Family is what you make, it’s not who made you

“Blood is thicker than water.” 

How many people have heard this? The answer is probably most of us. This is because the saying has been around since the 12th century. 

The thing is the saying has nothing to do with the actual substances itselves. Yes, blood is thicker than water but the quote that we hear isn’t complete. 

When people are telling us this quote, they’re only using part of it. The entire saying is, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” 

This makes people think of different definitions for family. Some say only blood makes family, others say it is loyalty and love.

First, this quote was made for soldiers. It was made to say that their bloodshed in battle together made them stronger than genetics.

Next the definition of family is one or more parent living together with their children in one unit. This is the actual definition, but I am sure there are many people who would disagree with this definition. 

For example, does an aunt or uncle count as a parent to their nieces or nephews, or if a 19-year-old sibling takes on their younger siblings?

“A wise man once told me, ‘Family don’t end in blood.’” Dean Winchester, a “Supernatural”character played by Jensen Ackles, said in season 10, episode 17. “But it doesn’t start there either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them family is there; for the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. That’s family.” 

We should accept all the types of families.

 This includes small, big, or the mismatched ones. Homeless people who group together and make a family to survive are part of the people saying that family is loyalty and love, and that is why they chose their family. 

That is why the definition of family being one ancestral line makes no sense to me.

 If this were true, then adopted kids wouldn’t be with their “family” they would have the same last name but not the same ancestral line. 

This is a problem unto itself. A lot of kids get adopted because their “family” doesn’t want them or cannot care for them, so they need a family that loves them. 

The last thing they need is someone saying the family they just got isn’t their family. 

“The most important thing in life will always be family.” Dominic Toretto, a “Fast and Furious” character played by Vin Diesel, said. “The people right here, right now.”  

To me this means the people you hold closest to your heart are family. 

Whether blood is family or friends, love them all and protect them all.