A Brother From Another Mother, and a Sister From Another Mister

The dictionary describes the word "cousin" as "A child of one's aunt or uncle" (The American Heritage Dictionary 203). The way I see it, the dictionary has it all wrong. A cousin is more like a brother or a sister, just born of different parents. I say this because the bond I have with my cousins is so strong, and they basically are my brothers and sisters. We know each other's habits, likes and dislikes, and as weird as it may seem, we know each other's smells. Last weekend was my grandpa's 80th birthday, and my whole family had a wonderful celebration in his honor. The weekend was so awesome, though, because all of my family got to be together, and that means I got to be with all of my cousins. We laughed and had a great time, and it was just great to all be together. What's so amazing about being with your cousins, though, is that you can truly be yourself when you're with them. For example, at my grandpa's celebration, my whole family rented a karaoke machine, and we all had so much fun with it, unafraid to express ourselves and be crazy in front of our family and cousins. At the same time, it is also important that you can be sensitive in front of your cousins. At the same party, my cousins and I shared sentimental speeches about my grandfather, and just as we weren't afraid to be crazy in front of each other, we also weren't afraid to be serious within the presence of one another. This is what's so incredible about cousins. They allow you to be your true self, and really bring out your character. Cousins are there for you when you need a hand or a shoulder to lean on, and they are also there when you need a good laugh or when you just want to have fun. I feel privileged, because I get to see two of my cousins at school every day, and it's nice when I can talk to them in the hallways or in class, because it is like I am conversing with my brother or my sister.