A second question to get us thinking

[Uncula]

  How many of you have friends who are closer than certain family members?  For example, I had an Aunt and Uncle who, when my Grandmother was ill and in the hospital, moved out her possions and gave their son the house (the Uncle had my Grandmothers power of attorney).  I would count almost any of my friends closer than them.
  Uncula

[Toy Ranch]

I'm closer to friends than I am to most (but not all) family members.  We choose our friends, our family is not our choice. 

[Paul L]

I have 3 friends who are as close & as important to me as family.

[packy120353]

Interesting to think about, I don't think I ever had. Speaking strictly of immediate family and not counting my wife who is by far best friend - I do have a couple friends I would consider closer than one of my brothers (I have three) But after 20 years of feuding if he wanted to bury the hatchet I would instantly feel close to him again. How could I not - having shared the same parents, brothers and childhood experiences? Sadly though I fear we will never be close. Plus I think he has all my model kits from the 60s you know what that means! And a close friend - well we can not speak for two or three years, then one email later we're having lunch and catching up and it makes my whole day.

[typhooforme]

Absolutely, several friends who are as close as--and closer than--family members.  It needs to be said, though, that I have no siblings, and my parents have passed, so my family is essentially limited to cousins.  I am very close to my Cuz Sara, who is a member here, and whom I mention from time to time. 

[hammerfan]

As the wise man said " Friends are the family we choose for ourselves"

[ChattyLMS]

What an awful thing to do.  Who needs family like that?  I'm glad your friends are better family.  But to answer the question, no, I don't have any friends that are closer than family. 

[toysoldierman2001]

I'm 1 of 13 kids but most of my siblings were older then me so I'm close to many of them.The one's I were close to are deceased.I do have a few very close friends I consider family but I don't see them as often as I would like.
I also consider everyone here at the UMA as family so I would say yes I do have a lot of friends that are like family

[The Creeper]

I have many friends that I consider family.  And they consider me family also.

[Illoman]

One reason you might feel closer to a friend than a family member is that your friend probably has a lot more common interests with you than your family, which is probably what brought you together in the first place. I have two brothers, an older and a younger. My older brother and I share many of the same interests, much more than my younger brother. I love them both equally.

I've confided in some of my friends things that my family doesn't know, probably because there's that 'distance' factor. The family is too close to me, my friends due to not being blood are perceived as more distant, hence "safer".

Great thread!

Mike

[Wicked Lester]

I suppose it all depends what you consider a close friend to be. To me that would be someone that you click with,feel comfortable around, have common interests with that will usually be there when you need em to help ya out. It's obvious what a relative is. My parents are both gone. The wifes P's died when she was a teenager. I am the youngest of 6. I was in kindergarten when my oldest brother got married. To me he's basically like an uncle I see maybe every 5 years.I am only kinda close with one sister who lives on the west coast. We talk a few times a year. When we are caught in a bind it is almost always my wifes side that helps out. We help them out back but since we really have nothing in common I am not really close with any of them. I am friendly and joke with my "work friends" and we share stuff about our personal lives but I don't hang with them away from work as we have little of the same interests. Our old friends are people we knew back in H.S. The wife and I got married early and by the time these friends moved out of the P's homes and were working and on there own we had been married for quite some time and had a kid going into 1st grade. Still during that time we had parties at our place helped several of them move,let them sleep on the couch if they got too drunk etc. Eventually they got married , bought houses had kids etc and suddenly we took a back back seat in their lives. When it came time to help us move into OUR house only two showed up and wasn't much help due to one being pregnant. They have all pretty much disappeared now tho my wife still e-mails couple of the girls. So aside from my wife I am not REALLY close to anyone and have no real friends.

[Paul L]

Wicked Lester: in all sincerity, my best wishes to you. I know I'm blessed to have the friends I refered to. Unfortuanately they live out of town/out of state. Fortunately these friendships haven't suffered, no do I expect them to.
Little in life suprises me, but still one can't help but reflect on how different it can be for everyone. I take it from your moniker that you're a KISS fan!

[Uncula]

  Some of the things that I have found, here in the little time and only two conventions I have been to, in the UMA is that they are the lovingest, friendliest and most caring people you can ever know.  It is odd what you can call "family", people that you have only spoken too on-line and met at some convention, but it is true. The UMA is a big part of my family.
   Uncula