I have seen it any many forms. There is the biological family, the legal family, friend family, and the made-up family.

The biological family is what some people would call your "real family" or "the people you can't get rid of". They are the people whom you are actually related to and get your DNA from. I have seen people get dumped by their biological family after 15+ years. I always thought that it would trump anything. I always thought that it would beat friendships and boyfriend/girlfriend, but, as I said, I have seen it broken apart after years of love over the stupidest things.

Legal family you may not be biologically related to, but the paperwork says you are family and so it is. I have seen a legal family closer than the biological family.I have seen them show more love than a biological family.

The friend family goes deeper than the first two. They are the friends that you have known forever, would do anything for, and actually see as part of your family. It doesn't matter what the paperwork says or who you are biologically related to. You love these people as if they were your family. I have had this occur to me on only one occasion, but I'd do anything to make sure this person is safe. I don't care if I had to wake up at midnight and walk for three hours in the worst part of town, I would do it if they needed me to do it.

Made-up family is the most shallow form of family. It's more of a game of "pretend" than anything. This is where one of your friends is your "dad" or some girl younger than yo may be your "mom". I see this more like playing one big elaborate game of house.

I say all of this because I have a topic of discussion for all of you. It is about family.
What is a family?
What makes a family?
How do you become a family?
Is it said allowed or some unspoken bond?
The main question of all of this is: What does family mean to you.

bump

Being related to someone does not always mean that they are the people that know you the best. My parents adopted me a birth, and even though they have asked me if I would have like to meet my biological family, I just don't care. What happens in biological relationships is that sometimes people take that relationship for granted. When you have someone like a wife, it tends to be a relationship that has been forged by time, hardships, ect. So it doesn't matter if you share genetics with someone, and it doesn't matter if the government says that you have a relationship. A relationship is something that you make on your own.

A family is a group of people that have a mutual sort of love for each other, in a more platonic sense, or if it comes to it, sexual and biologically. These bonds and these mutual understandings of how people feel about each other and how you care about them in a form of not necessity and due to 'well it's morally right to love your family' but more of a love BECAUSE you can. People become families by hanging with those people you love and find precious more than anything else and vice versa. It doesn't need to be said (IMO it's more awkward if you say we r fam when you're not biologically so, that being the general definition), and here's where I come in— family biologically is something that doesn't need to take a priority at all, but generally is because of how people are morally raised. I personally find family in a more friendship sense to be more important as they are the people who you are not obligated to defend and you care about because you can. In fact, Mawaru Penguindrum I think is a pretty good example of family, and staying vague because of spoilers.

It's all about unconditional love in my opinion. If you know of a person's bad side and know what stuff they have done wrong and can still love them, then that is what a family is. It's always said that parents will love their kids no matter what and for the most part it is true and that is what forms the family. But at the same time things can get distorted and even if parents love their children they child might not feel obliged to feel the same way back, it is hard for kids to ignore any wrongs a parent has done, and because of that things like that usually get hidden from children. This makes it hard to think of the biological family as something true in terms of the bonds, when a lot of things can be hidden within the relationship.
This is one thing i admire about the old ways of gangs, sure what they did was horrible and wrong, but the one thing you can see they did well was stick together as a family (blood related or not) through all kinds of situations. They would do anything for each other. If you have people you would go to any length to defend or to avenge, then that is what i would see as your true family, blood has nothing to do with it.

being related to some one DOSN'T make them your family.

Family is whom you choose, not who was given to you. It's the people you love and love you back. Take care of each other. have each others backs.. etc. i have a family.. were called "26"

i agre with lex14 just becuase somebody is related to you doesnt mean they are your family

that is right oddsel you chose who is your family and who is not

In my personal opinion, a family is a group of people that you choose. We may be born into a family, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you feel the 'family' bonds. A family accepts you for who you are, no matter what you've done wrong. I think of family, in terms of such as in the Godfather. Yes, what they were doing was technically wrong, but at the same time, the way that they cared for each other, and they would even die for their family. Granted, this is the way that they were raised, but all the same, it's that kind of bond that really makes a family, in my opinion.
Personally, I am adopted. Frankly, I don't care about knowing my birth parents and in fact have accepted the fact that they are dead. I feel no real bond to them. Same for my legal family. I don't feel much of a bond with them either. Ironically, the people that I know on the internet are more family to me.
>>6 I agree with your view i.e. "Family is whom you choose, not who was given to you."

I have a lot of family which, luckily, stil includes my 94 year old great grandmother. the difference between my bio family and my friend family is not in love but in numbers. I have much less people in my friend family but I think thats true for everyone. Very few ppl in life you can call true friends relative to how many people you meet. Cherish them.

