Very small family and/or not very close to your family?

[zzirvingj]

I don't know why this has been on my mind lately, but do any of you ladies have a very small family, or a family in which you are not very close to many people?

Growing up, I considered my closest family members to be:

-grandmother (now deceased )
-grandfather
-mother
-brother (living in Japan currently)
-Aunt
-older uncle
-younger uncle (now deceased )
-2 cousins (1 female my age, 1 male my brother's age)

These people are all on my mom's side (don't know my Dad/Dad's side really). I don't feel like I have close relationships with family outside of the above, and I feel like I should (I'm from SC and most of the other family members are from/live in WV, because that's where my grandparents were from).

This may sound silly, but I feel like a future potential mate could see this as a negative (as if I am not "family oriented" enough)...can anyone relate?

 

[ThickHair]

If you have a small family there is nothing you can do about that. If you aren't very close, I don't think a future mate would see that as a negative unless there is a lot of negative talk and fighting going on.

I have a small immediate family but all of my cousin's on my mother's side live in the south. My mother (the oldest of 6) left Alabama as soon as she could, the other's never left. My mother married a man who was twice her age so my 1st cousin's are my mother's age and I am the age of their grandchildren. I have learned that family isn't always blood. My mother had\has good friends with children and I have great friends, all of whom I consider my family. I think you and your potential mate need to be more concerned that you foster great\close relationships to people regardless of blood. JMHO

 

[aribell]

op, that doesn't sound too small to be considered "close family." I always thought my family was a good size (though we've had several deaths over the past several years), but I don't think those I'd consider "close" are too many more than you listed. Lemme think:

Mom
(Dad--complicated rlp, but we talk)
Sister
Brother
Uncle
Aunt/Uncle + 2 cousins
Cousin
Cousin + Cousin's son

There are others that I'm regularly in contact with (I didn't include anyone from my father's side), but not "close" per se. I'm still proud of my family relationships, as I think that we genuinely love one another and care for one another and have been able to overcome the worst. I agree that it's really the quality of the relationships that matters more than the quantity. I more fear being judged for my troubled relationship with my father, and past issues with my mother, neither of which I had or have any control over.