Do you have people who act like family and you love like family but are not actually related?

[Sheridan6956]

My parents have been friends with another couple since the 80s (I'm 21 now), the other couple have two sons in their 30s. Ever since I was a child I always remember the whole family being in my life, I'd go on holiday with them so my parents could have a holiday on their own and we'd all spend New Year together every year without fail. These people are in no way related to me but I love them like family and we have extremely close relationships. Do you have people in your life who you are so close to but not related to?

[boxtops]

Certainly, yes - and equally, family from whom we are distant. As the saying goes - "you can choose your friends, you can't choose your family".

[mumsie_wumsie]

Yes indeed. My very dearest friend who I have known for the last thirty years.Her children call me their 'second mum'.

[starone]

I don't know any of my cousins and don't want to. There is a young lady who lives just up the road to me and who looks after me like a daughter would. She brings me cooked meals whenever she is doing a roast, she takes me wherever I want to go and so on. She has her own worries and difficulties but she always has time for me. Yes, she is like a daughter.

[China Doll]

I have three girlfriends (two of whome are sisters) that I have been friends with respectively for eighteen years and seventeen years. I consider them part of my family and vice versa.

[k8bailey]

I don't sadly :( but my grandmother has a friend - known each other since college and the friend introduced my grandma to my granddad. When they all had young children there was an understanding between the two couples, that if anything happened to them the other couple would take on the children....now there are children and grandchildren and hundreds of miles between them, but they're just as close. I think it's a good thing - just because you're born into a family doesn't automatically follow that you will love, like or have any shared interests. You're very lucky!