I'll answer the main question of this, since the other parts seem too 'dictionary' focused and have already been answered a few times.

- This message is interrupted by the cooking of Fishsticks and Macaroni -

Anywho:

Biological family: This family doesn't mean much to me. I don't feel that I should be OBLIGATED to love somebody, purely because we share blood. Sure, I'll look out for them as they look out for me, but beyond that I don't feel any genuine connection. They're people that I happen to live with, and that's it.

Legal family: See above, subtract blood relations and insert "paperwork."

Friend family: Relatively 50/50 on this one. I have friends that I certainly enjoy having, and not just because they're people to hang out with, and then there's the ONE who has been with me long enough to lay down my life for. He's the only person that's stuck with me through everything, and I owe him so much for that.

Made-up family: I don't even... Why was this counted as an option? It has zero sentimental value :T

~ ~ ~

Conclusion: I mostly feel indifferent towards 'obligated' family. However, I feel a strong attachment to those who have some serious metal in them.

Made-Up Family is on there because a lot of people have one. I don't know if people actually give a shit about this fake family.

friend family are always awesome. it's hard to explain in words but I love them! :D much better than the biological ones, since most of the time...

I have a made-up and a real family, but to me family means an unspoken and a spoken bond between people you can trust and love unconditionally. I was adopted at birth so family is important to me, but it doesnt matter if they are related to me or not, as long as I can trust them then I consider them family. I have one sister who is blood related(she is older) and one sister who is younger that I have known since she was little. All in all it shouldn't matter if they are related, as long as you can believe in them. That's just my opinion tho.

What a load of bullcrap. You don't put families into different catagories. It doesn't matter if you have the same blood, or paperwork, and it doesn't matter if it's only friends and made up. A family is a group of people related or not, that will stand by your side through thick and thin. If someone messes with one family member, then the whole family is being messed with. My family isn't all related. In fact, only one or two actual blood related members are in it. We've stood together through a ton of shit, and some of us live miles away, and that doesn't ruin our bond. Sure, we may not always talk with one another, but when we need each others help, then hell yeah we're there.
Family isn't something science can prove, you can't prove why a family is called a family unless you know why they are related. Hell, in fact, in my case, a family isn't connected through blood, but instead, bonds of their memories and essence. Like everything else, families are connected through their strength and spirit.

Nobody bumps my shit up. Now I shall.

Family are people you love and who love you back. I take great offense to your definition of "Make-up" family. I have a "son" that is eight years older then me. And you know what, I love him like I would if he was my real son. That 28 year old man IS this 20 year old girl's son. It's not a "game of house". We don't play games in my "make-up" family. I say someone is my child because I love them as if they truly were. I love my "brothers" as if they were my real bothers. I love my "grandchildren" as if they were my grandchildren. I love my "mom", my "step-mom", my "dad", my "nieces" and "nephews", my "cousins", my "aunts" and my "uncles". And all of them feel the same exact way. We "make-up" a family because those said other groups had abandon us in one way or another, so we come together to take that place that is needed to be filled.

Family is a mutual love for each other that says "you are worth more to me then just anyone else" someone you sacrifice for, someone you will always protect, someone you can count and rely on. My "make-up" family has seen me threw things even my family of friends abandoned me on cause it was easier that way. I was easier to not answer my calls when I was balling my head off because my great grandfather died, so they didn't. My "make-up" family talked to me and loved me threw all of it. And always checks up to see if I'm ok.

My real family isn't that close. Parents have been divorced since I was very young, and all of us siblings have been off on our own. Only now are we actaully trying to get together, so I have no real opinion on family. As for your friends, I'll say they are my family. Just with what >>19 said, I have a friend who i call my sister, and love her like she is. Not exactly a whole make-up family, but close enough. But I do agree some make-up familys are only for things like role-play.

>>19 I think that would go under friend family not make-up family. I'm just saying. Friend family isn't just your friends. I have friends who don't give a fuck, and so they aren't part of my friend family. Make-up family is the shit that isn't serious at all. It's quite literally a game of house. You don't see them as a family in any way, but you pretend it is as a joke or a game.

In your family of friends, then it's friends that you actually love like a family, as you've stated there. If you love that 28 year old man as your son, then I consider it a friend family. It's a really good friend that you've eventually come to love as your family. As creepy as your thing is, I just don't understand it, because only one person that's isn't biologically related to me has given enough of a fuck for me to consider her a family. I see her as a sister because that's how I treat her, unintentionally.

Bump (: