When the sh1t hits the fan its great to have family. But we rarely appreciate them until we need them.

AnonoBoy

Families can be work sometimes.

But I appreciate that they're there for me if I need them and vice versa. I appreciate this even more so when I see the f*cked up families some people have.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Always been very close to my immediate family, never so much to cousins Uncles, Aunties etc. I haven't seen many of them in years.

mauzo

Im very close to my family. We all have our little falling outs, but we are a very close family. My brother is one of my best friends, as is my dad!

Also close to extended family, love nights in with my aunts and my mum! Prefer them to going out with girls my own age.

Although the best craic is going out with my brothers and uncles, love being one of the lads, even though Im a girl...just have their sense of humour

I'm not terribly close to my sister. Tbh, she's simply not my type of person. Dramatic, self centred, negative. If she wasn't my sister I would have no interest in her. But she is my sister and so I would do anything for her in a heartbeat.

As for my parents, my god I love them so much, they are my best best friends. They adore me. I just couldn't survive without them

zenno

Very close to my family and so is my brother and sister we always were and the great thing about it is that we all get on really well all of the time.

there was never a closeness to cousins or aunty's but one uncle is sound he is the only one really outside the family that we see a fare few times a year.

When I look at my fathers side, he never communicates nor meets his 4 brothers ever or his sister and i always found that strange but thats probably because they were all nasty pieces of work so i can't blame him.

I will say though, there were times in the 80's that i would say different but in the last 20 years it's been very good and we all just get on well.

jefreywithonef

I'm quite close to all my family. It's a big sofa.

The Big Red Button

I'm very close to my parents, not that we talk every day or anything like that, but I'd ring home for a chat once or twice a week, and see them maybe once a month, and they are always so happy to see me, it's lovely! I'd do anything for them, and they would for me, too.

I have loads of siblings, I'm closer to some of them than to others - but, again, even though we mightn't speak to each other for weeks/months sometimes, we'd still do anything for each other. And we all get on great when we do see each other.

My family is awesome.

SusieBlue

I'm really close to all of my family. I see my parents and brothers/sisters daily and my extended family at least 3-4 times a week.

I have 4 cousins who are the same age as me and for as long as I can remember we'd watch a dvd together on a Sunday. Never miss it.

I've often gone abroad on holiday with my cousins too, and our friends. We all just get along really well and spend a lot of time together.

IrishAm

My nearest family member is approx. 2 kilometers away. Perfect distance. I know what places they frequent so can avoid them easily, but close enough so I can arrange to see them every so often too.

Wedgie

No, not that close to mine.

They've always just been....there. Both parents are still alive, as is my only sister and her family. I would only talk with them once every few weeks, and only see them every few months. My sister is the complete opposite of me, and would see our parents at least once a week, and talk to them most days.

That said, if I ever needed their help, they would give it unconditionally, as would I if called upon.

Now, I'm living on the other side of the world, and we talk every week. Weird, huh?

I'll be seeing them in September of next year, when they come over for a visit.

eth0

Drifting slowly away

Am not close to my parents or siblings. Am so not close that if one of them died, i don't think i would go to their funeral.
I have instructed my wife not to inform my family if i die until after my funeral.
Strangely, i feel very close to my in-laws and keep in touch with them all the time.

vicwatson

hundreds of miles away

Wibbs

Not close at all. My parents and one set of grandparents and that's it really. I've no siblings so from the get go my mates were "family", one that I chose. Never knew any of my first cousins on either side growing up(still don't) and rarely saw my uncles and aunts with one exception. I see it as odd now, because I've since observed and experienced others and their families, but didn't notice it as a kid, as you don't. Speaking as an "outsider" to it, I can see when it can be a great support, but can also be cloying in some families where everyone is in your business and a pain to have to deal with someone very different just because of "blood". I would say it seems good to have some interaction though.

CathyMoran

I was never close to my late mother (RIP a year tomorrow) but was very close to my daddy. I am still on to him a lot but it is tough realising that he is not the perfect man that I imagined him to be as a child. I would be on the phone to him at least 4 times a day and see him once or twice a week minimum. I like my brother's fiancee but we are totally different though he hugely infuenced me gowing up (I read all his books, liked his music etc) - I would speak to him and see him about once a week on average.

mcmacness

I'm quite close to my sister, not so much to my brother. He's 21 and is still at the grunting stage when you say hi etc, I try to engage in conversation with him but it's easier to just leave him be.

There are 8 in both my parents families, I would say that my Dad wouldn't really be that close to any of them, maybe his 2 youngest brothers or one of his sisters. He finds his eldest sister a bit matriarchal. My mother is close to all her family really, they would ring each other every so often, but she'd be extremely close to her youngest sister, they're nearly like best friends.

I can imagine being close to my sister when I'm older, but not so much my brother. Hopefully that won't be the case though. Although I think if I had 7 brothers and sisters it'd be hard to keep a steady stream of contact with all of them!

phasers

We're all very close, my Mam is my best friend and we spend a lot of time together. My Dad is always there for all of us and we talk all the time. I speak to all my Brothers and my Sister at least twice a week and we hang out all the time too.

My Dad is an only child and My Mam doesn't speak to her siblings so it was really important to them for us all to be close.

Nothingbetter2d

im not very close with any of my siblings tbh but i do get on well with my parents.

middle child here.... oldest brother is a cranky old git, other brother is a career guy, then the older of my two sisters is alright to get along with and my youngest sister was a highly demanding pain in the butt... (drive me here, collect this n that, mind her kid etc) i was never as happy in my life as i was the day she finally bought herself a car

Please Kill Me

I haven't spoken to my youngest brother in nearly 10 years. The last time I saw him he was pissed, stoned and pulled a knife on me. I had to break his arm to get it off him. I doubt I'll ever speak to him again. My sister is a wannabe snob and I have no time for her. My other brother (one year younger than me) I get on with really well and we call each other regular. I'm close with my parents though and we talk on the phone most days.

Butterface

I'm close with my sister and we'd end up chatting most days for even a short while on Facebook.

Speak to my parents (well my mother, with father in the background listening in) about once a week on skype too, and get on great with them when I go home. Think they like to have any of their children home for a weekend, or to stay with them.

Don't see my brother often, and send him the odd text every couple of months if I have anything to say. I was really close with him when we were younger, but he became progressively snobbier as he entered a banking career and got a long-term girlfriend. I still make a massive effort with him, but he would not be the type of person I'd choose as a friend.

shuridunno

Things would have been much simpler had I not known them.

Thankfully, I escaped when I was 19 and never looked back.

aaronjumper

Very close. My mam still thinks I am a child and molly coddles me whenever she can and I am close enough with my father that we often end up in shenanigans together, much to the anger of my mam.

My sister and I used to always be at each others throats but I have matured just enough that we get on more often than not.

Shenshen

Not close at all.
I've had the misfortune to be related to people I find it hard to relate to. I've still got contact with my mother and my youngest brother, my mother's parents and odccasionally my mother's brother.
I haven't spoken to my father for well over 15 years now, I haven't had contact with anyone on his side of the family, and I try to have as little contact as possible with my other brother and his family.

I had to bring my father into court for maintenance for me and my brothers years ago, and have since been shunned by his family. My brother, too, thinks I shouldn't have done that... But hasn't actually made any attempt at returning the money I managed to get for him.

Princess Peach

So close to my sister, she is my best friend. Now we have almighty fights and there have been a couple of times we have gone a few months not talking, but we always get past it. She's a very different person to me, and I think if we weren't related we wouldn't have much in common to make us want to be friends, but we get on so well!

Not too close to my brothers, wouldn't say we are friends. Go drinking the odd time, haven't spoken to them much since I moved away though. Not sure what we would talk about!

Get on with my parents now that I'm grown up and don't live with them, many issues were had previously though!

kfallon

Get on with all my family, don't see them as much anymore but still phone/skype the parents every week. Love going home to see the brothers kids. I don't go home that often but the last few times I have felt an overwhelming sadness as the train pulls out of the station to bring me back to Dublin. It's weird cos it passes after a few minutes but the last 3 or 4 times I've been home it's happened!

Jesus Shaves

I'm close to my mother and 2 of my sisters, cant stand my father or my other sister who is a self obsessed bitch
I would piss on their graves if they died now.

Anyway i have my own little family to look after and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

Galwayguy35

Only have one member of my family still living, he is an older brother and I would see him about once a week. We get on ok, I suppose we are similar in that we don't mind being on our own.

Abi

My family are really important to me. I clash with my mum from time to time, but there probably aren't too many Irish women that wouldn't say the same. I get on well with my siblings in different ways. My sister I probably spend less time with because she can be quite self absorbed and her priorities can be a bit askew, but if she ever really needed my help I there onside as usual, like any of the others.