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Big fams get big drama, I guess
Oct. 2nd, 2022 05:13 pmMy roommate's cousin came by to visit us the other day, and it was fascinating to listen to the two of them hash out certain family dramas. My roommate's father had a bunch of siblings, and so there's a great deal of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Plus all their spouses, and then the spouse's families... They're a little spread out, but there are occasional family events where large numbers of them turn out (like weddings and funerals), and various different "sects" that are near each other or emotionally close stay in good contact.
It feels very wild to me bc my roommate has a relatively small contained immediate family (two parents and three kids) but this expansive and elaborate network of extended relatives who all have differing dynamics and beef with each other. Meanwhile I have a relatively large immediate family (having six siblings) but my relatively few extended family members are living across the ocean in a different country, where I see them maybe once or twice a decade, so there's pretty rarely any sort of communication/drama/news.
It made me wonder if one day my siblings and I will ever create such an expansive network of independent family units that all coalesce into these big family gatherings. So far none of my siblings are married or have any children, so we're pretty far from our respective children growing into adults and then going to visit each other to gossip about the rest of the family.
IDK watching my roommate and her cousin relate to each other in such a unique way made me sort of yearn for that kind of rich extended family life... but then again, it seemed like it also came with some very heavy and dramatic stuff as well. And to get there I'd have to have kids.... one day, but I'm not ready quite yet XD.
It feels very wild to me bc my roommate has a relatively small contained immediate family (two parents and three kids) but this expansive and elaborate network of extended relatives who all have differing dynamics and beef with each other. Meanwhile I have a relatively large immediate family (having six siblings) but my relatively few extended family members are living across the ocean in a different country, where I see them maybe once or twice a decade, so there's pretty rarely any sort of communication/drama/news.
It made me wonder if one day my siblings and I will ever create such an expansive network of independent family units that all coalesce into these big family gatherings. So far none of my siblings are married or have any children, so we're pretty far from our respective children growing into adults and then going to visit each other to gossip about the rest of the family.
IDK watching my roommate and her cousin relate to each other in such a unique way made me sort of yearn for that kind of rich extended family life... but then again, it seemed like it also came with some very heavy and dramatic stuff as well. And to get there I'd have to have kids.... one day, but I'm not ready quite yet XD.
