Our families are of utmost importance in our daily lives. They provide for us, enlighten us, and so on. It's nice to have some companionship. Sometimes, families aren't all that great. They can get pretty dysfunctional and distant at times. Depends on the person. Friendship is also important. Some people have such close relations with you that you can practically consider them "family" already. Be it a friend, acquaintance, parental figure, teacher, step-sibling or cousin, family can be one of many different things.

What defines "family" in your eyes? If close enough, can a friend or some sort of person with a strong bond you know be considered family? Do you cherish your actual family? Do they care for you? Thanks for your kindness. 

Family huh? Well you have your blood family in real life and no one can change that as much as you hate or love it. There is another one like you can make another set if you want too with friends you have come to really love. Like if you see them as a brother or sister to you in a way because of how your friendship with them is. Not all family is all perfect, most do what they can to keep the bond that they have. Because not all family are lucky to have like something usually its a fight or a really bad break out. Not a lot of people would tend to like to talk about their family because of how things are run there. I do actually cherish my family despite how my mother can be towards me. They care for me a lot as they do for each other as well. And also yes a friend or a person you build a strong bond with can be considered as a family. If they have done a lot of things not a lot of people haven't done. You can't help but see them as a brother or as a sister to you.

I won't consider anyone family except my actual family. y'know linked by blood and all.

I have very great friends they will never be the same as family for me, which I know is different for some people.
Even though my sister's fiance and me are close he will never be family to me.

My family are ones that share my blood and don't, all my friends are family to me in a sense because I care about them.

To me family is my actual close family that are part or have been a large part of my life (my mom, my two older brothers, my grandfather and my aunt). I have more relatives but I'm not really close with them or see them much if at all so that's why I pretty much consider them "relatives" and not "family". I wouldn't consider any of my friends, family in the same sense either.

To me, family is someone who you can have some disagreements with or even fight with but you always make up despite differences you may have. It's someone you can depend on to always try to be there regardless of what happens. Perhaps it's because I don't have many friends, or specifically close friends but I can't really say I'd expect the same from them at the end of the day.

Everyone is family, whether they like it or not I think we would all benefit by seeing each other as family. Seeing people that way helps me to care about them and enjoy what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place. I feel I'd become dull if I stopped seeing everyone that way.

Ohana means family.
And family means no one gets left behind.
Or forgotten.

Family means blood relatives and, by extension, folks married in. Divorced in-laws don't count any more for me. They can be friends and you can be on good terms with them but they don't necessarily count. I am good friends with my brother's ex-girlfriend since there's 8 years of history there but she's not family. I'll still help her and include her because she's a friend but that's the extent of it.

Family is are the folks you should do anything and everything for. I come from a strong family where the value of the relations is stronger than everything else out there. We're taught early that family comes first, last, and only. Everyone else is taken care of after the family is taken care of.

It sounds like a New York City mob somehow but it's what we were raised and it's what I believe. The nice thing is everyone else follows it and has strong convictions so everyone goes out of their way for everyone else and we all know the expectation. It doesn't matter what happens, family comes first.

It is not always about blood,although I will defend any of my blood relatives to the death. Family can be your friends that are there for you at any time,people you trust enough to be "aunts" and "uncles" to your kids. Family is anyone you are willing to fight for and they would do the same for you.

Family.. I think Family is people close to you that would do anything for you. Blood is not always thicker than water in some cases. My girlfriend is going through that right now because her blood family tried to control her and she finally stood up for herself. So family is a group of people that love you no matter what. I know I kind of repeated myself I'm a little distracted because her baby is currently talking really loud because she'd getting her diaper changed. But yeah that's what I think family is.. Blood or not as long as they love and accept you for who you are and not because they can control you.

Of course, family is usually defined as strictly your blood family, but I disagree with that. Family is anyone you feel safe with and can be your truest self. By that definition, your blood relatives might not be family to you and your best friend could be the closest family you have.

The best part about language is that it evolves, and I think most people today are shying away from the conventional definition of family. I mean, the internet is a testament to that. How often have people said that their internet friends are family to them? 

Not to mention, if family is strictly viewed as blood relatives, that would mean your spouse is no more family than your next closest friend, and that's sad.

Family is the people I case about, whether I'm related to them in blood or not. I will care for them as if they were my family because they are amazing.