Family Bound by Blood?

If your family was not family, not bound by blood, if they were not related, would you tolerate them as people in your life?

This is something that i thought about the other day. If I was not obligated to these people by blood, would I still tolerate a relationship with them?

I think that if I was not part of this family, if they were strangers, I don't think that i would desire a relationship with them nor have the patience that I do for them. I am sure that goes both ways, but it was just something I was thinking about that really challenged me.

Anyways, I wanted to share and strike the question. Feel free to vent or not, up to you.

If my dad wasn't my dad, and I knew what I know about him, I would not be his friend. But he looks really good on paper and people adore him.

As far as Jay's family, I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole if my son wasn't related to them.

"In your journey thru this life you often find yourself closer related to those you encounter than to those whose physical flesh you were born of and you realize that your physical heritage is no more than a garment you were issued by others and not always of your style or fit." R0b B0yte sometime in the '70s

When that observation was made, I was into the counter-culture and had friends that I considered brothers and sisters. Moreso than my biological relatives, who were filosofically opposed to my life.

Who says I have much to do with most of my family in the first place. Cordial is about it but we don't hang or even communicate that much. Besides, most of the gen before me is gone or going, so it is just my sister a half-brother and some cousins who comprise my biological family.

My stepdaughter and grandsons are the only family here in South Florida and since Brenda died, I could have just disappeared from their lives, but I was there for the grandsons' births so I am Opa.

Tony Marino wrote:If your family was not family, not bound by blood, if they were not related, would you tolerate them as people in your life?

This is something that i thought about the other day. If I was not obligated to these people by blood, would I still tolerate a relationship with them?

I think that if I was not part of this family, if they were strangers, I don't think that i would desire a relationship with them nor have the patience that I do for them. I am sure that goes both ways, but it was just something I was thinking about that really challenged me.

Anyways, I wanted to share and strike the question. Feel free to vent or not, up to you.

I kind of tend to treat my family as if we weren't bound my blood - and with saying that, I'm close to very few of them....just my Mom really. My Mom and I are very close, but I don't see any of my other family members on a regular basis simply because I don't like them. And I think it goes both ways, I don't think they like me much either.

Well, my wife and I were strangers once and that's worked out. Probably for the rest of them too.

my bro, sis, and i get along.. but i have another sis that hates me... dont know why--she got married and moved out when i was 7yrs old, so it isnt like i ever did anything to her.

my sis' sons im really close to... but as far as cousins.. dont deal with them at all. So i guess i like who i like, and dont who i dont

Tony Marino wrote:If your family was not family, not bound by blood, if they were not related, would you tolerate them as people in your life?

I have family I don't speak to and don't like. They are not in my everyday life. People (family or not) I have in my everyday life are there because I want them there.

A lot of my family is fucked up, but that's on their own accord. I wouldn't tolerate anyone JUST because they are family. If you're fucked up, you're fucked up. I have one uncle that I don't and will never speak too because he did something really dirty and sinister, but he wasn't in my life growing up anyway so it was easy to write him off.