What Defines 'Family'?

family

• noun (pl. families) 1. a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit. 2 a group of people related by blood or marriage. 3 the children of a person or couple. 4 all the descendants of a common ancestor.

So, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, my little family unit isn't technically a family as beloved and I aren't married and Little Robbie Dude isn't his son.  What utter tosh.

I was brought up by 2 parents, my Mum was my birth mother, my Dad my adoptive father and my younger half sister, who I never think of as 'half sister', she's my sister full stop.  We were a proper family, a happy family unit. 

Then along came Roddy.

Roddy fell into our family and became part of it.  When my Dad died he was mentioned under 'children' at the funeral, and gave my sister away when she got married a few years ago.  When talking about him, I refer to Roddy as my brother, he is Godfather to Robbie Dude and my Mum couldn't care for him anymore if he was her own.

So all this begs the question - What really makes a group of people family?

In my book, blood ties don't mean you are family, it just means you're related. Just because someone gives birth to you it doesn't mean you should automatically love them, lets face it, there are many kids out there in terrible family situations, there are other kids living with people who are no relation to them, but who love and nurture them. 

My definition of family is:

A group of people who care for each other and regardless of often they see each other, will always be there right til the very end.